Oddy, Greg

BORN JULY 24TH 1980 in Adelaide Australia, the son of Steve and Janet Oddy, and brother of John, he grew up in a very active ice hockey family. From around 5 or 6 he attended one of John Botterill's first South Australian hockey schools. "Like most young kids in the early days, we had to persist to encourage him to keep working on his skating and basic skills," recalls Botterill. "His commitment in time to this, along with a natural athletic ability, would soon see Greg rise up to be a dominant player in his junior age bracket". [1]

Even as a 12 year-old Centre with the local Huskies, Greg Oddy said the point of playing was "to go as far as I can with ice hockey. Playing in the NHL is a long way off, but you have to aim high". He had just made the cut for the All-Australian team after the 1992 President's Cup. The Ice Arena, Mt Thebarton, South Australia, hosted the Under-14 national championships, and it was to there he returned 26 years later, to say farewell after 18 seasons with the top Adelaide club.

Oddy progressed through the local and national junior development system to become a 185cm tall forward with the local Blackhawks. He was Club MVP at 17 in 1997, and won the title three more times straight ('99 to '01). He took the Club's points title 5 times in 6 years ('99 to '01, '03, '04), during a time when the Blackhawks won 7 straight premierships.

"Throughout his career he always strove hard and challenged himself to play at a higher and more competitive level," adds Botterill, "from often playing up a level in junior hockey, to one of the younger National Junior Team players in our drive to re-enter the Worlds in the late 90s, trips to Canada, and then also playing in Canada for a period of time. This passion and commitment made him a more experienced and complete player, able to contribute to AIHL and national teams by playing different roles over time and eventually, as we know, becoming the record-breaking scoring machine in Australian ice hockey". [1]

Oddy represented his state at a young age in many tournaments, and first represented Australia in 1993 at the International Pee Wee Under-15 Tournament in Red Deer, Canada. The Defris Under-15 tournament followed next season, and so on, until he won his first Goodall Cup for the state in 1997. In the 1997-98 off-season, he joined the Notre Dame Hounds Midget AAA in Canada where he attended school, and then the La Ronge Ice Wolves in the SJHL for three straight seasons from 1998. Paul Shumak recalls National Senior Team Coach, Kelly Lovering, once remarking: "Some guys know where the back of the net is. That's Greg Oddy". [3]

In the late Nineties, Oddy joined his brother John and father Steve as co-founders of the Adelaide Avalanche. The Avs were one of three foundation clubs of the Australian Ice Hockey League in 2000, and in eight full AIHL seasons, they were champions twice, minor premiers 5 times, runners-up twice; fourth once. Their scoring differential (GF-GA) was either highest or second highest in the league each season, and usually in excess of +45.

Coached by John Botterill, the Avs won the inaugural AIHL championship in 2000, then the 2001 championship final against the Sydney Bears, 10-7. Mid Season 2002, Oddy topped League point scoring with an average 2.73 points per game, [5] probably the first local to do so. Over the years that followed, he appeared in three more grand finals and two semis with the Club, and continued on with the Adelaide Adrenaline for a combined total of 18 years. Among his personal highlights are playing with his brother, and the early success of his club.

Still in his teens in 1998, Oddy joined the Australian National Men's Team, where he became a fixture on 15 occasions over 17 years. Captain of Australia for three seasons, he won 3 Gold Medals and promotion to Division 1, along with the Most Points title of all time (615). "Wearing the green and gold is the pinnacle" he said of his career. "Looking back, we were able to achieve some pretty special things as a group. Winning gold in 2008, and again in 2011. Promotion to Division 1—we created some history. And to share those moments with some of my closest friends made it that much better". [6]

"One of the beautiful things about playing with a guy like Odds," notes Anthony Wilson, a former Captain of Australia, "was always, somehow, every year he joined the National Team, we watched in awe how he turned up with more speed each time. Odds was and is an absolute battler, scoring out of nowhere, and speed unlike any other. Greg made a lot of us look and play better just by being on the ice with him". [4]

In the 2002-03 off-season, Oddy played with the Romford Raiders in the EPIHL, and the HYC Herentals in Belgium in 2006-07. He was the Adelaide club's captain for a record 11 seasons (2005-2016), and won 4 Goodall Cups (1997, '00, '01, '09). In 2018, Oddy also held the titles for Most AIHL Games Played (383), Most AIHL Assists (347), and Most AIHL Goals (268). [7] Former national team representative and AIHL referee, Craig Campbell, considers Oddy "one of the very best home-grown hockey players ever to come out of Australia". [2]

Oddy studied Economics and Commerce and is an Account Director with the Australian Radio Network. He is raising a young family with his wife Jodie (Blewett). "Getting to play alongside some of my best mates, and also help fast track some of the younger kids who will now lead the club into the future, is something I won't forget".