THE GOOD OL' HOCKEY GAME

At this point, we just have to take a small break from our usual programming to get in the Stanley Cup spirit. Of course, being a Detroit native, it's easy for me too feel good right about now, with the Wings up two in the finals. As a previous resident of Calgary, there were some tense moments when the Flames played the Wings, but now that I'm living here in southern Ontario, I can cheer for the Wings all I like and not have to look over my shoulder... In fact, there's a lot of Wings window flags in town these days. Many fans in this part of Ontario cheer for Detroit teams over the nearest Canadian choice, Toronto. And I did see one lone Pittsburgh flag go by a while back. Anyway, as you may know, hockey was invented in Canada. Oh sure, they may have played something like it in some European countries in the really early days, but the modern ice hockey as we know it was formalized by student at Montreal's McGill University in the 1870s. Anyway, as a person who has kind of hyphenated origins myself, I can appreciate the cross-border flow that hockey enjoys today. Every team on the ice today has American, Canadian and European players. It's all good, as they say.

You may be wondering what music I'll select to go with this post. Well actually that's real easy - someone on YouTube has put up a great video of hockey footage from days gone by (no helmets!) and set it to a tune of Canada's Living Cultural Treasure - Stompin' Tom Connors. It's called, appropriately, "The Hockey Song." Stompin' Tom (born in New Brunswick in 1936) is a folk singing hero in the Great White North. Kind of Wood Guthrie with a pinch of with the MacKenzie brothers. His most famous and beloved songs up here are "Bud the Spud" "Margo's Cargo" "Sudbury Saturday Night" (oh the girls are out to Bingo and the boys are getting stinko, and we'll think no more of Inco on a Sudbury Saturday night). and my personal fave, "Algoma 69" - She's on a bar-hoppin' spree back in Sault Ste. Marie... Why is he called Stompin' Tom, you may wonder? Well, it's because of his signature one foot time-keeping stomp when he's up at the mic, performing. So have a listen, and if you call me next Wednesday night, I probably won't pick up. Go Wings!

The Hockey Song - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZWxErEbQkY

And, since this one is on YouTube, too, I can't resist putting it here...listen for the stomp!
Algoma 69 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78_4pLlY6mY

Update 2 hours later... oh what the heck, I have to put this one here, too . Wonder how many stomping boards he's gone through in his career? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkHhx3y__9w