The Calgary Flames are the big league team in town, but at
the moment the NHL (National Hockey League) is having a lockout (basically they
are on strike). I’m not going to try and pretend to know what all of this is
about, but my understanding is that an agreement which set out how much hockey
players were paid and how their contracts are written etc expired earlier in
the year and the team owners and the players union have been unable to reach a
new agreement.
This has had quite an impact across Canada and the US.
Hockey is huge business here, with everyone from small companies who use games
as corporate entertainment to lure business their way to the beer brands and
liquor stores who can expect to see a spike in sales when there is a game to
watch. Not to mention all the loyal fans who need their hockey fix.
So, without the Flames to cheer on, we got tickets to see
the Calgary Hitmen who play in the WHL (Western Hockey League).
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| We're cheering for the guys in red and black, the other guys in white are the Lethbridge Hurricanes |
Now I don’t watch a lot of sports at home and
have been to even fewer live games you see I don’t really get it. Going to the
football for example, you spend ages
getting to the ground, once you do you are searched to make sure you are not
carrying anything you shouldn't you then stand in the cold and wait for
something exciting to happen – such as a goal, of which you might get 2 or 3 a
game. In between times you can’t even get yourself a beer to cheer yourself up.
At the end of the game, you and the rest of the fans are herded
out the ground onto crowded trains or buses and then likely to be banned from
entering any pubs because you are wearing shirt or scarf to show support to
your team – Okay, I know there is a lot more positives to football, I just don’t
get them.
So without much more to compare to, I was apprehensive as to
what to expect – especially given it was already in the minuses outside and we
were going to be sitting around a huge sheet of ice!
The evening went a little like this. A quick bite to eat and
a couple of beers, followed by a 5 minute walk to the Saddledome http://www.scotiabanksaddledome.com where we hand
over our tickets. The place is busy, but by no means chaotic and so we get our
bearings and find our way to our seats, getting a beer on the way.
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| Fight, fight, fight, fight!!! |
The game starts and although I’m 1 row back from the ice, I’m warm enough to take
my coat off. We’d been warned that the game can be quite fast and difficult to
follow, but we followed it easily enough. Now what I think is the best thing
about the game is that rather than being broken down into two long halves with
not a lot likely to happen, it’s played over periods of 20 minutes, where you
can expect goals, attempts at goal, the odd tumble and more than likely a bust
up! This really gets the crown going! And if that’s not enough, there’s the
half time entertainment and you will probably get the chance to meet the team
mascot, who in the case of the Calgary Hitmen is Farley the Fox.
So after the game, we headed back through the stadium and to
the C-Train, in good spirits but refreshed enough for work in the morning. We’ll
more than likely return again.
Finally, a bit of history for Shinty fans, I was curious if
there were any connections between the National game of the West Coast of
Scotland and the National Game of Canada, I thought that with so many other
references to people and places of the old world that it was more than likely,
however I’ve been unable to make a definite connection, most histories of
hockey seem to cite the game as having Dutch or Icelandic origins, with some
first nations customs thrown in too, however I’m 99% confident that ‘Shinny’
which is a term for an unorganised and light-hearted version of the game played
by undefined numbers either on ice or in the street, is more than likely to
come from Shinty.
Oh, yeah, the score - The Hitmen won 3 goals to 2!
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| Another one of Farley, he's adorable! |
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