Of course, Fuller is not the only one to draw connections among hockey, the media, and differences between Canadian and American national identities. In fact, Gruneau and Whitson get the name of their book from Canada's most famous television program -- Hockey Night in Canada. Like learning to skate before learning to walk, the pair suggest that the Saturday night "TV program made us feel like part of a national community" (2). Thus, Fuller suggests that hockey is of utmost importance to the nation's identity, not only as a sport, but also as a major media event. In this world of globalization and satellite and Internet television broadcasting, media has become the defining feature of many nations. Thus, the use of media to depict Canadian and American values so antithetically is of utmost importance to Canadians and suggests that the sport is integral in the defining of a national identity. In addition to simply highlighting the differences between Canadians and Americans, especially through media depictions, hockey has also been seen as a symbol of Canada's own values. This is most apart through Fuller's description of the documentary, Shinny. In fact, "the twelve rules of Shinny," around which the document is structured, are Canadian value qualities such as "make your own rules," "you always play...
While these may be the rules of street or local hockey teams, they double as the rules, or at least values, of Canada. Canadians value freedom, and the ability to "make their own rules," their own fun, and live a united lifestyle without "ever being beaten," unlike Americans who stress competition. Furthermore, Fuller's depiction of the film suggests that shinny's ability to bring Canada together as one community is another one of its important traits. In fact, Fuller states that:
Canadian National Identity and Canadian Hockey The Canadian administrative system in place has endorsed the national identity of Canada with hockey. Back in 90s, when the then Prime Minister of Canada, Chretien, started trade diplomacy with other countries, he always declared every participant as part of the Canadian Team. In the tenure of the same Prime Minister, an ex-National Hockey League player and icon, Frank Mahovlich was chosen as a senator.
I think we've just proved that hockey can truly be defined as a religion -- at least in Canada. Now, as to its "ritualness." Is hockey played "in accordance with social custom or normal protocol?" That would be the question our friend Merriam-Webster would ask in order to define hockey as a ritual (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary). My question would be how could anyone look at the game of hockey and not see
The spectre of assimilation, was even more pronounced in the native community. In the Hockey Game, Wes Fineday relates the memory of a game played on his reserve. Children were taken to boarding schools, where even the food was unfamiliar. Hockey was the one thing that Fineday could relate to and it brought him fond memories of home. The boarding school experience illustrates Canada's policies towards natives for most of
While hockey may have masculine connotations for the single sportsman watching a game, a father watching the same game may see the sport as a way to bring the family together, while a mother next to him in the stands may marvel at its sociological implications as she watches her daughter bond with her father while discussing the intricacies of the game. While viewing hockey as an art form allows
Canadian Current Events Magazine Produced by NAME Career Prospects This article describes the growing trend in the corporate world of eliminating performance reviews, which many find to be ineffective and even counterproductive. The article notes that workers and managers alike often feel that performance reviews do not measure what they are meant to measure, and that they fail to provide Continued on New Mining Activity in Alberta Career Prospects Letters to the Editor Interview with Financial Expert Sports
Violence in Hockey Today There is no shortage of opinions regarding whether or not violence in hockey should be curbed. Certainly the NHL, the fans and the players would all like to see incidents such as the Bertuzzi-Moore fiasco eliminated from the game. Some fans would go further, but that approach may not be realistic. All physical, contact sports will be inherently aggressive. That aggression will naturally boil over from time
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