Hockey

Last weekend we went to our first hockey* game and saw the Toronto Marlies lose to the Grand Rapids Griffins in an overtime sudden-death shoot out.

While it was a bit disappointing to see another Toronto team lose, I enjoyed the game much more than I expected, it was very fast-paced and exciting. It was fun to watch the players all sprint towards the puck and then crash into the perspex barrier to stop and change direction – just as well they have all of that padding! They make it look so easy, but it must be exhausting. I guess that’s why the players change over so often.

We saw a couple of good fights too, which I suspect is the real reason for the sport’s popularity. While the stereotypical Canadian is very polite and friendly, you’d better watch out when the gloves and helmets come off! I even saw two 5 year old twin girls with blond plaits dressed in pink hockey jerseys standing right up against the barrier shouting “fight! fight! fight!”.

It was also entertaining to watch the Marlies’ mascot 'Duke' the dog, the ice-resurfacing truck that smooths out the arena between periods, and the girls that skate around the outside of the rink with shovels to collect the build-up of ice.

*you should only refer to the sport as ‘ice hockey’ if you want to stand out as a foreigner.