By: Jimmy Kerr
GongShowHockey.com Contributing Writer
kerrzy@gongshowhockey.com | Gongshow Hockey. CLASSIC KERRZY FROM THE GSH ARCHIVES......What does it mean to me? Well I’m just your average run-of-the-mill hockey player that’s not going to the pros but will always dream about it. Like many of you, I know guys that will play pro and guys that should along with of course guys that could have. Whether you’re going to the show or not, you can always live the hockey culture, and that’s what Gongshow Hockey is all about right there. |
The culture of hockey is like that of no other sport, especially in Canada. When you’re a hockey player in Canada, it gives you something over everyone else that isn’t one. Hockey provides kids all over the place with the chance to make a lot of friends, a lot of enemies and gives them something to dream about and something to work hard at. The team is where it all starts. When you’ve been on a team that was genuinely a team you won’t ever forget the feeling you get from being a part of such a close group. A group of guys that will go to war out there for each other every time you lace up, then give you the best time of your life out on the town afterwards. We can all take pride in being part of the Canadian hockey culture, because it’s a culture that is so rich with meaning and history dating all the way back to when the game was first invented. The peaceful pandemonium that ensued after the Canadians beat the Americans in the 2002 Olympics is a perfect example of the way that hockey culture affects us Canadians. I happened to be in Calgary at the time visiting my grandparents after a tournament I had nearby, and I watched the game with my Grandpa Tommy on his big screen TV. After a tense 60 minutes, seeing the Canadian boys take the win I had to do my best to hide the fact that I was getting pretty misty eyed. But watching the Steve Yzerman’s, Joe Sakic’s, Brendan Shanahan’s receiving their medals, I was having a tough time holding it back. I left Calgary after the medal presentations but on my way out of Calgary I got stuck in a 3 hour traffic jam of intense celebration on what is now known as the Red Mile with Canada flags and jerseys flying every which way, cars passing each other giving complete strangers high fives and everyone cheering at the top of their lungs. I felt a sense of pride that day as I drove through there that is unmatched by anything I’ve felt before, or since, in my life. That’s what Gongshow Hockey is all about. Whether you’re sporting a shaggy hairdo and calling it “hockey hairâ€, a playoff team dye-job, excessive playoff facial hair, a Gongshow lid or hoodie, or any other feature synonymous with hockey players across Canada, you can be proud to be part of a culture that spans many decades of Canadian history and will continue to do so for years to come. |
