I know, I know, we are the nice, polite, northerners. We put up with American food, American drink, American TV, our spell check can’t figure out how to spell cheque, we listen to others mock our health care system, and call our Prime Minister Mr. Poutine. We know you laugh at us. We know you think we are inept. We get it. We are the not particularly smart cousin you invite to family affairs because you have to, and we always surprise you when we have thoughts, dreams, opinions and aspirations of our own. We know. You laugh at our tendency to apologize, marvel over our ethnic diversity and think our Canadian-isms are a quaint little tradition, eh?
I attended a local awards ceremony a week and a half ago, when the Canadian men were playing their first game, and the game went to overtime. I sat in the largest ball room of a shwanky downtown hotel, with business and government leaders around me, and you know what? Towards the end of the night, everyone was on their phones checking the score. Word was moving from table to table. 1-0, tied, overtime, shoot out. By the time the shoot out happened, you didn’t have to consult the phone. You could hear the kitchen staff, you could hear the diners in the tony restaurant below, you could hear the cleaning staff. You could hear the cheers and moans, the whole building, every building in Canada, breathing as one. They stopped the awards to announce the winner, they didn’t have to, you could hear the cheers throughout the city.
This is what it means to be Canadian.This is who we are. This is what we do.
There were some accusations at the start of the games that Canadians thought these Olympics were nothing more than a big hockey tournament, with some side stuff thrown in. Can I tell you the truth? Most Canadians don’t care about anything but the hockey. Our answer is “well, yes.”
I’d hope we were hospitable, we were polite, and visitors felt welcome. I hope we put on a good show, and people had a good time. I think the facilities were pretty good, and I think the Olympics were mostly successful, doom and gloom British journalists aside.
Yeah, we do all the rest of the stuff. Actually pretty well, given that we set a new record for the most number of Gold medals won by a single country since, oh, ever.We are proud of our snowboarders, our bob-sledders, our curlers, our speed-skaters. Joannie Rochette is our girl now. That’s good stuff, and it’s no shame when a country with a tenth of the population of the US earns 70% of the the medals that the US does. We earned 55% more Gold medals than the Americans. Nothing to sneeze at there.
But hockey.
It is who we are, it’s where the veneer of the nice, polite, civil Canadian breaks off. Buried in our DNA is early morning practice, local rinks, skating outside, jersey’s with Gretzky, Messier, Richard, Roy, Luongo on them. At the core of who we are is a cold disk of rubber, a net and a stick. Hockey is our soul.
Coke had this commercial, it told the absolute truth – hockey is our game.We put up with a lot of crap from Americans. We suck it up and go along our way, because we are Canadians and we aren’t into fighting. You wanna call our Prime Minister, Prime Minister Poutine? You can’t figure out what a toque is? You can’t spell the Queen’s English? Whatever. You want to call that swill you drink beer? Pbft. You think my mail gets here on a dog sled? Sure.
But seriously, you come here and you think you are going to win hockey?
You all run along home now.
Ain’t nobody better than us.
It’s our game.
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t cry with the win. I love curling over everything, but hockey is deep. It is, as you say, who I am.
Amen, Mrs. Spit. : ) I don’t consider myself a particularly huge hockey fan, but I was bawling my eyes out when they played the anthem yesterday. I think it’s practically impossible to be Canadian & not have some sort of knowledge & appreciation for the game & what it means to our country. I think maybe only the Russians come close to feeling the same way about the game as we do.
Here’s a link to the Coke commercial — cut slightly different from the one that was on TV (but you get the idea).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vYFIufNoBo&NR=1
After both the men’s & women’s games, the wording at the end was changed to “Now they know whose game they’re playing.” lol
As an American who has lived abroad during some less-than-savory political years, let me tell ya, there is nothing wrong with being Canadian. (No, there’s nothing wrong with being American, but Canadians don’t get the same slurs that Americans did, at least not so long ago, in other countries. Which is hard, when you’re there, and you’re the one being targeted.)
Of course, we would have loved it if US won…but we are happy that Canada took the gold! Of course, being from Pittsburgh, we are super happy that Crosby scored the game winning goal!
Go, Canada!
(I had to giggle at your post. LOL)
Congratulations Canada! This Brit apologises for the gloomy journos here who moan all the time. I have had my Vancouver 2010 mug in pride of place since I visited in 2008 so with you all the way! Ice hockey is however slightly nuts,
As a Minnesotan who currently lives closer to the Canadian border than to her own state’s capital, I can almost relate to the Canadian veneration for their beloved game. We have a pretty big soft spot in our hearts for the game too. For us “March Madness” refers to the temporal convergence of the Minnesota State High School Hockey Tournament and the NCAA “Frozen Four”. Bouncing ball games are fine for sports junkies who may or may not have an unhealthy addiction. Minnesota hockey fans follow their teams for the pure love of the game.
Still, I couldn’t help but root for our northern neighbors in yesterday’s game (driving my husband to complete distraction I might add). I just couldn’t bring myself to cheer against nice, hard-working people who wanted something so badly. In my opinion, when decent people want something that much, they should simply have it. We are nice and hard working and wanted to win too, but in no way did we want it as much. Truthfully I just could not have felt good about an American gold metal that would have meant heart-felt national mourning for Canadians. They worked hard, they put on a fine Olympics and it was right that they were rewarded with their hearts’ desire.
So, as sad as I am that my hometown’s native son Jamie Langenbrunner’s day in the Olympic sun was not quite as bright as it could have been, I can say with complete sincerity that I cheered heartily for the Canadians. Plus, the Canadian national anthem is arguably the best in the world. Who wouldn’t be touched by hearing an arena full of proud Canucks belting it out? Good show Canada – good show!
I wasn’t able to watch the whole game – how I smarted this morning over missing the dramatic finale! – but I was certainly cheering for Canada all the way – a no-brainer for me. It just felt right. YAY!!!!!
My husband and I are, arguably, the least into sports of everyone we know, but when that game went into overtime and Crosby shot that goal, so quick and nimble he didn’t even see it go in, we were in awe and on the edge of our seats.
We may be polite, we may be self-deprecating, but put us in a hockey rink and watch out.
I am proud of our GOLD-WINNING WOMEN too!
Hey Mrs. Spit, I wanted to write you an e-mail but am not finding your e-mail address or “contact me” info… is there a way for me to get in touch with you other than the comments section here?
Elizabeth
Congratulations on your win. I watched.
::grumble grumble::
::kicks rocks::
::mumble::
::presents hand::
Congrats.
What else are you supposed to do with all that ice and snow. We get to have Florida and Hawaii. Why should we begrudge you hockey?
Congratulations!
Love it:) It’s the truth through and through. And we ROCK at it!!!
I watched it three times Mrs Spit, with my big and little maple leaves! GO TEAM CANADA! It was an amazing game and I love your post!
Mrs. S is obliged to note that Hawaii and Florida come with spiders the size of dinner plates, which we do not have in Canada.
There are no native species of gator in Canada, either. Don’t forget that!
CBC:
Some 80 per cent of Canadians watched part of the Olympic hockey final with an average audience of 16.6 million viewers, according to CTV.
The game was broadcast live on nine television networks in eight languages, the host broadcaster said.
Some 26.5 million Canadians took in part of Canada’s 3-2 overtime win over the U.S.
The closing ceremonies averaged 14.3 million viewers, with 24.5 million watching some part of the broadcast, the network said.
NBC said the hockey final was the most-watched hockey game in the U.S. in 30 years.
The NBC broadcast drew an average viewership of 27.6 million, the biggest hockey number since the U.S. versus Finland 1980 gold medal game in Lake Placid (32.8 million).
Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/story/2010/03/01/sp-ratings-gold.html#ixzz0gyXT3jGD
Oh dear, Mrs. Spit. I can’t say I wasn’t disappointed that the US didn’t win (after all, that *is* my patriotic home). HOWEVER, I must agree that hockey has always been a Canadian sport; one that *I’ve* certainly loved watching since I was a wee lass. It probably helped that I spent a lot of time in my youth with my cousins in London, Ontario. It also probably helped that Canada was always “just across the river” from where I grew up. And having been to enough Red Wings Hockey games in my life (especially when the Maple Leafs were still in our division), I can certainly appreciate all the talent that my favorite CANADIAN Red Wing hockey players (ahem … Stevie Yzerman) have.
So, with that … Canada deserved to win the gold. In their “Home and Native Land.” We, Americans … well, we just had to give you guys a run for your money!
But WOW. I must say … that was one H*LL (‘xcuse me language — I’m “American”! LOL!) of a hockey game!!
Go Canada (admittedly I say that from a place of just not caring much about hockey or the Olympics, I know, I suck)!!!
First let me say, not all Americans think of Canadians as our not as smart cousins. Particularly those of us that have lived close to the Canadian border.
Hockey is the only sport that any of us follow with any type of regularity. Or watch. My 3.5 year old is all about hockey. He is always on the prowl for Wednesdays and Sundays (the two days we take him ice skating… he keeps reminding us he really wants “ice skating with sticks” but we are focusing more on skating forwards and backwards with some amount of ability to stop before we add the stick). Golf clubs, swords, and sticks he finds all become hockey sticks. We watch the NHL on TV, go to our AHL on occasion, and watch various levels locally (Mites, high school, pick up games… doesn’t matter much)
I was cheering for the USA, as were both of my kids. I was impressed that even my 20 month old said “Ugh! Oh-no!” and stomped his foot with the final goal before I could say anything myself. It was one heck of a game that I enjoyed (although the first period I thought the USA was not looking so good, more like individual players than a team, where the Canadians were playing like a team). But I didn’t mind seeing the Canadians win. It was a great game, and a great team won. (To be honest, I found that game far more interesting than the USA vs. Finland game).
(So did you celebrate by eating a nice bowl of cheese grits?
)
Congratulations to all of my northern neighbors.
Your post makes me smile, and the smile says more than words. So proud to be Canadian
Something is all right with the world when the Canadians win at hockey.
It was a dam fine game, eh?
Great post. what’s with the skinny writing? Even my comment has to be written skinny, and my name –you know I’m not skinny.
CONGRATS…
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…but we’ll be gunning for you next time.
It was indeed a good game – even if I grumbled because the overtime meant I couldn’t go to bed!!! (I think that it was about 11pm over here when it finished).
Congratulations!!
I grew up in Detroit…just a hop away from Cananada (yes, I know I spelled it wrong, that is how I pronounce it). I heart Canada. It gave me legal drinking at the age of 19. It gave me my love of hockey and curling. Detroit is known as HockeyTown you know?!?
And I love me some Mr. and Mrs. Spit.
And it may be wrong of me to admit it, but I love the Canadian National Anthem. It is just so beautiful!!
Oh, and I end a lot of sentences with eh.