As soon as we got to the stadium you could sense the excited atmosphere in the crowds and it was pretty infectious, we were soon at our seats and waited patiently for the game to begin. Even though Abbotsford is only a small team there was a lot of support from fans at the game that night, the stadium wasn’t full but from the amount of noise the crowd made you would think it was! Many people were wearing the team’s jersey and dressed in their colours and the mascot Hawkey the Hawk got the crowd even more energized and ready to go.
The crowd was very diverse from babies (wearing huge ear-protectors!) to their grandparents and the cultural background of the fans was very varied too. It was clear to see how this one game united people from all sorts of different backgrounds and communities and it was a very positive feeling that I got from the supporters. I think ice hockey in Canada is very important in forming bonds between different cultures and gives people something they can all relate to, no matter what race they are.
Even though Abbotsford lost 4-0 it was still a really fun experience and I definitely got caught up in the excitement of the game from the crowd atmosphere and felt part of larger society that anyone was welcome to be part of.
Links:
www.abbotsfordheat.com
www.iihf.com/iihf-home/the-iihf/survey-of-players.html
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ReplyDeleteDSC-comment: This is a very interesting account of your experience of your visit of an ice hockey game. As I am myself very much interested in sports, I was also curious to find out more about the game and its importance to Canadians. When you turn on the sports television in this country, most of the coverage is about the game, especially now with the play-offs just having started, the whole country seems to be excited about it. Thus it was very interesting to read that you did some research into the statistics and numbers backing up my general perception. For a European, if you are not necessarily Czech or Scandinavian, this enthusiasm about hockey is probably very unusual, but also a new experience worth exploring.
ReplyDeleteAs I visited a university hockey game myself (see my blog-entry for further detail), I was curious to read about your experience as mine did not live up to my expectations with a rather small crowd and a rather quiet crowd. But the game you visited sounds more like what I expected with an excited crowd from young to old showing the Canadian passion for the game, which is an important part of Canadian culture and life as I experience it on a daily basis just like it is with soccer in Germany or England.
It was furthermore interesting to read that the crowd visiting the game you watched was ethnically and culturally diverse with the game having a unifying effect. This is especially noteworthy as there is a current debate in parts of Canada about the immigrant’s lack of interest or passion for the game (see for example my blog-entry for further details).