4 days ago
Queenstown's first couple of ice hockey
Queenstown ice hockey is much the richer for a couple from the sport's powerhouse nations, the United States and Canada.
Both 37, Kellye Nelson and Colin McIntosh coincidentally both arrived in Queenstown in 2017, each intending on just a short stay.
However, they soon met and fell for each other, and have since become huge contributors to Queenstown's two national league teams — and have also started representing their adopted country.
From Lino Lakes in Minnesota, in the US, Kellye's backyard was, literally, a lake that froze in winter, "so that's where I found my love for skating".
"And you kind of had to play ice hockey if you lived in Minnesota."
She did dabble in other sports — she and her dad even started lacrosse at her high school — but hockey won out.
As for its attraction, Kellye, who was coached by her dad, says "I'm very competitive and I love being able to get in there — you're essentially learning a new way to walk — but for me it's more the community and the teammates I've met".
"I've never met a bad hockey player."
Kellye played division three for an American university but was also away from the sport while studying in Prague, in the Czech Republic.
After a year in Australia she had a five-year sales job in the US, and was then sitting out a non-compete period for another job when she decided instead to take a break in NZ — "I remembered NZ was a place Americans could do a working holiday before they were 30".
Arriving in early 2017, she started at a surf camp up north before wending her way to Queenstown, not even knowing there was ice hockey here.
Meanwhile, Colin also grew up with the sport, playing road hockey and ice hockey with his three brothers in La Pas, Manitoba.
"Hockey was my life, still is. It's just the best sport in the world."
As to why, "it's the hardest sport to play, the skill it takes is just insane".
Having played professionally in North America and Europe, he heard from a friend about the Stampede, then after making inquiries was contacted by stalwart player Mike McRae.
Two weeks later he was on a flight to Queenstown to become a Stampede import.
He'd only intended staying a season, but meeting Kellye, who'd started managing the ice rink, changed things.
After that Stampede season they travelled to Germany to play there before returning in 2018 — Colin then had the following offseason in Sweden.
While Colin's Stampede career's so far run to 100-plus games with 100-plus goals, Kellye initially played two seasons for Dunedin-based Southern Storm before founding the Wakatipu Wild.
From day one she's been the captain and McIntosh the coach — they note many players take some time to realise they're a couple.
"It's been a lot of hard work and tapping my friends to support us because it's not a cheap sport," Kellye says.
Colin notes the Wild's just continued improving year upon year.
He experienced a very tough 2022 when he couldn't play after developing pericarditis in reaction to a Covid vaccine.
"There were times where my heart rate was 200 beats per minute, just walking from the couch to the kitchen [was hard].
"There were a good six months of darkness because I couldn't leave the house, couldn't go to the rink, and that rink's always been my solace."
When he returned to play he was 15kg-20kg overweight, and only got back to his best the past two seasons.
He's again been able to help the Stampede stay on stop, and, this year, his second with the Ice Blacks, was their player of the tournament at their division's worlds in Dunedin.
"To do that in front of my dad was definitely an honour."
Having waited longer for her citizenship — "I was one of the first Kiwis to pledge the oath to the king" — Kellye made her Ice Fernz debut at this year's worlds, also in Dunedin.
For this couple, though, encouraging others to step up has been as important as their own contributions.
Colin even has his own equipment business, Enigma Hockey, aimed at selling gear as cheaply as possible. Kellye's also been thrilled to have her parents over recently for the first time in eight years, "and I got to play with dad on one of the social league nights — he even scored a goal".
Managing Harcourts' holiday homes division, she's not planning to live in North America again.
However, Colin, operations director for the Whakatipu Youth Trust, misses family back home, and while Queenstown's "definitely a long-term spot, I just don't know if I could live here forever".
