There is a running joke in Darwin that the steamy tropical city is home to one of the world's most impeccable ice hockey teams.

In its 32 years in the game, the now-retired team never suffered a loss.

Its winning streak hinges on a minor detail few people in Darwin are concerned about — it is only undefeated because its opponents never turned up to a match.

But that changed a few weeks ago when the Perth Whitehawks put a call in to Jeff Hunnam, who runs Darwin's only permanent ice skating rink.

Jeff Hunnam was approached to set up a game against the Perth Whitehawks, and couldn't say no. ( ABC Radio Darwin: Jesse Thompson )

"They said 'We saw you've opened an ice rink in Darwin. We play in a Perth league and we'd love to come up and play some matches'," Mr Hunnam said.

Mr Hunnam's colleagues tell him he is crazy for what he did next — he took them up on the offer, and set about cobbling together Darwin's first playing ice hockey team.

"I get a lot of comments that are like 'Ice hockey in Darwin — you're not serious?'" he said.

The city will be sitting at about 30 degrees when the two teams go head-to-head in the first of two exhibition matches on Friday night.

Then there is the issue of not having an official captain or team name.

Mapping out a game plan: About 20 people gathered to take part in training. ( ABC Radio Darwin: Jesse Thompson )

The rink itself is also half the regular size, meaning it is limited to three-on-three games.

But you could not accuse the team of being short on spirit.

Old and new players take to the ice

About 20 people showed up to a practice match on Thursday night, all with various levels of experience under their belts.

A group of gung-ho Darwinites slipping their way around the rink might have been expected, but apart from a few high-speed tumbles, the team has a surprising level of sophistication.

Chris Baillie, who decided to give the sport a crack after spectating casually for years, was breaking a sweat at half-time.

"I'm slowly getting better, but it's my first time playing ice hockey," he said.

"I've done a little bit of skating, but nothing with this sort of intensity or with this number of people on the ice."

Chris Baillie has never played ice hockey before, but he was happy to give it a shot. ( ABC Radio Darwin: Jesse Thompson )

Mr Baillie was dressed in a Canberra Knights jersey he picked up when that team folded about four years ago.

He dug it out of the cupboard when he heard there was cause to wear it.

"This is a real out-of-left field surprise for a lot of people up here, but it's fantastic to have and I hope it hangs around for a while," he said.

Figure skating coach Tracey McIntosh was in Brisbane when she heard about the Darwin team, and raced around the city retrieving all the necessary gear.

"I even had to organise with the airline to carry the extra weight," she said.

The team spent about an hour doing training drills before a practice match. ( ABC Radio Darwin: Jesse Thompson )

The team's only female player said she had become a little rusty in the 18 years since she last played the game.

"We'll see how it goes. It'll be interesting, but we'll give it our best shot," she said.

"A lot of it will come down to instincts and getting in their way. Just confuse them and hope for the best."

Non-playing team gives their blessing

Mr Hunnam has a theory about why the underdog team is in with a shot.

"Darwin having a transient population — we've got defence personnel that transfer here, so some of those guys are on the team and they've got experience," he said.

Also signing on was a young man who represented Thailand's ice hockey team last year, as well as expats from the colder climates of Canberra and Victoria.

The Darwin team has no official name and no official captain, but they are not letting that dampen their spirits. ( ABC Radio Darwin: Jesse Thompson )

As for the old, undefeated team's legacy, Mr Hunnam said the new one had their blessing.

"Beat Erismann, the captain of that team, was down here earlier today," he said.

"He popped his head in to have a look, say hello and wish us well for the weekend."

The unnamed Darwin team will play off against Perth in two games over the weekend. ( ABC Radio Darwin: Jesse Thompson )

Mr Hunnam asked him, "Are you coming out of retirement Beat?"

But Mr Erismann was emphatic.

"He said 'I'm not going to risk the undefeated status that we had. We retired undefeated very proudly'."

The team is hoping to carry that legacy with a fast, fun game — that is if no-one opens the door long enough for the ice to melt.