After swimming in the Mediterranean Sea,
seeing the lights of NYC,
and viewing Picasso’s Iris,
I got to check
one more item off my bucket list:
I saw another hockey game,
and clarity finally came,
or at least as much as someone from a warmer clime,
and only seeing hockey a small amount of time,
can ever get!
I know, I know,
after 53 years and lots of beers,
you’d think I’d have already known
the National sport of my adopted home,
but honestly, I thought ‘triple A’
meant the American Auto Club.
Now I’m learning
about blue lines and centre ice,
slap shots that are quite precise,
offsides, icing, and scoring goals,
face offs, fights, and players’ roles.
But one thing I fail to comprehend,
and which mystifies me in the end,
is how a people who wears civility as a crown,
can turn so quickly all the way around,
into scrappers and shovers,
grabbers and pushers,
and blockers and knockers.
And whose parents
shout and squawk,
grumble and gripe,
and boo and bitch
at the referee’s every call.
And how does a country of peacekeepers,
made up of pieces of a multicoloured jigsaw,
and that champions the rule of law,
so precisely define in arena’s bright light,
exactly what constitutes a fight?
But I am sad to say,
I see something missing from the play
and something I try to apprehend:
a show of sportsmanship at game’s final end.
Canada is the one place
I can make the case,
that players should rise above the outcome of the game,
suspend all grudge and final blame,
and shake the others’ hands.
Come on Canada!
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Oh my, this brings back memories of going to hockey games to watch our son and his teenage team mates play.
It never failed that there would be at least two or more fights that required the referee to be involved. It would almost always end up with 2 or more players being benched for the most of the game due to fighting.
As they progressed through their teens it almost became predictable as to how many fights there would be during a game.
It all depended on the numberof teenage girls that chose to attend. If there were 3 girls there would be 3 fights, 5 girls 5 fights ……etc. The boys would put on quite a physical show. It was embarrasing for us parents especially mothers.
Larry, you captured the essence of hockey very thoroughly. And it’s obvious you fully comprehend the game’s hallowed stature in the Canadian psyche. Hand shakes usually are not a component of regular season hockey games but they are integral at the completion a playoff series or, in most youth tournaments where teams from outside the local leagues participate. 🥅