Lesson #2: Hockey is Anytime, Anywhere!

By Chris Donnelly |

This post is part of a series I’m writing about lessons that Music-in-Canada can learn from Hockey-in-Canada.

Here’s #2:

Hockey is Anytime, Anywhere!

Hockey is always just a few steps away, at least in Canada.

Even if you can’t get tickets to the Leafs game, you can always watch it on TV.  The NHL isn’t the only option either; you can easily find and watch regional hockey games too.  The St. Michael’s Majors, for example, is a regional OHL team based in Toronto; they play all around Ontario.  Their games are good quality, fast-paced and entertaining.

This is a plus for kids, who always need access to talented role models.  The hockey community seems to support a solid role model dynamic from superstars, to professionals, to regional players, to local players and coaches.

Further, if you want to play hockey, the door is wide open.  There are community ice rinks everywhere in Canada where anyone can skate, play shinny or play in an organized league.  Of course, if all these options were unavailable, particularly in the off-season, there’s always road hockey!

Hockey is available in such a way that people can engage with it on any level, from professional to amateur, from playing to watching, from hockey arenas to road hockey to video games to hockey pools.

Here’s another point: hockey doesn’t stop in the off-season.  Nor does it stop when there are no rinks, or when there’s no ice, or when there are no nets.  Even when we had no sticks, I remember playing foot hockey with other kids.  All we needed was a ball.

I would love to see the day when road-music becomes a familiar, celebrated, cultural activity.  Busking doesn’t count.  Street music festivals don’t count either.

When I can visit suburbia and expect to hear people playing music on their front lawn, I’ll know that day has arrived!

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