McKenna, Steve

BORN AUGUST 21ST, 1973, he happened to be the all-time second tallest player in the NHL, a veteran of eight seasons. At over 2m (6'8") and 116 kg (255 pounds), you could not miss 30 year-old Canadian, Steve McKenna, when he played for the now defunct Adelaide Avalanche of the AIHL during the 2004–05 NHL lockout. His NHL career with the LA Kings began in 1996-97 and ended in 2000 when the Minnesota Wild picked him up. He lasted just 20 games before being shipped-off to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2001, then joined the NY Rangers for the 2001-02 season as an enforcer. He lit the lamp twice and added one assist in 54 games while spending 144 minutes in the penalty box, most of it from 18 fighting majors. He re-signed with Pittsburgh in 2002 and set a 9-goal career high.

But it was in the City of Churches that he fell in love — with Oz culture and climate — and in 2006 Ice Hockey Australia announced he had been appointed coach of the Mighty Roos. He was playing just north of here in the Asia League for Kangwon Land and later High1 and China Sharks. He coached Australia for three seasons from 2007, winning every game in the 2008 Worlds at home in Sydney, to be promoted to Division I for the very first time. After the 2009 season here he became coach and later GM of HC Alleghe, a Serie A1 pro hockey team in Italy, having played on four continents. Australia had flirted however briefly with teams ranked 18 to 26 in the world, Kazakhstan, Slovenia, Japan and Lithuania. The Mighty Roos had discovered a newfound sense of belonging in the hockey world, along with all of us.