The weather?
Not so great.
The Habs won one and then lost one.
On Thursday night I had dinner with a friend.
The plasma screen,
above the bar,
was showing hockey highlights and scores.
My friend saw me watching and said
“don’t you think it’s silly that they named a street after the Canadiens,
I mean they are only a hockey team”
My reaction?
Outrage.
Only a hockey team!
I calmed down after a deep breath and said,
“not only a hockey team, a Mythical hockey team”
The Habs are not just a hockey team,
they are the greatest hockey team of all time.
They have won 24 Stanley Cups.
The second winningest team?
The Toronto Maple Leafs with 13.
The New York Yankees have won 27 world championships.
The Boston Celtics have 17 World championships.
These my friends,
are Mythical Teams.
Both New York and Boston,
are sports towns.
New York has The Yankees and The Mets in baseball,
the Knicks in basketball,
the Rangers in hockey, the Giants and Jets in football.
Boston has The Celtics, The Red Sox in baseball,
the Bruins in hockey, the Patriots in football.
In Montreal we have hockey.
We had a baseball team, the Expos.
We have a very good CFL (Canadian Football League) team, the Alouettes.
But, we care pretty much only about hockey.
The Habs are every one’s team.
English, French and everyone in between.
If you want to understand Montreal,
you’ve got to understand hockey.
Canada is a great country in many ways.
Canada has done more than it’s part in the World Wars,
something that bears mentioning at this time of year.
We brought the world, peacekeepers and Celine Dion.
Neil Young and Alanis Morisette.
Joni Mitchell and Micheal J Fox.
Insulin and the mapping of the human brain.
John Candy and Mike Myers.
But, the greatest thing we ever did was invent hockey,
and the greatest team that ever played it are,
The Montreal Canadiens.
The Habs, The Flying Frenchmen, The Sainte-Flanelle, the Bleue, Blanc, Rouge, The Tricolore.
They are our team.
They transcend political, linguistic division.
They are the mortar in our brick mosaic.
My discourse on the mythical team is now over.
Just wanted to clear up for my friend,
that they are not just a hockey team.
Anymore than, Marilyn was just a blond,
or that k.d lang is just a singer.
Again, tongue firmly planted in cheek.
Later girls, and Dan.
BB
