Hockey in Canada The Nations Passion Essay Example

Hockey in Canada: The Nations Passion Essay In 1994, the Canadian Federal Government compromised and voted to make hockey Canada’s national winter sport, and lacrosse Canada’s national summer sport. Which sport should be named Canada’s true national sport? In 1994, the Canadian Federal Government compromised and voted to make hockey Canada’s national winter sport, and lacrosse Canada’s national summer sport. Which sport should be named Canada’s true national sport? It is important to know which sport should be named Canada’s true national sport because of its relevance in focusing to improve Canada’s athletic skills. By knowing the sport, it will help determine the sport Canada should emphasis upon to be more successful. It is believed that hockey should be named Canada’s national sport due to the appreciation that Canadians have toward their winter climate and well-known winter sports. Also, hockey has maintained its status as the most popular sport in Canada, while encouraging many women to participate. These reasons are believed to be the major factors that contribute to why hockey should be titled Canada’s true national sport. The history of modern hockey goes as far back as the early 1800’s. Many regions have claimed to be the birthplace of hockey, but the best-supported cases are in Windsor, Nova Scotia, and Kingston, Ontario, which hold by far the earliest written accounts of a game that has ever been played. Many assumptions were then made that hockey first originated within these three cities. We will write a custom essay sample on Hockey in Canada: The Nations Passion specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Hockey in Canada: The Nations Passion specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Hockey in Canada: The Nations Passion specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer When you think of Canada, what is the first thing that comes into your mind? For many individuals it is hockey. A country’s climate has big influences on the type of athletic activities that can occur. In Canada, the climate revolves around cold and bitter weather, which can last up to half a year. Fortunately one of the many advantages is the ability to pursue many of Canada’s winter sports such as skiing, snowboarding, bobsledding, figure skating, and most importantly hockey. As a result, it is not a surprise to Canadians when managing to score highly in many of the winter Olympics; in fact many Canadians often take this for granted. As seen on February 28, 2010, at the Vancouver winter Olympics, Sydney Crosby stated on CTV â€Å"I just shot it, I didn’t really see it to be honest. † This of course, was after the terrific win team Canada pulled against the United States. The victory of this hockey game once again, caused Canadians to realize the beauty of how successful its winter sports became. The landscape and weather conditions also contribute to the significance of hockey in the nation. Although it is estimated that there are approximately 2500 indoor and outdoor hockey rinks in Canada, many Canadians still build their own backyard ice rink on behalf of the passion for this sport. Adam shepherd grew up playing hockey, and now with his own family in Whitby, Ontario, he wanted to share his experience with his children. Adam states, â€Å"I get real enjoyment watching my kids out here having fun. He also advised to build a rink during specific months, â€Å"The best time is around January and February, and that’s when the weather is coldest. † Luckily Canada’s climate allows the building of an outdoor skating rink to be successful. Trevor, Adam’s 9 year old son stated that he loves to be outside playing hockey with his family, and that the cold never bothers him. Hockey plays an important role in people’s lives whether winning a gold med al, being able to build hockey rinks, or spending quality time with family. Hockey has become more than just a sport in Canada; over a period of time, it has become a huge part of Canadian Culture. In the eighth game of the 1972 summit series, Canadians practically came to a standstill as everyone wanted to see the outcome of the final game between Soviet Union and Canada. As a result, Canada pulled another big victory, and after this day hockey became an even more popular sport. Canadian â€Å"Hockey Night† as seen on CBC sports airs every Saturday night. Since 1998, more than four million Canadians tune in to watch this show. The number of sales for televisions has increased by the value of seven billion dollars since the year 2000, due to the influence of this show’s popularity to improve the development of technology. This is one of the positive impacts toward Canada’s economy, which has caused many technological companies to rise. Also, hockey night is a great way for families to bond while supporting Canadian radios such as CBC whom broadcasts details about regular hockey games. Another aspect is the number of viewers that watch Canada’s hockey games, for example the number of viewers who watched the U. S vs. Canada hockey game at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. As said before, the love and support for this sport is undeniable which influences its fame. Family and friends that have gathered together to watch this special game caused a hit of 27. 6 million views; one of Canada’s most viewed hockey games in all time. Generally, these reasons verify the admiration Canadians have toward hockey.? When looking back in Canadian history, women were not known for independence as men were considered â€Å"persons† while women were not. This did not come to an end until 1929, when Emily Murphy took action and brought the persons case to court. Although some action had been taken, it did not prevent women’s stereotype during the 1950’s. At that time, it was necessary for women to have feminine qualities, which included the disability to play â€Å"masculine sports. † Hockey was one of the most influential sports that encouraged many individuals to take a step toward women’s rights. Canada’s national women’s hockey team has been on the world stage, winning nine world titles, three Olympic gold medals and twelve 3 nations/4nations cups. Its successful journey has caused its reputation to rise internationally with their only losses being against United States and Sweden. Cassie Campbell, a professional hockey player on Canada’s women’s hockey team says â€Å"In 1998 we went to the first ever Olympic for women’s hockey, and as a Canadian hockey player and Canadian hockey team we were by far the favourite’s going in, and we lost. We brought home a silver medal and felt like we let down our entire country; we were embarrassed and extremely disappointed. I remember I ran into a great Canadian speed skater Susan Auch, when she congratulated me on the silver medal. While seeing the disappointment in my eyes, Susan said something to me that I’ll never forget â€Å"do you know how many people in this world don’t get a chance to be Olympic athletes, and how many Olympic athletes don’t get a chance to be medalists? † I realized what we had accomplished was the first ever silver medal in women’s hockey, which was the big reason to why we won gold in Salt Lake City in 2002. † This inspiring speech given by Cassie motivated women all over Canada to never give up on their dreams, even if it meant challenging women’s stereotype. Although it did take time, hockey is the only sport in Canada that truly represents a successful women’s sport team. Long story short, hockey is indispensable to Canada and its people. Women are better – respected because of the success of its hockey team, while technological industries broadcasting about this sport are emerging. Families bond whether by playing hockey outside their own backyard rink or by watching hockey night together. It is evident that hockey has an essential role in Canadians lives and should be titled Canada’s true national sport because of the reasons stated in this piece. Remember, hockey has been more than just a sport in Canada; it has been its nations passion and desire. â€Å" I love hockey, and I don’t love it for any other reason than when I get out there and play, I enjoy it. † Bredan Fehr. Bibliography Canadian Olympic Committee, Canadian Olympic Team Records Best-Ever Winter Games. Accessed January 6, 2012. http://www. olympic. ca/en/news/canadian- olympic-team-records-best-ever-winter-games/. Cassie Campbell speaker Canadian Womens Hockey Cassie Campbell speaking. Posted November 27, 2008. Web, http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=As5JPkk-6ls CBC Program Guide, Hockey Night In Canada. Accessed January 6, 2012. http://www. cbc. ca/programguide/program/hockey_night_in_canada_hd. Fehr , Brendan. Brainy Quote. Accessed January 5, 2012. www. brainyquote. com/quotes/keywords/hockey. html. History By The Minute, Women and Sport: Footprints Study Guide. Accessed January 6, 2012. http://www. histori. ca/minutes/lp. do? id=12958. Ind ustry Canada, Canadian Industry Statistics (CIS). Last modified September 13, 2011. Accessed January 6, 2012. http://www. ic. gc. ca/cis-sic/cis-sic. nsf/IDE/cis-s ic44311rdpe. html. Laflamme, Danny. National Teams Of Ice Hockey. Accessed January 7, 2012. http://www. nationalteamsoficehockey. com/uploads/Canada_Women_All_ Time_Results. pdf. Mckinley, Michael. Hockey A Peoples History. Toronto, Ontario: McClelland Stewart Ltd. , 2006. Newman, Garfield, Bob Aitken, Diane Eaton, Dick Holland, John Montgomery, and Sonia Riddoch. Canada A Nation Unfolding. Toronto,Ontario: Patty Pappas, 2000. â€Å"2010 Olympics Womens Hockey Gold Game Canada v USA. Uploaded March 11, 2010. 1 min. 30 secs. Web, http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=YJG-rMq_AXM Pelletier, Joe. A september to remember. Accessed January 5, 2012. http://www. 1972summitseries. com/game8recap. html. Seidman, Robert. TV By The Numbers, USA vs Canada Gold Medal Hockey = Most- Watched Game in 30 Years With 27. 6 million Viewers. Accessed January 6, 2012. http://tvbythenumbers. zap2it. com/ Shepherd, Adam. Our Backyard Rink Story on the Weather Network. Posted Feb 12, 2009. Web, http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=1BcWFRC6xTg. Summit Series Canada Vs. USSR Game 8. Posted Oct 16, 2007. Web, http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=rptwqd5ccYkfeature=player_embedded. The Weather Network. Last modified January 6,2012. Accessed January 6, 2012. www. theweathernetwork. com. Toul, Alex. Hockey Community. Accessed January 5, 2012. http://www. hockey- community. com/rinks. Wharnsby, Tim. Hockey Canada Network, Team Canada caps golden games ith a thrilling overtime win over the united states. † Last modified March 1, 2010. Accessed January 5, 2012. http://www. hockeycanada. ca/index. php/ci_id/71616/la_id/1. htm. Appendix Canada outlasts U. S. for hockey gold Sidney Crosby gets OT winner in 3-2 Olympic final in Vancouver Last Updated: Monday, March 1, 2010 | 12:56 AM ET Comments1910Recommend876 By Tim Wharnsby in Vancouver, CBC Sports Canadian players pose for the team picture after the 3-2 overtime victory in the gold medal game against the United States. Ryan Remiorz/Canadian Press) VANCOUVER – Canadian men’s hockey has a golden Olympic shimmer once again. The Canadian national team hung on for a stressful 3-2 victory in overtime to give the country a second Olympic gold medal to celebrate in eight years. Sidney Crosby provided the heroics Sunday, seven minutes and 40 seconds into the extra period. He capped off a give -and-go with Jarome Iginla for the winner. It’s something that maybe comes only once in a lifetime, said Jonathan Toews, who scored the first goal. We were saying after the third period that somebody would come through for us and it was no coincidence that he did it. He’s a tremendous leader and has accomplished so much in his young career. This time around, it obviously wasn’t as easy as when Mario Lemieux, Joe Sakic and Co. stormed to a 5-2 victory in Salt Lake City. But winning at home at Canada Hockey Place was more satisfying and ignited one heck of a party nationwide. The hockey win also gave Canada an Olympic-record 14 gold medals by a country in a single Winter Games. The Canadians held a one-goal advantage entering the final 20 minutes. To protect the lead, they sat back and played a 1-2-2 trap that the Americans simply couldn’t penetrate until the final seconds. U. S. forward Patrick Kane fired a shot at the net that hit teammate Jamie Langenbrunner’s skate and went on the Canadian goal. Zach Parise was Johnny-on-the-spot to knock in the rebound with 24. 4 seconds left in regulation time. Crosby had a breakaway with slightly more than three minutes left, but the puck was bouncing on him and he couldn’t get a shot off on U. S. goalie Ryan Miller.