Red-hot fans line up for Canada vs. Switzerland men's hockey
Confession: I’m not a huge hockey fan. I know what ‘icing’ is and what it means to be ‘off-side.’ I do occasionally linger by my family room TV when the score is tied and there are two minutes left in the third period. But hockey doesn’t move me to the edge of my seat. It doesn’t work its way into my casual conversation.
That all changed one afternoon at the Olympics. Men’s hockey: Canada vs. Switzerland.
“Did you bring extra Kleenex?” asks my husband. “We’re in the nosebleed section.” Yes, our seats in GM Place were in the second to last row. And yes, it’s dark up there. But that’s where it happened, my temporary hockey fan metamorphosis.
Here’s a play-by-play:
Pre-game crowd control
We clear the security check and funnel into a parking-lot holding area with a volunteer on a lifeguard chair, bullhorn in hand and tossing out bubble gum, along with thousands of red-clad fanatical fans.
100% spontaneously break into song: “If you’re happy and you know it,” “O Canada”
95% wear jerseys.
45% wear facial tattoos or face paint.
30% wear flag capes.
25% wear helmets, crazy hair or other above-and-beyond-the-call-of-duty adornment
Photo op: I pose with the two famed Green Men who taunt the penalty box during Canucks games. Every inch of their bodies is tucked, this time, into red spandex suits.
Game on
After we’re herded into the stadium we discover we’re in luck. We can actually make out the players’ jersey numbers from our seats. Even better luck: Our seats are behind the net where Canada will score for 2 of 3 periods.
With every Canadian goal the crowd goes wild. The Red Men (who make front page provincial news) pop up dancing and waving a sign. A girl in a bikini top sweeps an enormous flag from atop a broomstick. It’s the kind of intensity and volume you can feel vibrating through your feet, your seat and your lungs. My heart rate elevates and I become breathless from cheering, especially when news cameras visit our section.
Two minutes left on the clock. I’m on the edge of my seat. The game ends in a 2-2 tie. Overtime. I’m half out of my seat for every not-quite goal. Overtime ends with no goals scored. Shoot out. I’m squeezing the bar in front of me. The shoot out ends with no goals scored. Sudden-death shoot out. Every muscle is tense. Sidney Crosby scores the winning goal. The entire arena and entire country heave a sigh of relief. Then we cheer until we’re hoarse. This is Canada’s game.
Post-game mayhem
Streaming out of the stadium, the crowd floated on endorphin power. You could feel it buzzing just beneath your skin. Spontaneous wah-hoos and yeahs erupted. Someone would shout out “Go Canada!” and without fail, even blocks away from the arena, some other random person would shout back “Go Canada!” That kind of spirit carried on in the streets late into the night. That kind of spirit could transform anyone into a hockey fan.
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