Keeping our heads about hockey

Vol.2, No. 4. Monday, February 16, 1998

COLUMN

Keeping our heads about hockey

By GEOFFREY DOWNEY
Capital News Online "Hey Bob. Did ya catch the gold-medal hockey game last night?"
"Beauty game, eh Doug. Me and some of the boys watched it my basement over a few too many Canadians."
"Tough loss, eh."
"Yeah."
"By the way, Bob, any idea who we are now?"
"Not a clue, eh."

OTTAWA — There is a belief that if Canada doesn't win the Olympic hockey gold medal this winter it will amount to what sports writer Roy MacGregor calls "a loss of identity" for Canadians.

What MacGregor, in essence, is suggesting is this: if a bunch of men (strangers to almost all of us really) wearing red and white jerseys don't manage to put a piece of rubber past a guy wearing a mask more often than a bunch of guys (another group of strangers) wearing jerseys with other colors put it past our guy wearing a mask we lose something much greater than a game. Did I mention the games won't even take place in Canada?

Sounds crazy, doesn't it.

But to deny hockey's importance in the lives of many, if not most, Canadians, would be equally crazy.

Hockey has been a fixture in the lives, homes and offices of most Canadians for more than a century. Who has never seen Hockey Night in Canada? Who has never argued over the greatest player? Who has never given the office's playoff hockey pool a whirl even though you don't really know that much about hockey?

In his article, MacGregor paints a charming portrait of Canada's Olympic hockey history, from Harry "Moose" Watson in 1924 to Paul Kariya in 1994. He highlights the fact we've won six gold medals, but none since 1952. There have been close calls since, but gold hasn't panned out. So what makes this year different? Well, this year we're sending professional gold diggers — no more Bre-X employees.

For the first time Canada is sending its best players: the pros. This means no more excuses. No more "Our best players are playing in the NHL right now." No more "We can't win when other countries send their pros and we're not allowed." Sure, our best played the world's best in 1996 and we lost. But the Americans had a Canadian-born coach and star scorer, Brett Hull — the son of Canadian hockey legend Bobby Hull no less. It was the middle of summer. The winning goal was offside. Pick the excuse you like.

MacGregor says there will be no excuse in Nagano. It's winter. The Canadian boys are healthy. All the stars are playing for us. The list of reasons why we'll win is almost as long as the list of excuses for why we lost the previous 11 Olympics. But with Kariya now on the sidelines we have an excuse on ice, or, in this case, off the ice.

Hockey's place in our hearts, history and culture is unquestioned. It is not, however, the only part, or even the largest part, of being Canadian, and this is where MacGregor should be whistled offside.

MacGregor is talking about winning, and being Canadian has never been about winning or losing. Being Canadian means doing the right thing. Brutal winters. Being the underdog. Not stepping on toes. Being a good person as opposed to a rabid patriot. What says this more than being the world's peacekeepers?

A game itself doesn't say as much about the nation that follows it as the nation's relationship with the game. We are not Brazilian soccer fans who commit suicide if Brazil doesn't win the World Cup. We are not win-at-any-cost Chinese swimmers. We are not blind, flag-waving morons. Part of being Canadian is keeping everything in perspective.

Sprinter Ben Johnson brought more shame to Canadians in less than 9.79 seconds than any Olympic hockey team could by losing. Johnson cheated — twice no less. But what was more Canadian than launching an inquiry into drug use and giving him another chance? Nothing. Our people-first, win-second nature even shone through the Johnson scandal.

Many would argue hockey is simply special. Granted, its place in our culture is different from other sports, but hockey supremacy doesn't define us. We haven't been the best since 1992, but who would say we've been a Prozac-gobbling nation since? Hockey players don't define our identity, all Canadians do.

I refuse to carry all my identity eggs in a hockey basket. And neither should you, eh.
Visit the Hockey Hall of Fame and learn more about Canada's hockey history.

Check the Official NHL Web page for more information about the pros.

Go to The Ottawa Citizen's sports page to read some of Roy MacGregor's work.

CHEERS AND JEERS

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Vol.2, No. 4. Monday, February 16, 1998

Keeping our heads about hockey

By GEOFFREY DOWNEY Capital News Online "Hey Bob. Did ya catch the gold-medal hockey game last night?" "Beauty game, eh Doug. Me and some of the boys watched it my basement over a few too many Canadians." "Tough loss, eh." "Yeah." "By the way, Bob, any idea who we are now?" "Not a clue, eh."

CHEERS AND JEERS We want to know what you think about this online newspaper. You can direct your feedback to any individual reporter by checking out the email addresses on THE EDITORS PAGE. Or you can simply email your comments to the instructor Peter Calamai.

By GEOFFREY DOWNEY
Capital News Online "Hey Bob. Did ya catch the gold-medal hockey game last night?"
"Beauty game, eh Doug. Me and some of the boys watched it my basement over a few too many Canadians."
"Tough loss, eh."
"Yeah."
"By the way, Bob, any idea who we are now?"
"Not a clue, eh."

CHEERS AND JEERS

We want to know what you think about this online newspaper. You can direct your feedback to any individual reporter by checking out the email addresses on THE EDITORS PAGE. Or you can simply email your comments to the instructor Peter Calamai.