Hockey Night in Canada
As a child I was passionate about Art & Design. I was innately curious about big ideas and diverse perspectives. However, it may surprise you that Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan (pop. 5,344) is not the cultural hotspot you’re picturing in your head. We had hockey. In the four months without snow & ice, we had street hockey.
Hockey has been singular in defining Canadiana to me. Growing up in rural Northern Saskatchewan, it is deeply ingrained in my DNA. With two brothers playing AAA, I was a certified “Rink Rat” surviving exclusively on poutine and hot chocolate. A popular urban legend in Sask involves Albert Einstein playing goalie for the Canwood Canucks one winter. It is told with a sort of pride and admiration - not for his Theory of Relativity - but rather, that a certified genius would approve of our sport - !
“This just in: Einstein Proves Hockey is Greatest Sport on Earth.”
In 1985, I was pretty much born into Canadian Stanley Cup Entitlement:
1985 - Edmonton Oilers
1986 - Montreal Canadiens
1987 - Edmonton Oilers
1988 - Edmonton Oilers
1989 - Calgary Flames
1990 - Edmonton Oilers
1991 & 1992 - Pittsburgh Penguins (not Canadian to be fair) - but it was Mario!
1993 - Montreal Canadiens
And then it all went South.
The Hockey Gods Frown
Rituals and superstitions in hockey have been well-documented. The Playoff Beard has been a prerequisite since the 1980s era Islanders - perhaps with credit due to Manitoba native “Butch” Goring and his glorious ginger bristles. Some guys dress left-to-right, others right-to-left, but the important element here is consistency. I wouldn’t recommend Glenn Hall’s pre-game trip to the ivory throne, but who am I to judge? Life ain’t easy between the pipes. One might naturally assume a 2 goal lead is comfortable… think again - the ice is already being tilted. The Hockey Gods are real and they are extremely fickle.
The Curse
At a certain point in time, Canada fell into disfavour with the Hockey Gods.
Was it the 1993 Stanley Cup Finals - Game 2? Did the Hockey Gods find it petty that Jacques Demers pulled the “illegal curve of the stick” card on McSorley at so perfect a moment to give the Habs a 2-man advantage? Or was it a more sinister plot involving an anonymous employee of the Montreal Forum tipping off Carbonneau after being in the King’s dressing room?
I tend to think it was Game 4…The Wink. Late in overtime, Patrick Roy makes a game-saving stop on Tomas Sandstrom. As the Hockey Night in Canada cameraman zooms in on Roy’s mask, he gives the Swedish winger a playful wink. Smug as hell, 100% pure competitive arrogance. Perhaps we had all gotten a little cocky, fallen prey to entitlement. We had become so accustomed to bringing the cup back to Canada we took it for granted. The Hockey Gods love to root for an underdog.
A Sacrifice
In order to return to glory, we must first be humbled. Be grateful for the way our sport has proliferated around the globe and the vast representation of countries. Be awed by the fresh tweaks and nifty interpretations. In order to survive, the game and any out-dated attitudes need to evolve. The Hockey Diversity Alliance is a brilliant start, but sustained inclusivity will be our marker of success. To right this wrong, the Hockey Gods will require a sacrifice.
Enter one Donald S. Cherry. I hope you’ll trust that I don’t take this lightly.
My family owns Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em volumes 1 through 30. I was Don Cherry for Halloween one year. I used to make mix tapes from the montages by setting a tape recorder next to the TV. It would play in the background for “atmosphere” during basement Mini Stick Playoffs. My father earnestly campaigned for Grapes to be “The Greatest Canadian”.
Over the years we made exceptions and looked the other way when (not so thinly veiled) shots were fired at The Russians, Europeans and female reporters. In November when he made misguided remarks about Canadian Immigrants, we might have just sent him to the Sin Bin to cool down for 2. However, Don’s inability to detect the charge of social justice in the air made for an Automatic Game Misconduct. If ever an emblem of bigotry and xenophobia in Hockey, Cherry played the part perfectly with his refusal to apologize. To move the needle on our sport, we had to bid him farewell.
Don Cherry Voodoo Doll, Mixed Media 2020
Doorknob, Clothespin, Skewer, Yarn, Paper Rose & Collar, Cotton from Advil Bottle, Pushpins, Beads,
A Chance for Redemption
When dark times of this pandemic descended on our globe, it became even dimmer with the loss of our hockey season. It seemed all hope was lost. By no small miracle, we now enter into one of the strangest post-seasons on record. Canada has been gifted an opportunity to make things right. As the bubble cities of Edmonton and Toronto welcome the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs we are called upon as fans to be gracious hosts and stewards of the evolving game. The four-and-a-half month pause allowed the NHL to get it’s social messaging back on track and we are better for it. We skate for Black Lives, we skate for Equality, we skate for love of the game.
The Design Process
The idea for this project came to me in Mexico last October while I was watching a bootleg RDS stream of the 2019 Habs season opener. I took inspiration from the Folk Art Tradition of “Nicho’s” popular to Central and South America. These dioramas are composed of common household objects and craft materials. Often devotional and always quirky, they traditionally merge elements from Roman Catholicism, popular culture and mestizo spirituality to make a religious altar or honor a patron saint. They are usually painted with striking colors, often contrasting bright and dark, and tend towards garish.
My adaptation pays deference to folk legends from my own region: The Hockey Gods. At the time of inception, I did not realize how prophetic this project would become.
Building this altar was a joyful way to pass time in quarantine as I waited for the return to play. Using only object I had in isolation, it was satisfying to merge my two disparate interests - hockey & folk art.
The Patron Saints of Canadian Hockey
The Three Stars
The Three Stars
#99 Wayne Gretzky - The Great One, the GOAT of GOATS and consecutive 8-time MVP owns 23 unbreakable NHL records. Among them, the most goals, most assists and most points in both the regular season and playoffs.
#4 Bobby Orr - A case could be made for best player of all time... if he weren’t a Bruin. I will allow the best defenseman of all time. Sometimes words can’t distill greatness, so I invite you instead to Google: “bobby orr stanley cup winning goal 1970” and be awed.
#9 Gordie Howe - The Gordie Howe Hat Trick occurs when a player logs a goal, an assist and a fight in the same game. What more could you ask from Mr. Hockey? Worth the price of admission.
Les Trois Etoiles
Les Trois Etoiles
#9 Maurice “The Rocket” Richard - As a Francophone representative of the Les Canadiens, opposing players were sent out on the ice to taunt him with hooks, slashes and racial slurs. It was all coming to a boil in the 1955 season. When rival Bruin Hal Laycoe high-sticked him in the head, it was inevitable the Rocket would blast off in retaliation. The ensuing “unfair” suspension from Commissioner Campbell literally set the city ablaze. Thousands took to the streets causing about a million dollars of damage. Ok sure, the Rocket did slap a linesman across the face, and yes he broke his stick over Laycoe’s body and yes, he was a hero for the disillusioned and undermined French-Canadians.
#66 Mario Lemieux - Le Magnifique, Super Mario, Number 1 draft pick. Lemieux was a gifted playmaker who could fake and deke your pants off entirely. The only man to have his name on the cup as a player and owner, Mario’s perseverance and longevity make him stand out. After missing the entire ‘94/’95 season due to Hodgkin's lymphoma he returned the following season to take the Hart Trophy and scoring title.
#10 Guy Lafleur - Le Démon Blond is Hockey’s Most Interesting Man. Hall of Famer, Restaurateur Knight, Officer of the Order of Canada. If you happen to order a Bell Helicopter these days, it may be personally delivered by The Flower himself. Oh and in 1979, he released an album called Lafleur, where he recites hockey instructions over disco music tracks. Legend.
