Hockey: Archibald dynasty could come to end after Athens

When Ryan Archibald sits down with the family for dinner, hockey is inevitably the talking point.

But give it a year and the sport could be off the menu.

In April, Ryan and his father Jeff, an Olympic gold medallist with the New Zealand team at the Montreal Olympics in 1976, became the first father-and-son combination to hit 100 tests each.

Ryan played his 116th test in Saturday's 2-2 draw with Great Britain at Mt Maunganui, but is considering quitting the sport after next year's Olympics in Athens.

He scored the team's second goal on Saturday, finishing off a superb run by David Kosoof.

In yesterday's fifth test in Hamilton, Great Britain came from a goal down at halftime to beat New Zealand 4-2, tying the five-match series at 2-2 plus the draw.

Ryan Archibald hit the 100-game milestone just five years after winning his first cap against Malaysia.

It took his father 17 years to play 100 games for his country.

At just 23, Ryan could potentially become the most-capped hockey player but said he had other things he wanted to concentrate on, "such as finishing my university studies and starting a career".

"A good performance as a team at the Olympics might be it for me.

"Maybe I'll just have a year off. Maybe that'll be it - who knows?"

Ryan is nearing the end of his arts and commerce double degree at Auckland University and wants at least 12 months out of hockey to sink his teeth into post-graduate management studies.

He admits that staleness can set in, and the demands of international hockey continue to grow.

"Next year we'll have to commit to at least four months of hockey virtually fulltime, although the sport for us guys in the New Zealand team is very much amateur.

"It can be a drain on those with jobs."

Ryan played all sports at school but admits hockey seemed right, although there was no prompting from his father.

"He was supportive whichever way I went.

"There was no family pressure to pick up a stick, although I heard all the stories as a kid so I grew up around it.

"If anything, it has motivated me. Dad played in three Olympics, now I want to experience one. His record will take some beating."

- NZPA