Canada Day 2007
By Michael J.W. Stickings
Happy Canada Day, everyone!
1867-present. And going strong.
Here's one of the most stirring renditions of our national anthem I've ever heard, sung by the fans at Edmonton's Rexall Place before Game 3 of the NHL Western Conference playoff series between the Oilers and the Anaheim Ducks on May 23, 2006 (the Oilers won the series in five games before losing to the Carolina Hurricanes in the finals, 4-3):
Labels: Canada
posted by Michael J.W. Stickings at
2:40 PM
3 Comments:
Wow, the stuff of goose bumps. That's great.
I was in Quebec City watching the final game against Carolina in a bar. Despite the outcome, that was quite an experience. It made me think Canadian unity must be pretty good after all: a bar crowd in French Canada cheering on a team from the West. Or was it only because it was hockey and the opponent was from well to the south?
By
avishalom, at 6:46 PM
Thanks, Skippy!
By
Michael J.W. Stickings, at 8:49 PM
Very true, AviS. It gives me goose bumbs.
There is unity in Canada around hockey. There is unity generally -- remember that the sovereigntists are in the minority -- but hockey really brings us together. There are some in Quebec who want a separate Quebecois national hockey team, sort of how England and Scotland have separate soccer teams, but the reality is that a Quebecois team wouldn't be nearly as good as Canada (without Quebec), not to mention Sweden and Finland.
There was a lot of unity when Edmonton and Calgary played in the finals, which they did in 2006 and 2004, respectively, but there was less this year with Ottawa in the finals. Maybe we got used to having a Canadian team go to the finals. Or maybe Ottawa doesn't elicit the same patriotic response as Alberta. Also, there were more Canadians on the Ducks this year. The playoff MVP, Scott Niedermayer, is one of our finest players.
By
Michael J.W. Stickings, at 8:55 PM
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