The Dunedin Thunder became more than a team to Mat Enright.
It was a way of life.
For 15 years, he rolled up to the ice rink every season with his trademark enthusiasm, a wide grin and the stubborn resilience to push on for one more campaign.
The 41-year-old forward made the decision to retire at the end of last season then immediately wrestled with doubt.
‘‘It makes me emotional just thinking about it,’’ the man known as Enzo said.
‘‘It has become a way of life and the Thunder are like family.
‘‘It has just become so ingrained in our lifestyle. I feel like it is in the blood, you know.’’
Enright clocked 170 games for the Thunder during his long tenure in the New Zealand Ice Hockey League.
His positivity off the ice was matched by his passion on it. He rammed home 82 goals and collected 70 assists for a total of 152 points.
He featured in six playoff games for the Thunder and they were among his playing highlights.
But the game gave the Englishman so much more than an outlet for his competitive side. It gave him a sense of belonging.
To understand, you have to wind back the clock to when he arrived in New Zealand in 2009 with his partner, now wife, Jazz.
It was meant to be a working holiday for the couple.
But Jazz spotted the Dunedin Ice Stadium while driving by, and shortly after Enright had his ice hockey equipment shipped over from the UK.
He had not played for about five years but joined the Thunder for the 2010 season and became a cornerstone player for the team.
Jazz Enright put it beautifully.
“I showed Enzo where the rink was when we first arrived in Dunedin,’’ she told the league.
‘‘That was over 15 years ago, and I am not sure he has really left since.
“The Thunder reconnected him with a sport he loved as a youngster, gave him a community, and helped him make Dunedin home.
‘‘I have watched him play as his girlfriend, his fiancee, his wife, and as the mother of two hockey-mad boys.
“We are so proud of everything he has given to this club. This decision is a lot harder than he will ever let on.
‘‘The kids will miss cheering him on in the Thunder jersey, but now it is his turn to cheer them on. I have a feeling the Enzo name won’t be gone for long.”
Sons Beau, 11, and Henry, 7, have embraced the sport, and Enright is involved in coaching them.
He is also on the board of the Dunedin Ice Hockey Club.
‘‘I thought I was going to be taking a break, but now I’m busier than ever,’’ he joked.
Beau and Henry have been urging their father on to play another season, but Enright wanted to get out while he was still at the top of his game and also to cheer on the next generation.
‘‘I’ll always play ice hockey for the rest of my life. I’m just closing the chapter on the Thunder.
Enright, who works for a digital technology company as a senior accounts manager, is a competitor and that is also what has kept him going so long.
Each of his 82 goals ‘‘felt like the first goal’’.
‘‘There’s nothing quite like that feeling. And when you rock up to a stadium and you’ve got kids wearing a jersey with Enright on the back — that’s what it is all about.
‘‘The sport has grown in New Zealand so much and it has been cool to be a part of that.
‘‘[The Thunder] just opened up the door on a whole social aspect for me in New Zealand ... and it really has been a big part of our decisions to stay here, so I’m thankful for that drive by once upon a time.’’
Former team-mate and fellow Thunder stalwart Paris Heyd was also thankful for that drive by.
‘‘Mat is always the most excited guy in the building, whether it’s a Tuesday night practice or a high-stakes game,’’ Heyd told the league.
‘‘He’s been ‘threatening’ to retire for years, but every time a new season rolls around, he’s the first one through the doors and the first one hitting the ice.
‘‘I don’t think you’ll find anyone who loves playing the game more than Enzo.’’
