My apologies

Hockey, being our national sport is a game that holds meaning for every Canadian. I have heard from those who hate the sport due to 'violence' and those who love it because of the same 'violence'. Most Canadians can look back at a time in their childhood and remember a time in their lives when they came home from school, threw their book bags at the door, grabbed a drink and cookies and then their hockey sticks and then raced out onto the street with all the neighborhood kids ready to battle in the all important 'street hockey game'. It's a right of passage, it's Canadian. How many of us yelled 'CAR' every few minutes, grabbing ball, sticks and nets and moving to the side of the street while the car made it's slow progression threw the players. Then once the car had passed, net would be put back and the game would resume. All this to say that in most Canadian veins there runs 'hockey blood'.

Last night we watched the Stanley Cup head once again South of the border in a disappointing end to a series that we had high hopes for as Canadians. The series watched by not just Vancouver fans but by most Canadians was filled with it's embarrassments, last night reaching it's pinnacle.  Boston won that game with team work and determination, and though I would like to say that Vancouver fought hard for it I can't. They lost fair and square, and sadly they were defeated because of a lack of team awareness. Hats off to Boston.

What made my heart sick was hearing of the riots in the streets of Vancouver after the game, the violence and destruction and looting that took place because a bunch of drunk people didn't like the outcome of a game? How does it come to this? My national pride took a hit last night and I feel compelled to write and say sorry, though to whom I don't know. Vancouver is a beautiful city, one that I would happily move to if asked to do so. How is it, that a group of 'fans' who grew up watching hockey can't see that they lost fairly. I understand feeling disappointment in the team, I felt it and I am not even a Canucks fan, yet anger? Anger enough to tear a beautiful city's downtown apart? Cars and trucks that had nothing to do with the game flipped over and burned? People in the hospital? I just don't understand it.

It's a game, an amazing game, but a game. A game that should be our national pride turned into a national embarrassment last night. One that Lord Stanley would probably cringe over this morning.

My apologies to Boston for our poor sportsmanship!