Belfast Giants: the ice hockey team that captivated and changed a city

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Ice hockey had no history in Belfast, but somehow the Giants pull in bigger crowds than any of the city’s football clubs

with a few games to play. Winning the double would be a huge achievement, but the Giants have been exceeding expectations for decades.. The Good Friday agreement was just two years old and the city had been scarred by a conflict that remained raw. There was peace on the streets but it was fragile, and the sporting landscape was as entrenched and traditional as ever.

The Canadians who signed for the Giants played a brand of ice hockey that thrilled the crowd. The rules still had to be explained regularly in the programme notes, by the arena announcer or even by the team’s mascot, Finn McCool, the mythical Irish giant. But the fanbase grew every year and so did their knowledge of the game. The Giants now play to bigger crowds than any of Northern Ireland’s football clubs.

Davy says he started going to games with his wife. “I used to watch Glentoran play football in east Belfast, but she wanted to go somewhere that was under cover, safe, and had food and clean toilets. In Belfast, if you grow up in a certain area, it can be hard to know someone from outside your background. Even now, I’d struggle to tell you Catholic friends I have from Belfast outside of hockey.

 

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