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Travels of a Hockey Coach, Part 4

Part 4

Interviewer: What would you say is the significance of hockey in Canada? In terms of, importance to the average person, the importance to those people who get involved in hockey, what it does to them - how important as a cultural activity is hockey in Canada?

Cam: It's really interesting. Some people call it a religion. Some people call it a philosophy. I sort of tend to think of it as a very enjoyable recreation. You mentioned at the very beginning of the tape that to play hockey in Canada at our age and beyond is a real benefit. I think we're seeing more and more people playing hockey. We're seeing people all across the country playing hockey. It's a game that the media has certainly helped. Our national teams have really contributed to the success of that philosophy. I think it's a little bit harsh to talk about it as a religion although some people believe it to be. But I think more it's just a very exciting, entertaining game that Canadians love to play. Interviewer: Now, of course there will be those who say, "No, I don't like hockey." There's lots of Canadians who don't want to see hockey on TV because they're sick of it and so forth, but I think, hands down, it's the most popular sport in Canada and it's quite interesting. In other countries they have more sports but for some reason in Canada, hockey seemed to just dominate - not baseball, not football, not soccer. I mean, there are individual sports that people play, but as a team sport, hockey seems to be absolutely dominate. So, let me ask you, Mark, more or less the same question, as someone who has grown up playing hockey and did very well playing hockey. You saw the world playing hockey and so forth, and still follows hockey, now in your thirties. What do you think is the role of hockey in Canada? This is from a cultural point of view or the educational value, or even the bad things about hockey.

Mark: I first want to agree with what Cam says - number one, it's a great game to play. I play hockey now a couple of times a week and yeah, I look forward to it every time. To a certain extent, I look forward to playing all sports, but hockey is just that much more fun, in my opinion, and that of many Canadians. I think, if anything, it's more popular now than ever. I've got lots of friends who didn't play as kids, have started playing now. Partly because it's on TV all the time, it's in the media all the time, and so when you see something, you want to emulate what you see and it's no different with my son now, who is six years old. Boy, until he was five, he wasn't that interested. He'd pick up his hockey stick every once in a while. Then he started watching it on TV and started playing hockey and now you can't the hockey stick out of his hands. He's just a hockey nut. I think a big part of it is seeing it on TV. I think my playing hockey influences it on him but there's lots of other kids crazy about the game. Yeah, it's one unifying thread across Canada. It doesn't matter where you go in Canada - that's the game. In Vancouver, here, our winters aren't that cold so there's no outdoor ice, so it's not necessarily that natural, but the fact that's it's part of Canada, we are exposed to it, and it's our game. It's the thing to do. Interviewer: It's interesting of course, we'd like to think it is our game and we'll beat everybody else. Of course, you don't - you win sometimes and you loose sometimes. It's interesting, when I was in Sweden, and Mark was in this little town of Mora. There you have little towns like Mora and Lakesen which isn't very far away. Towns of fifteen to twenty thousand people who are supporting elitely. Those players aren't drawing NHL professional salaries but they're quite well paid. But they're at a skill level that's not far off from the level of the North American professional leagues. When you go to those little towns - I almost think when you talk about a hockey culture as a religion - I go there on lumber business and I visit with the mill. It doesn't matter who I talk to. If I want to get them to like me, I talk about hockey. Everybody, the salesmen, the lumber grader, the mill manager - first we get the coffee out and then we talk about the local hockey team. Then he's my friend and we can talk about lumber. Canada isn't the only place. I don't know what it's like in Czechoslovakia - I think it's not as wide spread in Czechoslovakia. What was your feeling there, Cam, as to the extent they are hockey-mad? I think the Swedes are and I think the Fins are.

Cam: It's really interesting because when I was there in 1987 or 1988 Czechoslovakia was still communist run. They were more interested in finding ways to create freedom. There was a lot of apathy and lethargy in regards to the work ethic and so on. We found that the hockey players were very excited about playing the game because it was an avenue to get out of the country on occasion, to see the world, and to benefit - monetarily - as well as athletically. Again, I think this was a major reason for these kids to strive in hockey. There system was much different than ours - the availability of ice was not as prevalent as it was in Canada and the cost factor, too. They have sports schools, they are selected. It is something that we find is much different than it is here in Canada. Yeah, I think it's really interesting - when you talked about lumber - I can't see someone getting passionate about lumber, but certainly I can see someone getting passionate about lumber. Interviewer: Of course, if it's your business, and when it puts bread on your table, you get past that. But it's not passionate. It's not passionate. We talk about that in language learning - if a person has a necessity to learn a language, they may not learn it, but if they have a passion to learn it, then they will learn it. I think it's easier to promote a passion for hockey than it is for language learning. I can use my sons as an example, because I try very hard to get both my sons to learn languages, starting with French, which after all, is an official language in Canada. Let us say that of course I speak a few languages and so does my wife. We were quite unsuccessful in doing that. On the other hand, both kids are quite passionate about hockey. So we failed there but I think any activity - I think it's important to have strong interests growing up. I think the greatest disappointments is when you see young people who have no strong interests, who hang around or listen to music, but to get a constructive interest. Whether it be in languages, in music, in playing an instrument, or in art, or in any kind of sport, I think it's a wonderful thing. I think it helps take kids through those vulnerable years when they're trying to figure out what they want to do or how they're going to cope with life. When they have a strong interest, something that's outside them - something they have to work towards - it's got an educational benefit. I want to ask, Cam, because you were primarily a teacher, have you seen hockey help people who might otherwise might not be constructive human beings?

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Part 4

Interviewer: What would you say is the significance of hockey in Canada? In terms of, importance to the average person, the importance to those people who get involved in hockey, what it does to them - how important as a cultural activity is hockey in Canada?

Cam: It's really interesting. Some people call it a religion. Some people call it a philosophy. I sort of tend to think of it as a very enjoyable recreation. You mentioned at the very beginning of the tape that to play hockey in Canada at our age and beyond is a real benefit. I think we're seeing more and more people playing hockey. We're seeing people all across the country playing hockey. It's a game that the media has certainly helped. Our national teams have really contributed to the success of that philosophy. I think it's a little bit harsh to talk about it as a religion although some people believe it to be. But I think more it's just a very exciting, entertaining game that Canadians love to play. Interviewer: Now, of course there will be those who say, "No, I don't like hockey." There's lots of Canadians who don't want to see hockey on TV because they're sick of it and so forth, but I think, hands down, it's the most popular sport in Canada and it's quite interesting. In other countries they have more sports but for some reason in Canada, hockey seemed to just dominate - not baseball, not football, not soccer. I mean, there are individual sports that people play, but as a team sport, hockey seems to be absolutely dominate. So, let me ask you, Mark, more or less the same question, as someone who has grown up playing hockey and did very well playing hockey. You saw the world playing hockey and so forth, and still follows hockey, now in your thirties. What do you think is the role of hockey in Canada? This is from a cultural point of view or the educational value, or even the bad things about hockey.

Mark: I first want to agree with what Cam says - number one, it's a great game to play. I play hockey now a couple of times a week and yeah, I look forward to it every time. To a certain extent, I look forward to playing all sports, but hockey is just that much more fun, in my opinion, and that of many Canadians. I think, if anything, it's more popular now than ever. I've got lots of friends who didn't play as kids, have started playing now. Partly because it's on TV all the time, it's in the media all the time, and so when you see something, you want to emulate what you see and it's no different with my son now, who is six years old. Boy, until he was five, he wasn't that interested. He'd pick up his hockey stick every once in a while. Then he started watching it on TV and started playing hockey and now you can't the hockey stick out of his hands. He's just a hockey nut. I think a big part of it is seeing it on TV. I think my playing hockey influences it on him but there's lots of other kids crazy about the game. Yeah, it's one unifying thread across Canada. It doesn't matter where you go in Canada - that's the game. In Vancouver, here, our winters aren't that cold so there's no outdoor ice, so it's not necessarily that natural, but the fact that's it's part of Canada, we are exposed to it, and it's our game. It's the thing to do. Interviewer: It's interesting of course, we'd like to think it is our game and we'll beat everybody else. Of course, you don't - you win sometimes and you loose sometimes. It's interesting, when I was in Sweden, and Mark was in this little town of Mora. There you have little towns like Mora and Lakesen which isn't very far away. Towns of fifteen to twenty thousand people who are supporting elitely. Those players aren't drawing NHL professional salaries but they're quite well paid. But they're at a skill level that's not far off from the level of the North American professional leagues. When you go to those little towns - I almost think when you talk about a hockey culture as a religion - I go there on lumber business and I visit with the mill. It doesn't matter who I talk to. If I want to get them to like me, I talk about hockey. Everybody, the salesmen, the lumber grader, the mill manager - first we get the coffee out and then we talk about the local hockey team. Then he's my friend and we can talk about lumber. Canada isn't the only place. I don't know what it's like in Czechoslovakia - I think it's not as wide spread in Czechoslovakia. What was your feeling there, Cam, as to the extent they are hockey-mad? I think the Swedes are and I think the Fins are.

Cam: It's really interesting because when I was there in 1987 or 1988 Czechoslovakia was still communist run. They were more interested in finding ways to create freedom. There was a lot of apathy and lethargy in regards to the work ethic and so on. We found that the hockey players were very excited about playing the game because it was an avenue to get out of the country on occasion, to see the world, and to benefit - monetarily - as well as athletically. Again, I think this was a major reason for these kids to strive in hockey. There system was much different than ours - the availability of ice was not as prevalent as it was in Canada and the cost factor, too. They have sports schools, they are selected. It is something that we find is much different than it is here in Canada. Yeah, I think it's really interesting - when you talked about lumber - I can't see someone getting passionate about lumber, but certainly I can see someone getting passionate about lumber. Interviewer: Of course, if it's your business, and when it puts bread on your table, you get past that. But it's not passionate. It's not passionate. We talk about that in language learning - if a person has a necessity to learn a language, they may not learn it, but if they have a passion to learn it, then they will learn it. I think it's easier to promote a passion for hockey than it is for language learning. I can use my sons as an example, because I try very hard to get both my sons to learn languages, starting with French, which after all, is an official language in Canada. Let us say that of course I speak a few languages and so does my wife. We were quite unsuccessful in doing that. On the other hand, both kids are quite passionate about hockey. So we failed there but I think any activity - I think it's important to have strong interests growing up. I think the greatest disappointments is when you see young people who have no strong interests, who hang around or listen to music, but to get a constructive interest. Whether it be in languages, in music, in playing an instrument, or in art, or in any kind of sport, I think it's a wonderful thing. I think it helps take kids through those vulnerable years when they're trying to figure out what they want to do or how they're going to cope with life. When they have a strong interest, something that's outside them - something they have to work towards - it's got an educational benefit. I want to ask, Cam, because you were primarily a teacher, have you seen hockey help people who might otherwise might not be constructive human beings?