Hockey

I've heard that the national sport of Canada is Lacrosse, but unofficially the national sport is certainly hockey. A few times people have identified me as American by my pronounciation of this word-- the vowell sound in the first syllable, when I say it, is a flatter "a" sound, more like the "a" in "cat" than the more "ah" sound Canadians use.

I have three hockey stories. The first is documented in my entry on underwater hockey, so I won't retell the story, but if you want to read it go to this link:

My second is my first experiencing being at a bar with friends while there was a hockey game going on on TV. My friends invited me out to see it, but it was 2004, and we all know what that means! It means I could not watch television for the whole year. If you don't know what I'm talking about, see my FAQ at http://www.jimdavies.org/personal/faq

I went anyway, thinking it would be a challenge, and, more importantly, very funny. So I went and didn't look at the TV even once. I sat there for the whole game, asking what was happening and watching the faces of my friends watching TV. It's weird when you do this. I get a similar experience when I am in the movie theatre. When the commercials come on, I turn my head (I like to sit in the front row)and like to watch the people watching the commercials that everyone complains about. They all complain, but usually I'm the only one in the theater actually doing anything other than watching them.

My third story: I left Canada to visit my folks in Florida, and my cousin Carlos took me to a hockey game in Florida. It's amazing how much effort they put into making the experience fun, even for people who don't give a flying albatros about the game. There are lots of chants to do, games, and this adorable "kiss cam" which gets focused on people, who are then expected to kiss.I've never seen such a sad job for cheerleaders, though. They're usually stuck in that dark alley where the zamboni machine comes through, cheering wherepractically nobody can see them. Once in a while they go into the aisles and do a short routine. During breaks in play, they skate out onto the ice and wave, but carry brooms and shovels and haul snow off the rink.

Tampa was losing terribly by the end of the second period, so we beat the traffic and split, listening to rap music all the way home.