[Q] How long have you been photographing sports, and how long have you been shooting ice hockey in Norway?
[EH] I started shooting ice hockey – and sports – in February this year. I picked up photography as a hobby 3 years ago, with a Casio compact. Got my first dSLR 2 years ago; an Olympus e300. Since then I’ve been doing work for Corinthia International, SAS Radisson, several advertising agencies, magazines and newpapers.
Last winter the weather was really bad here in Oslo, Norway; no snow, only rain and fog, so I didn’t get to use my camera at all. Then I called Valerenga Ice Hockey and asked if they could use someone to photograph them. They said yes – and since then I have been to all of their games. Valerenga is by far Norway’s #1 ice hockey club, with 25 Norwegian Championships. The ex-NHL All Star player Espen “Shampoo” Knutsen is their head coach.

[Q] What camera do you use when you shoot a game, and which lenses do you use most often for hockey?
[EH] I’m using a Canon 5D. Not a typical sports camera, with full frame and 3 fps; but 13mp and very clean high ISO images helps.
In the beginning I brought all sorts of lenses to the games, but the 70-200mm f/2.8 soon became my favorite. I also bring the 1.4x teleconverter, for extra reach – but that gives an f/4, which is a little on slow side. Also the 85mm f/1.8 is a good lens.
[Q] There is a tremendous amount of action and detail in your photos. What do you look to capture when you shoot a hockey game, and what is it like shooting at some of the ice hockey rinks in Norway?
[EH] Having played ice hockey for several years, when I was younger, I try to anticipate the action. Often I just keep the focus at the keeper and zoom in/out as the players move around him. I also try to keep both eyes open; one in the camera, with the other I try to “scan” what goes on outside the viewfinder… When you follow the same team you learn their typical tactics and moves, so you can locate yourself accordingly.
[Q] You have a large collection of photos online, many are of the Valerenga club who have won three straight Norwegian titles. How would you compare the Norwegian league to other leagues? How does Valerenga look so far this season?
[EH] I haven’t seen any other leagues except for watching the NHL on ESPN360.com. And comparing the norwegian GET League to NHL is like comparing a Skoda to a Ferrari…
As mentioned, I started shooting ice hockey less than a year ago. Before that I was only into landscapes and travel photography – which got a little boring.
Valerenga is also #1 again this year; but the competition is getting tougher. Valerenga lost 3 major players last season; 2 Americans went back to the US, and 1 native Valerenga-player went to play professionally in Germany. So after not really having found new players, combined with teams like Storhamar Dragons, Stavanger Oilers and Sparta Warriors who are working seriously to be the best, this season looks more uncertain the last year.

[Q] Hockey is very popular among the youth in Finland and Sweden, and interest is growing in Denmark and Germany, are more young kids in Norway starting to gain interest in the sport?
[EH] Ice hockey is a small sport in Norway, and I have often wondered why. I just do not understand it; why norwegians do not give this sport a chance. In Sweden Ice Hockey is a major sport. Likewise in Finland. One explaination could be, that people has some kind of mental connetion between ice hockey and fighting. Maybe media in Norway has focused too much on the fights, and too little on the game itself. I don’t know…
On Valerenga’s Hockey School, this year there were almost twice as many participants as last year. And on average, there are 10% more people coming to see the games in Norway this winter. So it looks like ice hockey is picking up in popularity. It also helps that a TV channel broadcasts a match every Thursday night.
There’s a lot of talk about the climate change here in Norway; the winters getting warmer, with less snow and ice. So I think more people will look for indoor sports for the winter seasons. This could give ice hockey a boost in the years to come…
[Q] With Norway’s Patrick Thoresen playing for the Edmonton Oiler’s AHL affiliate in Springfield, and fellow Norwegian Ole-Kristian Tollefsen racking up 47 penalty minutes already for the Columbus Blue Jackets in the NHL, which Norwegians are having the most success playing outside of Norway? And is there a Norwegian player or prospect that fans should keep an eye on?
[EH] Besides Patrick Thoresen and Ole-Kristian Tollefsen, I do know the name Mathis Olimb, an ex-Valerenga player who now plays for the Augsburg Panthers in Germany. There’s talk he will be playing in the NHL next year.
Right now I heard Mathis Olimb’s litte brother, Ken Andre Olimb, who scored Norway’s 1-0 goal against Ukraine in the Junior World Championships in Germany, is a player to watch. Also Ken Andre will become one of Norway’s top international players. Last night, Patrick Thoresen’s little brother Steffen Thoresen signed a contract with Valerenga. He arrives from Allsvenskan in Sweden. So things are looking good right now!
[Q] Espen Knutsen played for the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in 1997, but he also received a second shot at the NHL with the Columbus Blue Jackets on the recommendation of former San Jose Sharks/Norwegian national team head coach George Kingston. Knutsen was the only Norwegian to play in an NHL allstar game, the Swedish Elite League team Djurgarden called him one of the best players in the teams history after he retired, and he captured a Norwegian championship in his first year as the head coach of Valerenga, What has been Espen Knutsen’s impact on hockey in Norway?
[EH] Espen “Shampoo” Knutsen’s impact on norwegian ice hockey is tremendous! He’s an icon in Norway, even though I don’t think the average Norwegian actually realizes how big being an allstar in the NHL really is. This combined with his sympathetic and nice way of being, makes him a very popular person in Norway. He earned the championship in his first season as head coach for V

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