“Perceptions,” by Gerry Warner

Op-Ed Commentary

Incredible!

After Friday’s Stanley Cup game, can’t you see Lord Stanley in his grave grinning from ear to ear at the prospect of his beloved silver trophy returning to its rightful home after 29 years of incarceration in a country that broke up the British Empire and where people drink orange juice for breakfast instead of tea?  Blimey, I can hear him saying. They don’t even know the words to God Save the King!

Baron Stanley of Preston, by the way, was an avid sportsman himself. According to his official biography, he didn’t hesitate to speak his mind like a certain US presidential candidate that clumsily inserted himself into the Edmonton Oilers/Florida Panthers series in game four with the following tweet: “Wow, the Florida Panthers are a fantastic hockey team. They’re 3-0 against the very good Edmonton Oilers from Canada, but it’s still early. Hopefully they will put them away. Very impressive!” 

Well, we all know what happened after that. The Oilers went on to bomb the Panthers eight to one in what appears to be the turning point in this historic come-from-behind series. Now the Panthers have to deal with curse of having Trump on their side as well as facing the surging Oilers.

Isn’t facing a team with Connor McDavid enough?

Despite having to win Lord Stanley’s storied cup more than 6,000 km from home and playing against the home team, the Oilers appear firmly in the driver’s seat now. The Panthers are clearly spooked. You can almost see their confidence draining away from their sweaty uniforms and their star goalie, Sergei Bobrovsky, no longer looks like God guarding the twine.

And Bobrovsky is a Russian no less. How many Americans would relish being saved by a man descended from the birthplace of communism? Talk about irony. Trump doesn’t seem to mind being palsy-walsy with Putin, but most Americans assuredly do.

But regardless of who wins Monday – and I don’t think there’s a single citizen in the Great White North who isn’t aching for Edmonton to win including my wife Sandy who normally is not a fan – this has been one of the most historic and best played Stanley Cup series ever.

I had quit watching hockey out of disgust with how Don Cherry had vulgarized the game with his “Rock ‘em, Sock ‘em” antics, glorification of violence and barely disguised racism toward the “Euros” and other players so much so that I lost interest in the mayhem. That’s not to say the current series hasn’t had its share of rough play, big “hits” and the odd short scrap or two.

But that’s the nature of hockey. It’s not for the faint-hearted. The skates are sharp. The sticks are hard and so is the puck. But the primary purpose in today’s game is to use these potentially dangerous instruments to put the puck in the net, not to intentionally injure another player.

And to make money for the owners and players of course.

That’s what makes hockey the fastest sport of all – and at its best – a game also played with style and finesse. See for yourself Monday. And for heaven’s sake cheer for the first Canadian team in a generation to bring Lord Stanley’s silver orb back to its home and native land where it belongs. And may it never leave for at least another generation.

– Gerry Warner is a former journalist and recovering hockey fan.

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