I have discovered that seeing an NHL hockey game in Los Angeles is a very affordable thing to do. You can get tickets for $30-40 and they always have availability! I’ve been taking advantage of this with a few other Canadian friends and we have now been able to see all of our favourite Canadian teams as they come out here to play the American hockey team; LA Kings.
You can imagine our surprise when we all met up at the subway station and one of our friends was sporting an LA Kings shirt! She announced to the rest of us that she felt she had been living in LA a long time now, so she thought it was time to start rooting for her home team. You can bet we all let her have it for that! You see … it’s an unspoken rule that no matter where you live, when it comes to hockey, any Canadian team will always be your home team. On this particular day the Winnipeg Jets were playing.
If we own jerseys, hoodies, or any apparel of the visiting team, we wear them to the game. If not, we wear whatever Canadian gear we have. It’s amazing how many others from the ‘True North’ you’ll spot at the Staples Center. Our friend, however, didn’t think all of this through! Of course, we made friends with other Canadians around us and pointed out the trader in our presence. She would hush us and say that she was busy trying to concentrate on training her eyes to follow the other team. If the Kings scored she would clap and cheer, but it lacked any real look of joy. She really did put in a lot of effort.
Somewhere in the 3rd period, when the Jets scored for the second time, our friend unleashed a fist-pump to the sky accompanied by a loud, deep from the belly cheer that had everyone around turning their heads. The rosy colour of life returned to her cheeks and she proclaimed, “I’m back!”
When we went out for a drink after the game, she explained that while she was watching the game as a Kings fan, she really wasn’t enjoying the game at all, but when she switched back to cheering for the Jets she started to have a great time and love hockey again, even though the Kings won the game. Let this stand as an experiment that was conducted on behalf of all Canadians, so no one else will have to go through it. You have permission to cheer for other teams, but when you are out of country and ANY Canadian team is playing, even if you’re not normally a regular fan of them, THEY ARE YOUR HOME TEAM! It’s for the love of the game, and your own good. After all, WE ARE HOCKEY!!!
Samuel Jeffery says
I grew up brainwashed by my father (who was brainwashed by his) to like the Chicago Blackhawks while living on Vancouver Island. I took a lot of flack for not liking the Canucks but I’ve just not been able to follow another team with the same passion. I tried in Edmonton when I lived there for 5 years in Uni but I could only ever like them as a distant second best.
Emme Rogers says
I hear you Samuel! I am the same way about the Toronto Maple Leafs. Would love to know the psychology behind how those formative years create such strong bonds between us and our sports teams.
Littleton spa says
Is she single?
Emme Rogers says
No, happy in a relationship!