brought to you by the letter "G"

Gracious good greetings from the Great White North....a glacial gem on our globe......

• where growth gleefully germinates under the glistening glassy ice of its geologic tundra and gigantic glaciers,
  


• where gortex and galoshes are granted fashion status by the guys and girls who gather the gumption to go gallavanting out into the great outdoors
  


• where the growling groans of gaunting ghosts gather in the gaels and gusty northwind galaxies
  


• where the geneology genuinely gathers the glowing golden genes of multi-culturalism

Today's post is brought to you by the letter "G." Fellow blogger and facebook friend Judy at Imagine recently posted her own take on an alphabet meme which I enjoyed reading and asked her if I could join. She gladhandedly passed me glassy eyed "G" to go to it. So, without further gasp gaffaws....let me gaze into my grabbag of goodies with my green eyes and grapple for something about this girl which God hoping, will make you giggle.......oooooooo......I'm grasping onto a grand theme.....our national game....a game that I love. Get ready!

Genuflect....a reverential gesture common in these parts when acknowledging with gratitude the game of hockey as the religion of this country. GO Leafs! (Oh, and may I just add that I do believe Jesus is a fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs because as long as we've been following them here, this team has always lived in the margins. Gotta love these perennial outcasts.)

Grapes.....One of the most revered and loved Canadians from coast to coast is Don Cherry, aka Grapes. Don Cherry is a brash mouthed in your face Guru who wears garish suits and barks out his opinion every Saturday night after the first period. His gregarious demeanour defies the stereotypical profile of the nice and gentle Canuck.....he speaks his mind with such heat and passion....and not just about hockey!

Much to the dismay of the brass gentry who wither at the sound of his controversial gravelly grizzly voice, we Canadians listen...sometimes rolling our eyes, sometimes laughing at his gutsy bravado, sometimes yelling back at the TV screen and believe it or not sometimes in tears when he shares his patriotism by recognizing our "boys overseas" in Afghanistan, or when he sends his love and best wishes to a hockey family who are going through rough times or when he demands the attention of every little kid who plays hockey whose listening while he gives them a couple of tips to playing the game. The guy's got gutsy compassion.


Grapes galvanizes us during Hockey Night in Canada.....like no other. And I love him for it. I may not agree with his politics or opinions all the time, but I love his passion and compassion. If Don Cherry ran for PM, he'd win....we'd be in deep trouble because he'd most likely piss off every leader in the free world, but he'd win.






Goals....He SHOOTS! He SCORES! Ah, the sweet sound of the excitable commentator of our great sport when the blistering puck slides past the goalie and into the net! No matter what level of hockey, goal scoring is exciting and gets us up clapping with our gloved hands making the sounds of happy seals. There are a few goals which are gouged in the collective memories of Canadians. And, we do gloat about them. :)

The first one took place in 1972 when Paul Henderson scored with 5 seconds left against Vladislav Tretiak in the Canada-Russia series. Honest to God, not only did that 7th game in the series bring this country to a halt (it was shown in the school gymnasiums right across the nation...even bridge playing ladies hosted hockey parties that afternoon) it brought this vast and magificent nation together!

The second monumental goal happened during the Salt Lake City Olympics when we beat the United States for the Gold medal for the first time in 50 years! It was a glorious gleeful whooping moment. You could hear the whole country shout for joy at the very same moment. Not a dry eye to be found when that flag was hoisted.

Gentlemen....believe it or not, there are many in the fast paced gnashing game. Gordie Howe is the first who comes to mind. The most recent player to take the reins is our boy from Cape Breton, Sidney Crosby. Thrown onto the professional rink at the tender age of 18, with lightbulbs flashing and our full attention, Sidney has taken his role as hero to all the little timbits hockey kids and mentor seriously, learning from one of the great gentlemen of the game....Mario Lemieux. Instead of letting this kid grapple and gangle....Mario, who runs the Pittsburgh Penguins team, invited Sidney to move in with his family. How cool is that?


Goons.....oh, hockey is FULL of them too. These elbow throwing high stickers know how to check another player into the boards with GUSTO. These are the guys who most often make the front pages of our national paper or the first story on the national news, sometimes even usurping an international story of far more gravity and importance. They are also the eejits whose violent antics have made a mockery out of our national sport. However, the ones who do their jobs, who protect the goal scoring elite, aren't recognized properly for their important role in the game. Grapes recognizes them....using their defensive plays to teach us the nuances of the fastest paced game going.


Glide....I love this word and the sound it makes when spoken....gliiiiiide.....it's the artistry of a skater....it's the freedom ringing from the razor sharp blade on the endless ice. It looks so easy....gliding.....but it isn't. And when you see a person who has the gift of making their skates look like they are a part of their body, it is a Rockwellian moment. The last time I glided? Some kid cut in front of me, knocking me off balance and in order not to fall and crush my son, I took the fall backwards with a thud so hard I saw stars. I ended up in Emergency in the throes of sobbing hysteria which I was told is a side effect of a concussion. I was sidelined for a week. I haven't put skates on since. Gotta rectify that. I need to get back to gliding....


Gretzky the Great One.....the God of the game. The ultimate hockey gentleman, goal scoring phenom, coach, mentor, Wayne Gretzky is our gifted ambassadour of hockey who is presently working diligently to pull together the next gold winning hockey team for the 2010 Olympics on our home ice. The pressure on his shoulders to repeat the glory of the Salt Lake City win is HUGE. Nothing matters more to most Canucks when it comes to the Olympics. Nothing is acceptable except GOLD

Wayne could run for Prime Minister too. What I admire so much about this man is how humble he had remained. No primadonna demands from this guy.......


The Great Outdoors.....Most hockey players learned how to skate in their backyards. Outdoor skating is THE best. It's where I learned too, on the rinks my father created for my sisters and I. There was also a neighbourhood rink on the street where I grew up which normally was overtaken by the boys and their hockey sticks. So, in order to have my time on the ice, I would don my skates before school started and practise my gliding! There are many outdoor rinks across this country.....and rivers and lakes and streams all waiting to be tested.

Next month, the World Pond Hockey tourney takes place in the little village of Plaster Rock, about two hours from here. Teams come from all over to jump into the game.

Yes our GREAT outdoors offers us many opportunities to play all types of hockey....in fact a forthcoming road hockey game is being organized in front of my house in the upcoming week or so. You're more than welcome to join. All ages and both sexes will be represented. Beverages to be provided during and post-game.

Well, there you go. I had plans to write on other "G" words, but given the time of year, and the wintry weather, I couldn't help but focus on hockey. Thank you Judy....that was fun to write. And PLEASE go visit Judy's blog and Naomi's too. I always enjoy their pictures, photos, commentary and stories.

If YOU would like to take on this creative and fun task, just let me know either email or in the comment section and I will send YOU a letter to lead you on your way.