Hockey day in Canada

This is the 9th edition of Hockey Day In Canada, 2009. It's an annual celebration of shinny, the best of what hockey is all about. No fights, just fun. Outdoors, there will be games across Canada, on 233 outdoor hockey rinks.

Rick Cornaccchia, a Torontonian, is currently coach of the Italian national hockey team. He will provide colour commentary on a Italian-language broadcast of Hockey Night In Canada. What is fun, in this global world, are Canadians who go abroad to share their expertise with the rest of the world. What a great opportunity to work with people in another country whose infrastructure does not support the kind of amateur play we enjoy here in Canada.

We only watch hockey if Canada plays.
My children are avid fans, but I can't stand the fighting!

Not that we don't have team spirit...When I taught in Ottawa it was an interesting, if thought provoking rivalry!

We had fun with hockey in the old days. I remember my father taking us to see the Maple Leafs in downtown Toronto. My brother had all the paraphenalia. The cost of attending games in Ottawa precluded the expense for me. Parking is exhorbitant, the snacks expensive and exclusive!

I cannot stand the game anymore. The fighting just revolts me. I like the finesse of gaining and keeping control of the puck on that slim surface of a hockey stick. But controlling your opponents by coach-provoked blind-sided hits is a disgusting way to PLAY a game. I am all for taking fights and such hits out of the game.

Concussions in all sports abounds. It is a life threatening, serious problem with players and coaches who do not take this issue seriously. Much discussion ensued after the death of Don Sanderson. Each year, according to a 2004 healthlink post, 40,000 high school football players suffer concussions. The symptoms are debilitating and many over the course of a life time of play must have a profound effect on a person. Even one concussion can have a lasting effect, they say.

Let's go back to a time when pick-up, shinny rinks made the sport affordable and fun. This is what Hockey Day is all about!