Israel Elite Hockey League Featured on JM in the AM

JM in the AM. Good morning and thanks for joining us everybody. Well, it's rare that we have a commissioner of a major sports league with us on the air. It is rare, but we've secured a commissioner this morning and that is the commissioner of the EHL. The EHL is the Israel Elite Hockey League. Remember the days when we couldn't believe there was actually baseball in Israel? Remember the days we couldn't believe there was a golf course in Israel? Remember the days we were wonder if there'd ever be a bowling alley in Israel? Well, I can tell you I remember the days when people wondered if there'd even be a skating rink, an ice skating rink in Israel. And now that there's an eight team hockey league, this is unbelievable. For those of you out there who are big hockey fans, this is great news. And of course, there's a major event happening a week from Sunday, uh, excuse me, two weeks from Sunday at the UBS Arena, Jerusalem versus Tel A Viv, and we'll talk about that, tell you how to buy tickets, etc., etc. The commissioner of the AHL, Mark Brunber, welcome to JM in the AM. >> Thanks for having me. Good morning and uh, ready to go. >> Appreciate that. As you heard me say, I remember the days when people even wondered if there'd ever be an ice skating rink in Israel. How old is this league? When when did this thing start? When did we actually formalize an actual competitive hockey league, ice hockey league in Israel? >> Well, the uh formed in 2021. I I should note that Israel has had a domestic winter ice hockey league for about 30 years. Wow. But the point of the IEHL is to raise the level of the game and to be Israel's first professional league. Um what we do is we take the top Israeli players uh from the domestic league and we take the top Israeli players who play overseas because the home league isn't strong enough. And then we mix them with both Jewish and non-Jewish players uh from North America, US, Canada and also countries uh you know throughout Europe and and Russia as well. >> Well, this is not an unknown concept. I think the basketball leagues have basically operated the same way where you have a core from Israel and you invite you know people to supplement the team so to speak from around the world. Uh so that certainly works and works well. Are you happy with the level of talent? I mean based on what you said the league is f is four or five years old. Are you happy with the level of talent at this point? >> Sure. Uh, you know, we've had, um, you know, for example, uh, we've had players who have had a cup of coffee in the KHL, which is the elite Russian League, uh, best league in the world other than the NHL. >> Uh, we've had, uh, Eton Werek, Israeli Canadian, who played uh, in the Olympics actually for China because he was playing with um, a KHL team based out of China. So, you know, we've had uh and he was drafted second round by the New York Rangers, you know, back in the day. So, so we've had NHL drafted and Olympic and KHL talent in our league. Um, so yeah, we we've we've we're pretty satisfied with the level of play. It's and it's really helping bring up the level of the local Israeli players, you know, the best of the domestic league who play in our league. Uh, and we're a summer league. So the the idea of it is that players who might not otherwise come to Israel, both Jewish and non-Jewish players, who might not look at Israel during the winter, they come because it's a short summer league. And it gives them a chance to train and get ready for the leagues they play in year round. Uh and and to combine the ability to stay in game shape with experiencing Israel as as a country and as a culture. Um, and for guys in their 20s, uh, the night life in Tel Aviv doesn't hurt, [laughter] you know. It's it's it's a it's a good draw for them. >> I get that. Mark, um, what what struck your fancy to get involved in this? Were you a major hockey player growing up? Are you are you a major ice hockey fan, especially when it comes to the NHL? Why were you so passionate to actually climb to the top of the IEHL? >> [snorts] >> Well, I was a former, you know, just for exhibition games and international friendlies, but I I played five games in goal for the Israeli national team. Um, after having played college hockey for Bingington. Um, you know, and and you know, hockey really throughout my life as a goalender. Uh, so when you combine my experience on the national team with just the the honor of not so much as, you know, I I was an exhibition player, right, and I played a handful of games, but to pull on that jersey is such an honor to represent uh, you know, the state of Israel, Medat Israel, and to do it for uh, you know, not only Israel, but the Jewish people worldwide, you know, it it's it's it's such an honor. and to do it through the sport that I loved. Uh I partnered with one of the national team longtime players uh Tal Mary who competed in multiple world championships for Israel. And our idea together was how do we make a league uh in Israel that will raise the level of the game while also showing the true face of what Israel really is and is not to the world. Um, our idea is that haki is a vehicle to normalize Israel and to show Israel to the world as being a country that's utterly unlike what the vicious media portrayal of it is. >> Oh, you don't have to you don't you don't have to convince us. We've been harping on this and the importance. Look, what better way >> what better way to to show Israel to the world than to bring guys in from, >> you know, say Oklahoma or Texas, uh, you know, Finland, Russia, France, Germany, who might never have met a Jewish person before. And they're elite hockey players and they come and they spend a summer in Israel and they live in Tel Aviv. They go to Jerusalem. They see the holy sites. They meet Israeli people and Jewish people. And then they go home and they say, you know, everything we've been told about Israel and how they treat non-Jews is wrong. >> Yeah. 100%. >> And they're the greatest ambassadors that we have. >> Totally agree with that. And we've always harped on the importance of building these sports um presences in Israel to represent Israel around the world. You're doing an amazing job. And they're doing something right at Bingmpington. There's a lot of great Jewish pride and Israel pride at Bingmpington University. At least that's what we keep hearing. So, I guess I guess you had >> Yeah, that's that's a long-standing. Sure. >> Yeah, 100%. Um, and was it always a passion to be a goalie? Like when you were a kid, that was the position you wanted? >> Well, I I I was a short kid and back then, you know, now I'm in my 50s, but but back in the day, it was okay to be a shorter goalie as long as you were fast. >> And I was. And uh so when I wanted to play, that's uh that's kind of what I got thrust into. and I just really enjoyed it and it became a lifelong love for me. I still play in men's leagues now into my 50s and uh it's it's a great way to stay in shape and it's an exciting position. >> Are you aware of the fact that there's an Israel jersey in the Toronto Hockey Hall of Fame? >> I am. That's actually Max Berbrier's jersey. He was the first uh and to date one of four Israeli players ever drafted, but he was the first >> back in 2000 by the New Jersey Devils. And uh he he never made it to the NHL, you know, uh he played in the AHL, which is the top league uh here in North America under the N. Um and then he went on to a long career in Europe. Um and he's he's a great guy. He's actually a uh the general manager of one of the um British elite league teams now over in Fif Scotland. And uh I talked to him a fair amount. He's he's a great guy. >> And we'll talk about the event in a minute. It's at the UBS Arena two weeks from Sunday. Obviously, it's a big big deal and that's the reason we're talking. But uh the the jersey you mentioned and the jersey we're talking about, is that available? Like I'm sure there are a bunch of kids out there and even adults that would love to wear an Israel hockey jersey. Like do you guys make that available to anybody? Is it something that's available at the game? Like how does that work? >> If you go Yeah, if you go um you know to just Google shop the um you can go onto our site and we have you know not only our team uh merchandise available, but there's national team merchandise available as well. >> Oh, very cool. Eight teams. I mean somewhat when I in all honesty when I saw Tel Aviv was playing Jerusalem here at the UBS Arena I thought they're probably the only two teams in the league and then I said maybe there's four teams but eight teams that's difficult and I'm assuming that not every one of these home teams Ashto KVA I assume they don't all have their you know their own home hockey rink uh you know etc. No, of course not. Right. >> There there are 30 representative teams, but we play the league. We've we've operated in >> I mean there's there's four rinks that are suitable for hockey in all of Israel. One of which is so small that you can only play four on four with goalies instead of five on five. Um but our our our rink that we play out of now for the last couple of years, uh we've partnered with Blue Ice and Ash. It's a beautiful new rink and Olympic size rink and it's it's it's great. Um Ash has a full size Olympic ice hockey rink. Ashto. >> They do. Yeah. Called Blue Ice. It's fantastic. >> What's the name of the Ashto team? >> Uh the Dolphins. The Ashtto Dolphins. We've got um you know the Jerusalem Capitals uh HC or Hockey Club Tel Aviv. Uh, the Ashto Dolphins, Hollon Vipers, Bitzia Pioneers, Kafar Saba Wolves, uh, the Hypermariners, and the Bear Shiva Ibex. >> I love it. I absolutely love it. Incredible. And the reason I pointed out our stone folks is they're tied with Tel a Viv for the top team in the league right now. And now we know why. They have the best rink in the the entire country. So, >> yeah, they're they're kind of the uh they're kind of the the the home team, so to speak. good amount of fans down. >> They probably get to practice there in general uh more than the other teams. And do you get fans? I mean, are there And I mean, I'm not asking for numbers, but I mean, are there games where it's obvious that that that that people have been uh you know, attracted to this as a spectator sport and they're coming out? >> Oh, sure. I mean, you know, look, the seating capacity >> is nothing, you know, like uh professional rinks here in the in the states, but but yeah, we get we get crowds and, you know, you can see if you go if you go on to YouTube and just look for Israel Elite Hockey League, we have a YouTube channel and uh games in Israel during the season are streamed and they're also, you know, maintained on our channel so you can go back and watch past games and what have you. >> So you Yeah, for sure. So you could watch live games on YouTube, >> correct? Yeah. During there, you know, we're a summer season league. So, um, you know, during the summer season, which is typically, uh, June and into early July, you know, our games would be broadcast live, but then they're available. So, if you want to go back and look at games, um, including last year's Challenge Cup at UBS, uh, home of the New York Islanders, you can go on to our YouTube channel again. Just look at Israel Elite Hockey League. it'll pop up and and you know you can go and and check it out. >> Mark Brunan Greyber is with us live via telephone. He's commissioner of the IEHL, the Israel Elite Hockey League. Now, here's the story, folks. The Hockey League presents the USA Challenge Cup. It's really version number two because Tel Aiv and Jerusalem have done this already before. But on Sunday, February the 22nd, the USA Challenge Couple return to the UBS Arena featuring a f fierce rematch between two powerhouse Israeli teams at Jerusalem Capitals in the HC. That's hockey club Tel Aviv. Fans can look forward to a full Israel themed night with music, community guests, and a worldclass hockey game that celebrates both sport and culture. Everybody out there is invited. You go to Ticketmaster and that's where the seats are available. That's where the tickets are available for the event. You can literally go to Ticketmaster and just search uh IEHL UBS Arena events, whatever it is, and you'll be able to be there in a in a seat with your family and friends on Sunday, February the 22nd. Why has why have the Islanders and UBS Arena been so cooperative with you guys? >> Uh you know, I I I don't know if it's ownership or or just uh staff, but I can tell you that they're an absolute pleasure to work with. It's a It's a top flight >> incredible arena, right? As an arena, it's it's amazing. Probably one of the best in this country. >> Yeah, it's absolutely stunning. If if if you haven't been there, I would advise everybody to give it a shot and go uh you know, certainly would love to see at our event. Uh go for an Islander game, go for a concert. It's it's a it's a wonderful arena. the people that run it are terrific and uh the organization both at UBS itself and the Islanders have been nothing other than first class to us, you know, top to bottom. So, uh nothing but great things to say about them and the organization. >> And how did the uh other than hockey events go last time? Were you able to put together the the music and the Jewish culture and everything to your satisfaction the last time around? >> Well, yeah. I mean, we had uh we had hundreds of people uh you know, wrap to fill in with Kabad rabbis. We've had uh [laughter] Oh, yeah. They they're out there on the concourse during the game before the game. We We have uh Let's see. We >> I got to I got to assume there's I got to assume there's kosher food. >> Oh, of course. Black kosher food. Yeah. >> Plus music. Absolutely. >> Plus music. Special guests. >> Oh, yeah. Then, you know, the the Israeli themed uh merchandise, we we get, you know, Jew top Jewish influencers come down. Uh you know, we have um Kosha Dills is our our host for the evening. >> He's great. >> Uh yeah, we we've got uh we've got the whole Israeli themed evening going on and it's really more of an afternoon game. It's a 5:00 pm start, so we try to make it family friendly. Um you know, if you want to bring your kids, you don't have to worry about it being a late night with school the next day. Right. >> Yeah. >> Look, I I I think it's amazing and remarkable and everybody out there, here's an opportunity to really spend an amazing time with the family at a fun event, a familyfriendly event. We always talk about where can you take your kids? You can take your kids to this one. The USA Challenge Cup comes to the UBS Arena, which is basically Queens, Long Island for those who not familiar. It's not the craziest ride at all. If you're in, I don't know, Staten Island, Brooklyn, etc. Um, the Jersey UBS Arena is pretty well situated. Uh, you're basically going to the edge of Queens and Long Island. Uh, Sunday, February the 22nd, when Jerusalem plays Tel Aiv, who should we root for, everybody? I don't know. I got two granddaughters now living in Jerusalem, so I guess we're going to have to go in that direction. Uh, it's Jerusalem against Tel Aiv on on Sunday, February the 22nd at 5:00 PM with the kosher food and all the great merchandise, etc. And yesterday we did a whole thing about aliyah and we talked about, you know, trying to bridge the gap between Israel and diaspora. I got to tell you, Mark, I I I don't know if you agree with me cuz I usually go out on a limb on these things, but if you bring a kid to a game like this and you and you get them that Israeli jersey, you have no idea what it does for that youngster in terms of connecting to the Holy Land. Now, a lot of people are probably rolling their eyes as they hear me say this, but I have a feeling that you know exactly what I'm talking about. I do and and it's you know I'll give you an example not only kids but the players themselves when we you know we talked about earlier having non-Jewish players as friends and allies and ambassadors for Israel by coming to Israel and experiencing the game but the Jewish players who come to our league from North America, Canada, US, you know, some of them have a good connection but some of them don't when they first get to [clears throat] Israel but when they leave after summer it's it's bas It's basically like Birthright on steroids for them, >> you know, to to to turn around and put on those jerseys and to interact with fans and to, you know, walk the streets. What we do with them is we do specialized trips to all of the holy sites. We do the archaeology. We go to the wall. Uh we we go everywhere from the Dead Sea to the Golan. So, they really see the country and experience it. And coming home, it it changes their life every summer. Unbelievable. Look, we we know what hockey is to the Jewish community of this area. I mean, there are people that, you know, Phil Madison Square Garden and UBS Arena on a and the and in Jersey as well on a regular basis who are from our community. I mean, so many people in this listening audience are so passionate about hockey. Are the majority of people coming to your games in Israel Americans transplants who, you know, just dying for a hockey game or are some of the Israelis getting into this? No, you're seeing some sabras come. I mean, you know, listen, hockey is in large part in Israel a niche sport which we're working to change. So, you know, it's big among OIM and among uh you know, the Russian community, but we're starting to see more and more sabers get involved both on the ice and in the stands. >> Oh, I I I forgot about the Russian community, of course. You have millions of people there who love hockey. >> That's a tre tremendous advantage. Yeah, it it doesn't hurt. >> Mark, easiest way to get tickets, people should go to Ticketmaster and just go to either the UBS events or to the IEHL. Simple as that. >> Yeah, you could also just go ticket master and type in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv hockey and it'll pop right up. >> Good point. That's it. All right. Uh I hope the place is sold out. I think you guys deserve it. You're doing an amazing job. The Challenge Cup comes to UBS Arena on Sunday, February the 22nd. Go to ticketmaster everybody. Literally search Jerusalem or Tel Aviv. You'll see you'll see the event come up. Buy your tickets for your family and enjoy all of the great uh offerings that they have that night. A great hockey game and of course all the other things that we discussed. Uh Mark, I thank you and thanks for bringing this to our attention. I really hope it's a major success. >> Thank you so much. Thanks for having me and look forward to seeing you at the game. >> Mark Brunan Greyber is commissioner of the IEHL. Yeah, we got the top personnel, folks. We attract the number one people. He's the boss. He's in charge of the 18 league. Even of the Ashto team that enjoys that incredible arena that now I'm going to have to visit at some point in Israel. Can't believe it with all the time I spent at so Ashto as a teenager. And I spent a lot of time there. One of my most famous, right? One of the famous stories I always tell happened to me in Ash. Not going to do it now. Anyway, to even think that there's an arena there is unbelievable. Anyway, go to Ticket Master. Get ready for Sunday, February the 22nd, USA Challenge Cup, Tel A Viv against the Jerusalem Capitals. More coming up. You're listening to JM in the A.M.