In a country that doesn't come across as boastful, we take our hockey pretty serious. In world terms, Canadians always rank high on the like-ability scale. We don't invade other countries. We don't take a hard stand in world politics. We kinda live by the motto, "live and let live". I love telling people I'm from Canada. In general, we're nice, honest people.
Then hockey season comes and we start to act like a bunch of rabid Cujo's looking for the taste of blood. We're a proud people. I get that. Why do we get so consumed by 5 grown men chasing a little black cylinder with the objective of shooting it past a gatekeeper into a fish net? Our nice guy attitude gets thrown in the corner because winning isn't everything, it's the only thing. We need to win, or we're not happy.
We're good at it. Actually we're really good at it. There are over 620,000 children under 18 years old registered with Hockey Canada. We see parents screaming at their kids at the rink, in hopes of them becoming the next Sidney Crosby.
Do you know where hockey ranks as a sport practiced the most by children? Number 3: Soccer is first, followed by swimming.
Soccer? I know soccer is a popular sport. It's a cheap sport compared to hockey. It probably has something to do with immigration, right? Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. That might all be true, but it doesn't help our ability on the international scene. Canada hasn't had a men's team at the World Cup since 1986. That was the only time, Canada has ever qualified for soccer's top tournament.
Yesterday, I fell into a Twitter feed with the hashtag "#fuckCanada". It's actually pretty funny. There are a bunch of Americans pissed that Canada beat them twice in two days at the Sochi Olympics. They have 10x the population, but couldn't beat neither men's nor women's team. There's a lot of back and forth banter. None of which matters. It feels good to put our southern neighbors in their place. Despite what they tell us, they aren't the best at everything.
My friends will string me up for saying this, but hockey's just a game. It's fun to know my countrymen are really good at it. It's awesome to cheer for a winning team. It would be unpatriotic to root for another team at the Olympics, wouldn't it?
Yes, I'm proud to be Canadian. I'm cheering for Canada to win a gold medal in Men's Hockey. Whether Canada wins or not, I'll forget about it tomorrow.
It is just a game. Doesn't change my life in the least. Hope my friends realize that too.
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