When we moved to Canada we obviously realised that the main sport we would be exposed to whilst we were here would be ice hockey. As the creators of the game, Canadians are passionate about any game of ice hockey whether it be NHL, Olympic or, as we have recently found out, junior hockey. In the weeks leading up to Christmas we were bombarded with advertisements telling us to tune in on boxing day when the World Junior Hockey Championships would begin.
Working for a sports retailer this was obviously the topic of many conversations with both customers and co-workers and also led to every game played by Canada being shown on big screens within the store. The most truly Canadian moment came on the day Canada played the USA and the game went to a shoot out after being tied after 3 20 minute periods and 5 minutes of overtime. 40 or so middle aged men all crowded around one television cheering every time a Canadian scored and jeering every time an American scored. The Americans ended up taking the win much to the depression of all the Canadian men in the store.
After this loss however the Canadians still managed to make it to the final where they would play Sweden (who beat the USA in the semi final). With both of us having the Friday off work, Jess and I decided we would be true Canadians for the night and go to the pub and cheer for our adopted country. We made our way to Shark Club in downtown Vancouver and managed to score seats directly in front of a massive TV screen, perfect for watching the game.
The game began at a frantic pace and was scoreless at the end of the first period. The mood in the bar at this point was very tense and many people needed an extra drink to calm the nerves. Early in the second period the Canadians scored and the bar erupted. People were cheering and high fiving regardless of whether they knew each other or not. Sweden tied the game late in the second period and the tense atmosphere in the bar returned. The third period was scoreless until the second last minute and many Canadian fans were having flashbacks to the previous years final where the Canadians lost in a shootout after dominating all night. However all fears disappeared with a minute and a half to play when the Canadians scored to go up 2-1. A late empty net goal made the score 3-1 and the bar erupted when the final whistle blew leading to more cheering and high fiving.
The experience of the night was amazing for both of us and we look forward to cheering on team Canada in a months time when the Winter Olympics begin.
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