Canada's Game

Book excerpt: Almost every Canadian can hum the original Hockey Night in Canada theme - even those who don't think of themselves as hockey fans. For more than a century, Canadians have seen something of themselves in the sport of hockey. Canada's Game explores the critical aspects of this relationship. Contributors address a broad range of themes in hockey, past and present, including spectacle and spectatorship, the multiple meanings of hockey in Canadian fiction, and the shaping influences of violence, anti-Americanism, and regional rivalry. From the Gardens to the Forum, from the 1936 Olympics to the 1972 Summit Series, from the imagined depictions in Canadian fiction to the fan's-eye view, Canada's Game looks at hockey's ability to reflect Canadian identity.