For the Betterment of Canada, Hockey Night In Canada has to go.....

There was a little girl growing up in Dauphin, Manitoba at a time when there was only two channels on tv.  That little girl was me.  As a preschooler, I remember watching Mr. Dress-Up (although I didn't like it) and then my mom watched The Price is Right.  She spent the whole hour watching it while on the phone with our neighbour across the street, my Auntie Eileen.  My Auntie Eileen had a huge recipe card filing system where she recorded the price of everything on the show.  I was three years old when Sesame Street premiered.  The next year, my mom and some of her curling buddies did a skit for the Rockette Curling wind-up parodying Sesame Street.  I consider that skit my writing debut.  My mom and her buddies would rehearse in our basement and I was the expert they relied on so I was their writer, producer, director.  For some reason, the skit didn't go over well.  My mom didn't understand this as she and her friends thought it was hilarious.  Apparently, my four year old sense of humour didn't translate well to an adult audience.  My mom decided to sing Hello Dolly for all future Rockette wind-ups.

Yes, I am getting to Hockey Night in Canada.  Hockey Night in Canada actually played a serious role in my life.  I remember my father telling me about when televisions first came out.  He bought a black and white set for the family home in Abbey, Saskatchewan.  They could only get one channel, CBC, and even then, the picture was so snowy that it was just a joke.  He said one Saturday night, one of neighbouring farmers called him advising him to turn on Hockey Night in Canada because the farmer explained that the picture was so clear, he could actually see the puck.

Of course, by the time I came along, there was coloured tv.  My parents, especially my mother, liked to get up at 5 am.  My mom liked to do all of her housework by 9 am so she would have the day free to do what she wanted.  She preferred that I wake up early as well so that I would go to bed early, usually at 7:30 pm.  There was one exception.  On Saturday night, I could stay up until after Peter Puck.  Peter Puck was the cartoon that played in the first intermission of Hockey Night in Canada.

My parent's told me that when I was 3 years old, my favorite player was Stan Mikita.  I don't remember this, but I went with it.  I have since learned all that I could about Stan Mikita and I think he was worthy of my fandom. 

I have very fond memories of Peter Puck.  He taught us all the fundamentals of hockey, all the penalties, and the more important things like safety, sportsmanship, being a team player, positive attitude, and others.  I never played hockey but the lessons of Peter Puck served me well in life.  Even as I got older, I would still watch Peter Puck.  He hooked me on hockey and made me a fan.  He was only a cartoon character, but he taught my generation a lot.  Even now, I feel I can contribute significantly in any hockey conversation based on the fundamentals that I learned from Peter Puck.

Now, there is another cartoon character on the first intermission of Hockey Night in Canada.  His name is Don Cherry.  He is teaching the new generation that real hockey is about rock em, sock em.  He loves the hits.  He doesn't seem to have respect for sportsmanship or any of the finer points of hockey.  I think one of the mandates of Hockey Night in Canada is to promote and unite Canadians, atleast unite us in our love for hockey.  Don Cherry is one of the most divisive people in Canada.

Plus, it has been probably a decade or more since it legitimately has been Hockey Night in Canada.  We all know that it is Hockey Night in Toronto.  Every single Saturday night, it is Toronto.  People outside of the GTA already claim that HogTown think they are the centre of the universe.  By HNIC essentially showing nothing but Maple Leafs, they are reinforcing this resentment.

Another reason why it doesn't make sense to show so many Leafs games is because the management of the Toronto Maple Leafs don't have any intention to win the Stanley Cup.  They know they are going to sell out every single night regardless of where they are in the standings. It is frustrating to the rest of Canada.  Plus, have you ever been to a home game of the Maple Leafs.  I have and I can tell you it is liking watching curling at the Olympics.  The majority of people in attendance don't know much about hockey and they tend to cheer every whistle without any understanding of what it means.  I have also been to home games in Winnipeg and Montreal.  Now, there is passion.  The fans actually are a factor in the game.  It is wonderful, exciting, and makes you proud to be a Canadian.

Lack of support from Hockey Night in Canada is a small reason, but, it does contribute to unsold seats in the other markets.  There was a night two weeks ago that all Canadian teams were playing a home game.  The Toronto game televised nationally.  The only team that had a sell out was the Leafs.  In fact, it was the first night that Winnipeg Jets 2.0 didn't have a sell out. 

It was also the night that HNIC broadcaster Jim Hughson said something completely off the wall.  Now, I used to like Jim Hughson when he broadcast the Blue Jays.  He and Buck Martinez had a lot of chemistry and he was witty and enjoyable.  Since becoming a hockey announcer, he has lost any sparkle that he once had.  He was commentating on Auston Matthews legal trouble and mentioned that Patrick Kane had some legal troubles one year and ended up winning the Stanley Cup and becoming the Conn Smythe winner.  Like, what?  Did he just make a cause and effect argument with legal problems and success in the NHL?  Now, this slants favorable media coverage over the line.

I have lots of things in this federal election that have made me proud to be Canadian.  Unfortunately, I have also seen lots of things that have not made me proud to be Canadian.  The key values that I think Canada embodies is that we are a cultural mosaic, we are peacekeepers, and we are kind and compassionate. 

Hockey Night in Canada is no longer contributing to our national identity or values.  Let's just call it Hockey Night in Toronto and be done with it.