For my 155th review I thought I would tell you about Hockey.Most of you might think that HOCKEY is Canada’s National Game. You would be wrong because Lacrosse is.
Hockey, in fact, was ’invented’ in England! When the English Armies won Canada from France on the Planes of Abraham in Quebec they notice our Native American’s playing a game, (on the grass). They took the game back to England and decided it could be played both on ice and grass.
While many of you are watching the Soccer FIFA Games many of us are watching the final games in the Stanley Cup being played.
SOME OF THE RULE OF THE NHL HOCKEY, (from watching the games):
1) THE EQUIPMENT:
i) The sticks must be made of wood or other material approved by the Rules Committee. It must not have any projections like adhesive tape.
ii) The Goalkeeper’s stick is wider, (at the bottom), had has a knob of white tape or some other protective material. The knob must not be less ½ thick at the top of the shaft.
iii) Everyone must wear a facemask.
iv) Everyone must wear a ’jock strap’, shorts, jerseys, skates, shoulder pads and kneepads, (the goalie’s pads are much larger.
THE TEAMS AND THE DIVISIONS ARE, (taken from the Times Colonist Newspaper, Victoria, BC):
At one time the NHL only had players from Canada and the USA. Now there are players from around the World.
’1) ATLANTIC DIVISION NORTHEAST DIVISION:
New Jersey Boston
NY Islanders Buffalo
NY Rangers Montreal
Philadelphia Ottawa
Pittsburgh Toronto
2) SOUTHEAST DIVISION CENTRAL DIVISION:
Atlanta Chicago
Carolina Columbus
Florida Detroit
Tampa Bay Nashville
Washington St. Louis
3) NORTHWEST DIVISION PACIFIC DIVISION:
Calgary Anaheim
Colorado Dallas
Edmonton Los Angeles
Minnesota Phoenix
Vancouver San Jose
4) NORTHEAST DIVISION:
New Jersey Boston
NY Islanders Buffalo
NY Rangers Montreal
Philadelphia Ottawa
Pittsburgh Toronto
5) SOUTHEAST DIVISION CENTRAL DIVISION:
Atlanta Chicago
Carolina Columbus
Florida Detroit
Tampa Bay Nashville
Washington St. Louis
6) NORTHWEST DIVISION PACIFIC DIVISION:
Calgary Anaheim
Colorado Dallas
Edmonton Los Angeles
Minnesota Phoenix
Vancouver San Jose’
THE STANLEY CUP:
The winning team of the Stanley Cup will feel the same way as the winner does in the FIFA Games.
Lord Stanley of Preston, England when he was the Governor General of Canada saw many Hockey Games during his term in Canada.
He decided to have a cup made that would be presented to the winning team at the end of each season. The name of the team would be engraved on the cup.
The cup ’lives’ in the City of the winning team for one year. I first saw the large silver cup when the Edmonton Oilers won the Stanley Cup. I will always be an Oiler Fan.
LACROSSE IS CANADA’S NATIONAL GAME:
Lacrosse can be played on grass or a hard indoor surface, (like the floor of indoor tennis).
The equipment is the same except there is no skates, stick or puck. The players use a long mental pole with a mesh cup at the end, wear running shoes and a hard lacrosse ball, (I remember when I was a young girl I use to bounce these hard balls).
The rules are the same except for the ’icing’ rule and the way they ’face off’.
A ’face off’ is done between two players from the opposite team waiting for the Referee to drop the puck/ball. ’Face Off’s’ happen at the beginning of each period, (there are 3), and after the game has been stopped for an infraction. In Hockey the Players are standing while in Lacrosse they are crouching down as low to the ground as they can get.
HOW DO I KNOW ABOUT THESE GAMES:
I have watched Hockey games for 60 years, (Jr. Hockey and the NHL).
I have only watched two Lacrosse Games. The first was when my 16 year old nephew was playing an outdoor game of Lacrosse. After the first ’face off’ he was hit in the head with the ball and we rushed him to the Hospital. I swore I would never watch this game again.
My Grandson had been playing Lacrosse for three months. He had never scored a goal or had an assist during that time. The night we watched him he had two goals and two assists. I was so proud that I’m sure I’ll be watching Lacrosse a lot.
A few weeks ago when we went to Calgary my youngest Grandson had begun to play Lacrosse. He had a game the week we were there and I had to go.
When the players came onto the indoor field I began to laugh. The Goalie, (was 6 years old), and there was no space between his shorts and his running shoes.
Today there are many Children, Women and Men’s Lacrosse Teams in Canada and the USA.
I’ll always be rooting for the team my Grandson plays on in Lacrosse.
SOME THOUGHTS:
I hope you learned something about both Hockey and Lacrosse from this review.
©LL2002