All You Want to Know About Retired Kookaburras Legend Eddie Ockenden

• Eddie Ockenden is Australia’s most capped men’s hockey player and world’s third most capped men’s hockey player after Teun de Nooijer (453 caps) and John-John Dohmen (481 caps)

• Ockenden was born in Hobart, Tasmania

• He is the one of rare breed of players to have made 5 Olympic appearances (2008, 2012, 2016, 2021, 2024)

• The Tasmanian is the first five-time hockey Olympian for Australia

• Ockenden was a member of Kookaburras’ silver medal-winning team at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics – he was also a member of Australia’s bronze medal-winning team at the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Olympics

• He was named as Australia’s flagbearer for the opening ceremony at the 2024 Paris Olympics alongside Jessica Fox

• Ockenden started playing hockey at the age of 13 when he was awarded a scholarship with the Tasmania Institute of Sport.

• He was the youngest member of the Australian side at the 2008 Beijing Olympics

• Ockenden’s mother used to be a hockey player and he received a lot of encouragement from her in his initial time to picking up hockey

• He made his senior international debut against South Korea in 2006

• Ockenden was the co-captain of the Kookaburras at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics alongside Aran Zalewski

• He wore the Kookaburras jersey under four coaches – Colin Batch, Graham Reid, Ric Charlesworth, and Barry Dancer

• Ockenden was part of the Australian side that won the World Cup twice in 2010 and 2014 at New Delhi and The Hague

• He won the Champions Trophy seven times with the Kookaburras

• Ockenden scored one of the goals in Australia’s 2-1 final win over Germany at the 2010 New Delhi World Cup

• He was named in the World All-Star Team in 2011

• Ockenden is married to Dutch partner Louise Mitterdorfer and has three sons – he met Louise while playing club hockey in the Netherlands back in 2008

• He played club hockey for various teams such as Canterbury, Tassie Tigers, North-West Graduates, Laren

• Ockenden featured in the Hockey India League for Uttar Pradesh Wizards

• His last international appearance was the 2024 Paris Olympics quarterfinal where Australia lost 0-2 to the Netherlands and crashed out

• Ockenden wore the number 11 jersey for the Kookaburras

Image Credit: Hockey Australia