Canadian contingent in Hong Kong helps ice hockey podcast find devout following at home and abroad
- Started by two Canadian expats living in the city, Across the Pond has charted number one on Apple and Spotify in various categories
- The show has tapped Hong Kong’s healthy Canuck population, showcasing the global reach of the sport
Turns out it’s easy to take the Canadian out of Canada, but really tough to take the Canada out of the Canadian.
In 2011, Chris Ivany left Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia with his wife Hollie, moving to Hong Kong to teach English. Ivany, like any good Canadian kid, has been an ice hockey nut (just “hockey” to Canadians) since a young age, playing, coaching, referring and talking about the game endlessly.
“[Hollie] had been suggesting for a while that I start a hockey podcast, likely because she was tired of listening to me talk about it all the time,” said Ivany. “I brought up the idea to my good friend Paul MacLean, and we started working on it right away. It took over a year to plan and prepare everything needed to have a quality podcast.”
So in October of 2019 the two launched their first episode, talking to Hongkonger and fellow Canadian Greg Smyth about the growth of the local game over the years. Since then, Across the Pond has yet to miss a weekly show (66 and counting), and has amassed an impressive following.
They’ve had a number of notable stars make appearances, including former NHLers Jeremy Roenick and Barry Beck, who lives in Hong Kong and works as an ice hockey coach, and Across The Pond has reached number one, at one point or another, in the hockey category in Hong Kong, Thailand, Singapore, Finland, the United Kingdom and Ireland on Apple and Spotify. It has also been in the top 10 in Canada and the United States concerning hockey podcasts.
“There are so many Canadians here that have been supporting us and sharing the podcast with friends and family back home,” said Ivany. “Word- of-mouth advertising is very important for a podcast.”
MacLean, a Boston Bruins fan who also hails from Cape Breton, said this type of podcast might not be possible anywhere else in Asia.
“I’m sure it’s a lot easier to try something like this out here in Hong Kong versus other areas in Asia due to the sheer numbers,” said MacLean, taking the cheeky chance to bring up one of the NHL’s storied rivalries. His co-host, Ivany, is a Montreal Canadians fan, which makes for some lighthearted ribbing on the show.
“There are quite a few Canucks living in this city,” added MacLean, “and although some may be Montreal Canadian fans, they’re mostly good people who enjoy keeping up with what’s happening in the hockey world.”
Hong Kong is set to welcome two new ice hockey rinks, in Discovery Bay and in Tseung Kwan O, pending the Covid-19 pandemic and the city’s restrictions on sporting venues. Ivany said this showed that the sport is not only cementing a foothold in the city, but finding a way to grow organically.
Ivany said the community, which also includes a healthy ball hockey scene (ice hockey played on rinks without ice), is incredibly tight knit and supportive of all endeavours.
“Covering local hockey culture is something we’re dedicated to, so as it grows here, hopefully, so will our podcast,” he said. “People from all over the world of various backgrounds have contributed to the game here, so it’s a small, unique world and there are a lot of great stories to be told.”
