Why are some canadians so snobby about hockey? (This is for you "Moose Hair")?

Question

This is in response to Moose Hair's rant about ignorant american fans. Nobody I know thinks americans dominate at hockey. After many years we are just finally getting competitive. There are just a lot of fans out there that don't take the time to learn all of the rules. Canadians are no exception. I went to a game in Vancouver and had to explain charging to a few obnoxious, obviously drunk college kids. Another time I was in Halifax, Nova Scotia during playoffs. I went to 3 bars to try and watch a game, and I was told by all 3 that they weren't watching the game because there weren't any canadian teams playing. Ridiculous. I explained that more than 1/2 of each team is probably made up of canadians anyway so what's the difference? For example, anyone who thinks that the all of the Ducks are all from Anaheim is a total idiot. Anyway, I don't expect an answer to this. I just think it's not about nationalities, it's about the game. If you don't love it, don't watch it.

Answer 1

I started a thread similar to this but I have to agree. There are probably alot of Canadians out there who don't want to warm up to the idea that their game has gone global. Same with some Americans who aren't too happy about baseball, football, and basketball going global and on how there are some countries who are actually better than us at baseball and basketball. I really don't care. I think it's great. I love competition. As for hockey, some might find it hard to believe that I am probably more knowledgeable at hockey than alot of people. Maybe not of the current game(mostly because I've grown quite apathetic toward sports lately) but it's history. How many Canadian hockey fans under the age of 30 ever heard of the Montreal Maroons? Anyhoo, like I've said many times, there are chuckleheads everywhere so just ignore them. Eventually they'll find their way back to the Paris Hilton boards where they belong.

Answer 2

I honestly don't know. It seems that in any pro sport, fans get annoyed when their sport is "being taken away from them". Just ask NASCAR fans from the south. What people don't realize is that north american pro sports (especially in the USA) are the best paying and best marketed in the world, so the best players from all over the world come here to play. (Why would David Beckham come to a country where soccer isn't very popular as a spectator sport?)

As for hockey, it will always be Canada's national pastime. People in the U.S. will either love it or don't care. (most people I know don't care)

My feeling is that people tend "dislike" things they can't do themselves. Most people can't balance themselves on two thin steel blades on a sheet of frozen water.

I don't think Americans are "snobs" about hockey. "Misguided" may be a better word.

As a life-long fan of an original six team, sure I get annoyed that teams from the southern part of the US are winning cups, but at least hockey is getting more exposure and recogition.

I hope that people like moose hair don't think that hockey is being stolen by Americans, because it's not. The best players are from Canada, there's no disputing that.

Who knows, maybe he's peeved that the two most storied Canadian franchises, the Leafs and Habs, have Swedish and Finnish captains respectively!

Answer 3

I cant answer for all Canadians, but as a Canadian, I can answer for myself. People here LOVE hockey. We see it as our game. It's kinda like being outside playing with your friends, you make up a new game and then another group of kids comes along and take it and start playing it with their friends. Im not saying that anyone stole our game. Im just saying that some people do feel that way. You know, "its our game, we can play it better" type attitude. Of course we're partial to our Canadian teams, but most of us love it so much we'll watch hockey no matter who's playing it. I even have a couple favourite teams that are American teams.

Answer 4

About 2 weeks ago, I think. There are some wolves in the hills that are driving them down into the valley. The dogs (4 of my neighbours have sled dog teams - another good Canadian stereotype) keep them away from the house, usually, but they are certainly around here a lot. We have to be very careful when driving in to town not to hit them. Oh, and I had a lovely moose stew just last week. Edit: saw another one standing on the ice on the Klondike river today (Friday 26th) on my way into work. I did not think the ice was strong enough to support a moose! And a thumbs down? I did see them! I really did!

Answer 5

Great question and I understand exactly what you are talking about. It used to frustrate me so much and I couldn’t understand why. That is until recently when I really started to think about it.

I put myself in the Canadians shoes and I chose football to look at. I asked myself, how would you feel if 90% of our football teams moved to Canada? How would that make you feel? Well, it would make me really upset, but more than anything it would really hurt.

Hockey is Canada’s sport and they have had to watch its mass exodus into another country that doesn’t appreciate it like they do.

Hockey is my favorite sport, but when Hockey season is over I start watching baseball and then football season starts, and I share time between the Baseball playoffs, the NFL, and the NHL. Nonetheless, hockey always comes first.

I just think that in most cases it comes across as “snobby” but what it really comes down to is the fact that Canadians feel hurt about the above mentioned.

Answer 6

What's to be snobbish about? Ice hockey is just another sport, no more no less. The fact that most of the players in the NHL are Canadian is neither here nor there. In fact, if anything, that could simply prove that the rest of the world doesn't think too much of the game, so why get so protective of it?

Answer 7

They are. It's a territorial thing. I'm going to get so much crap at the rink later this week as 2 Yanks were just drafted 1,2 in the draft.
They live in the shadow of the US, so they like to show their stuff with something that is Canadian for a change.
I live with it twice/week. It gets tiring.

Answer 8

Exactly. Is there any team that's composed entirely of American players? No. A team entirely composed of Canadian players? No. Moose Hair needs to unbunch his panties and engage his brain.

Answer 9

He is just looking for a response and you gave him one. He won. As far as going to 3 bars in Halifax to watch the game and it not being televised, obviously you were just hitting the wrong bars. You were probably at Reflections.

Answer 10

i agree. finally someone who responds to moose hair without ending it in cursing