Michael Forney Using Hockey As a Tool To See the World

Playing professional hockey requires travelling to more cities than one can imagine. Whether it’s across North America or various countries throughout Europe, travelling is a significant part of the pro hockey lifestyle.  The game has taken Michael Forney, the former third round draft pick of the Atlanta Thrashers, further from home than the average pro.

Forney did experience his share of North American hockey.  The native of Thief River Falls, Minnesota played Junior hockey in Des Moines, Iowa and Green Bay, Wisconsin in addition to college hockey at the University of North Dakota. 

He followed that up by reporting to the Thrashers’ ECHL affiliate in Gwinnett where the left winger recorded 26 points during his rookie season, earning a recall to the Thrashers’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Chicago Wolves. 

After stints with the Colorado Eagles, St. John’s Ice Caps, Texas Stars, and back to Colorado for the 2012-13 season where he led his team in scoring with 79 points in 71 games and selected to the ECHL First All-Star team, Forney received an interesting call from a teammate.  

“I knew I was done playing in North America as I’ve always wanted to use hockey as a tool to travel and see the world. I wanted to experience new things.  Then one of my former teammates contacted me and said ‘we should go over to Australia to play.’  I was pretty intrigued by the opportunity and looked into it a little deeper.”

The Australian Ice Hockey League (AIHL) was formed in 2000 and has grown from a three-team league to an eight-team league over its 15-year existence. Australia’s top-level league commences play in mid-April and runs through to the end of August.  The League features seven teams in the southeast corner of the continent and one team on the west coast, the Perth Thunder.  Forney was put in contact with Perth head coach, Stan Scott. “We talked and discussed what the situation would be like if I were to go there to play and I loved the sound of all of it,” said Forney.

Although the league does not typically pay players, Forney raved about the benefits he received as a player during his time with the league. “I got to skate and stay in shape over the summer and I lived really close to the beach.” The AIHL provides players with the use of a car, accommodation, flights/travel within Australia, and other benefits while playing in the league.

When asked about life in Perth, Forney responded, “I was at the beach almost every day. Being from Minnesota, it was a nice change and it was around 20°C every day so I took advantage of that. People from Western Australia don’t go in the water as much as I did. Perth has a pretty high number of shark encounters and attacks, but for me, I loved it.” He was welcomed by Perth teammates from the day he arrived, as local players took him out on the water to experience coastal living in Australia.

“It was great, I would go body boarding quite a bit and I tried surfing a couple times. One of the guys on the team had a boat so we would go to the river that runs through Perth and go water skiing and things like that.”

Forney then had a flashback to that first day on the water and had a thrilling tale to tell. “While I was waterskiing I had a couple of dolphins swim up close to me. And with the whole shark thing in the back of my mind, I immediately thought they were sharks. I saw fins sticking out of the water and I starting freaking out. It’s not every day you see that in Minnesota so that was a crazy first experience in Australia.”

Forney played 16 games for the Perth Thunder and amassed an impressive 47 points. His goal was to stay in game shape and enjoy the “working holiday” as much as he could by taking in all that life in Australia had to offer.

“The hockey is different, teams are allowed four imports per game, most of which play pro hockey. The import players are usually pretty good players and there are a number of really good Australian players as well. It is not as competitive as hockey in North America or top leagues in Europe but it is a very good league and a cool experience to be apart of.”

When asked about the atmosphere created by Australian fan-bases, his voice ramped up with excitement. “I think the potential is there for the league and the sport to grow. The fans are great. In Europe the fans are singing songs and beating drums the whole game, in North America it’s a different type of crazy, and in Australia the fans are different again. They sing songs and chant your name during the game. There were some really cool atmospheres.”

During the European hockey season, Forney plays for the Belfast Giants of the British Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL). “Right now I am going to school while I play in Belfast. I am working towards getting my MBA, so I will be here the next two years for sure completing that. I am looking forward to being able to stay here in Belfast; I have really enjoyed my time here as well. You never know down the road where life will take you, but it would be kind of fun to maybe end my career down there in Perth.”

The last two summers Forney has returned to Australia to play in an annual charity tournament to raise awareness of the importance of concussions and neurotrauma. It is brought to Australia by StopConcussions.com and features a four-game series between players from the U.S.A and Canada. “We get a lot of good players out for that tournament like Brent Burns, Nolan Yonkman, Frazer McLaren, David Booth, Matt Frattin, and others who played in it last summer. The teams are mostly made up of minor pro guys and guys from Europe. Its always really fun, it raises money for a good cause, and you get to see Australia.”

Forney further described this event and is excited to participate again in 2016. “It usually runs the last three weeks of August, in five different cities. This year I think it’ll include two new cities so I’m looking forward to getting back for that.”

Part of growing the sport in Australia involves getting children engaged and playing the game. During his time in Australia the past two summers, Forney has also run hockey school sessions. The hockey schools were in Perth and in some of the cities involved with the StopConcussions tour. Forney has really enjoyed teaching children. “Last year the hockey school in Perth was pretty successful and I think the kids really enjoyed it. I’d definitely look to build on that, it was great.”

Not knowing anything about the league before arriving in Perth, Forney feels very fortunate to have been given the opportunity to play and grow the game there. “It was great being able to help grow the sport and make it more popular down there. I loved living down there and enjoyed the culture. I would definitely recommend it to guys that are done playing in North America and just want to travel, see the world, and have a fun hockey experience.”

Although his short-term future may be set, Forney always has his door open to the idea of new experiences. Hockey has been an important tool for Forney, and he will look to continue using it to explore what the world has to offer.

Follow Brendan Connolly on Twitter @BConnolly_