crazed..................Canucks

"Hello out there, were on the air
it's hockey night tonight!
tension grows,
as the whistle blows,
and the puck goes down the ice.
The goalie jumps,
and the players bump,
and the fans all go insane.
Someone roars:
"Bobby Scores!"
At the good old hockey game!

Oh! The good old hockey game,
It's the best game you can name
And the best game you can name
Is the good old hockey game."

Written and sung off key by Stoppin' Tom Connors

The true Canadian anthem.......learned early and sung with heart at all NHL games between periods.......... the first song my kids learned. Mine? "Take me out to the ballgame, but that's another post..............I'll wait til spring training kicks in to write that one.........

Last night, as a family we watched on TV the ceremony being held at Joe Louis Arena where they retired Steve Yzerman's #19 jersey. Never to be worn again by a Redwing. It was an hour + long (uninterupted by commercials) emotional tribute of speeches, video and rockin' music........a dedication to a hockey player who played his heart out for one team for 23 years. There were several touching moments.......... when they announced Gordie Howe's name (Mr. Hockey) and he walked out onto the red carpet...........when they initially announced Stevie Y and his family who seemed overwhelmed by the crazed ovation.............but the most poignant moment besides Yzerman's own humbling speech, was when two men wearing white gloves carried out the allusive grandprize of them all...........the the glistening silver Stanley Cup trophy. The crowd went wild!! Tears flowed in the crowd. Honest to God! Only in Canada.

WE live large in this household! What's important to know is that MANY other hockey crazed Canadians were watching too. I guarantee it. Why? Because Hockey Night in Canada is as close to a shared religion as you will find in this country. Hockey is the glue that binds. Ask any Canuck over 40, where they were when Henderson scored the goal in 1972? You don't even have to mention the game or the series.......it's etched in the psyche of the nation. They can tell you in expansive details where they watched the last game of this particular Canada/Russia series, how they felt about the whole series, who they were with watching it............heck they probably could quote Phil Esposito's emotional quote before the big game. Hockey is a passion.

This is a Toronto Maple Leafs home. It doesn't matter that we have seen dark times with this team. It doesn't matter (well it does in a big way) that we havent brought the Cup "home" since 1967.................this family remains dedicated. No other team counts. No other team is allowed to count. It's a family rule. In fact, the term "axis of evil" means something very different in my house............. The axis of evil includes the Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils and the Ottawa Senators........... always a great showdown when the Leafs are up against any of these enemy teams.

Saturday night, the real Hockey Night in Canada in Hockeytown is always something to look forward to. So, what is it about this game that sends the majority of Canucks into a frenzied passion? The answers would depend on who you asked. For me, there is a tie to my childhood when I watched and learned the game sitting with my Dad eating popcorn. Like he did with the intricasies of the game of baseball, he taught me the ins and outs of the national sport. I was an eager understudy and learned to keep my zillion questions until the commercials were on so as not to disturb the flow!

The sentiments for most revolve around the same scenario.......as well as the game itself, which is fast paced, passionate and hard hitting. To watch someone like Wayne Gretzky or now Sydney Crosby take the puck and float through the other team's menacing defence like a ballet is pure poetry. Yeah, I know there are some who don't get it........some who scoff at the whole idea that hockey is nothing more than a big brawl with a puck attached to it. There are many hockey "widows" out there who shake their heads and wonder why the "boys" are all a tingly over such a game. Then, there are the primal shouting hockey moms who embarrass the heck out of their kid who is playing peewee in the wee hours of the morning in some small town cold rink, who live for the game.

Every small town..........every small community in this country has an ice arena. It is where the action is all winter long. It is where hockey moms and dads, lovers of the game, friends, family, and even puck bunnies hang out. Many books have been written about how these rinks tie small towns and large cities together..........

Hockey definately has the capacity to bring out the passionate beast in people.................like any sport one has a passion about. In fact, I honestly believe that if the Liberals had any wits about them, they would've voted in the infamous goaltender Ken Dryden as their next leader. It wouldn't have matter what he had to say about policies and other wonky political issues, the nation would've voted for him. He would've won by a landslide...............because he's a hockey hero.........he's a household name across this vast and crazed country. Ken Dryden would've been the biggest threat to Stephen Harper's government, even though he played for the Canadiens.

So.................if you want to find me on most Saturday nights during the long cold winter, I will most likely be parked on the couch watching the Leafs play......... cheering them on and wondering what Don Cherry has to say about the state of the nation during Coaches Corner between the first and second periods............ and hoping that this year, Stanley is returned to it's rightful spot...............in the home of the Toronto Maple Leafs.


"Sundin takes the puck at the blue line, dekes around the defence, lines it up.............oh a shattering slapshot.............he shoots.....................he scores! Sundin scores.............the fans are on their feet cheering their Captain!" Yeah!