Eric
Andreoli
Canada is home to some of the best quality hockey
in the entire world. Recently Hockey Canada has taken
home the Men and Womens Olympic titles in Salt Lake
City, back to back World Junior Hockey Championships,
and the World Cup of Hockey. I think TSN’s hockey
slogan says it best ”Hockey Lives Here”. Arguably
the two best players in hockeys history, Lemieux and
Gretzky, are Canadians. Other names that come to mind
throught hockeys history are Maurice Richard, Bobby
Orr, Guy Lafleur, Gordie Howe, Steve Yzerman. Canada
has been home to so many hockey greats and has so
many devoted hockey fans. This country’s passion and
dominance is why hockey is Canada’s game.
With all these great former All-Stars some people
are overlooking Canada’s hockey future. Sidney Crosby
was the undisputed first overall pick during the 2005
NHL draft and has not disappointed. Despite all the
pressure that was placed on his shoulders before the
season he came out and played his style of hockey.
Sidney Crosby was the NHL’s main marketing weapon
to bring back the fans after the lockout ended. Sidney
Crosby is going to dominate his era of hockey.
Canada has one of the best crop of young players entering
the game. Dion Phaneuf, Jeff Carter, Jason Spezza,
Eric Staal, Cory Perry, Ryan Getzlaf, Mike Richards
and Cam Barker are names that we will be hearing a
lot more of in the near future. No country in the
entire world can match the talent that is coming out
of Canada and entering the hockey world. Now that
we have reviewed Canada’s past hockey greats and the
future hockey greats, its time to look at the present.
Names that come to mind are Iginla, Thornton, Nash,
Sakic, Lecavalier, Pronger, Redden, Neidermayer, Gagne,
Doan, Richards, St Louis and Jovanovski.
The 2002 Mens Olympic Team included the majority of
great hockey players today aswell as Martin
Brodeur, arguably the best goalie in the world.
He will be leading the team into the 2006 Olympics
in Turin where Canada is looking to take gold for
the 2nd straight Olympic Games.
In conclusion Canada has enjoyed so much success over
the history of hockey and you can expect it to continue
for years and years to come. Sidney Crosby is leading
Canada’s crop of young stars and you can bet that
he will be breaking some of the records previously
set by Gretzky. In Canada hockey isnt just a sport
it’s a religion that people live byand that is why
Hockey is Canada’s game.
