Canadian Hockey

It's and exciting year in hockey. With the Winter Olympics in Vancouver in February, Canada has an opportunity to shine on the international stage. One of the brightest jewels in the crown will be hockey.

I hope Team Canada wins every tournament it enters including the World Juniors, the Olympics, and the World Championships. I hope we do not lose a game, a period, a shift, or a battle in any of these tournaments. I am a proud Canadian and a big hockey fan.

I also hope the rest of the world gets better at hockey. That may sound a bit strange but I do not want to live in a country that is the best in the world in a three or four horse race. On the women's side that may even be a stretch.

I want Canadian hockey to continue to get better but it doesn't matter if no one else cares. It's a bit like being the tallest midget in the world. You are the top of the class but it is not relevant to most of the people out there.

Soccer's World Cup is a really big deal, arguably bigger than the Olympics. It is because nearly everyone in the world cares. Hockey is important in Canada, a few parts of the USA, Scandinavia, and Russia. It has a lesser following in several other countries. Being the best at hockey is being the best at something that doesn't matter to 9 out of 10 people on the planet. Is it truly relevant on the world stage. Do we want it to be?

In some ways being the best at hockey is very Canadian. We don't like to ruffle too many feathers. We are polite and apologize for being great. So, if we are great at something that doesn't matter to too many, then we won't upset the apple cart.

I want hockey to be more important. I want it to be a real struggle to win at it internationally. If it is not a sure thing then the reward is so much better when you do get it.