Memorable Sibling Combos (part 1)
By Abdurrahman Hussain
My career in MMBH is quite short; I’ve been playing for only 9 years but I have seen some very impressive players and because this tournament stresses brotherhood, I find it fitting to mention some memorable brother combos the tournament has seen.
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Arssal & Faisal Shahabuddin
Perhaps the most prolific brother combination. To be fair, I could be Faisal’s brother and still be on the list. Faisal is the legend of MMBH.
Growing up playing halaqa hockey, Arssal used to play with us, and give halaqas. When he decided to play with us our first time in the tournament, we were nervous. I remember freaking out at the size of the players, and it didn’t help hearing Shaan Yusuf teasing us. Zohaib Ahmed and I expressed our concern to our teammate Misbah, and his exact words were, “Don’t worry, we have Arssal.” At that time I thought it was a joke, Arssal? How could a guy that plays halaqa hockey be that good? Then I saw him play. Like actually play.
When it comes to controlling pace and the game, there are few players that can do what Arssal can do. And when we had the famous match up against Wise Old Men (See Memorable Matches 2000-2006), Arssal showed all facets of his game, showing us what it meant to be a Shahabuddin.
I played with Faisal for a short while and though I am seeing him far from his prime, the level of hockey IQ that he possesses puts him on his own level.
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Hany & Ahmed Aoude
The most underrated brother combination in MMBH. If you want to build a championship team, you do so with Aoudes. I’ve always wanted to play with an Aoude, but time and time again I fail.
I didn’t include Hassan Aoude because he is a goalie and the all-time greatest goalie and I am willing to argue with anyone over this, over some samosas and chai. I digress.
Hany is the ideal center, efficient ball handler, amazing passer, and clutch scorer. Ahmed is the ultimate power forward, they could take the crappiest team and turn them into contenders. Hany Aoude is the all-time leader in points since 2006 and 12% of his goals are game winners.
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Ammar & Zubair Wahid
My first time playing against Ammar Wahid was in a junior hockey tournament and he was wearing a flowery Hawaiian shirt. I honestly didn’t know what to expect. Then I saw him play and wow, what a player, pure skill and “slickness” that wasn’t seen south of the island. He dominated that tournament and many other ones.
I had the pleasure of playing with Zubair in DMBHL and I got to experience his leadership firsthand. He led by example and his personality makes you want to improve your game just by wanting to keep up with his intensity. He is always willing to help the players around him through constructive criticism and advice. As far as his play goes, a perfect complement to his brother an ideal ball hockey player with the combination of size, speed, IQ, and skill.
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Riaz & Nazir Lasania
Raz & Naz, the definition of heart and soul wrapped up in two skilled brothers that are truly impressive.
I was in West Island playing hockey where I saw Riaz block shots like he was Josh Gorges, the guy beside me was making fun of him. In my head is who is this skinny dude making fun of this shot blocker? I then found out it was Naz making fun of his brother Raz.
In true sibling rivalry, they push each other to better levels. Riaz is the ultimate two-way player the Johnathan Toews of MMBH and Naz is the Patrick Kane, and includes punching cab drivers in Montreal. I kid. Though to be honest some cabbies deserve it.
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Sami and Shoab Ullah
Two brothers, same style of play. Booming shots, and insanely quick release. Granted I was in my diapers when the tales of Sami Ullah were spread in the South Shore.
Shab Ullah was the contemporary superstar that gave younger Muslim players a star to look up to. There is no combination of pure power and skill that any other brother combo has.
There’s also the middle brother, Khurrum, and he was good, but his real contribution were his catchphrases. Great Hockey.