A Multi-disciplinary Unit on Hockey
In this section of the Learning Centre, learners are urged to approach Canada from a range of disciplines or areas through a common theme: hockey. In this unit, learners will be asked to consider how hockey can tell us about the following: Canada's economic system; about French/ English, Catholic/ Protestant tensions; the Canadian identity; government's roles in recreation, leisure and professional sport; and the Canadian experience. Learners will be encouraged to use the world wide web to research areas about hockey as they relate to Canadian Studies
"any kid without an instinctive understanding of the game is genetically un Canadian"
- Levi Dronyk, "The Puck Artist" (74) in Our Game: An All-Star Collection of Hockey Fiction.
Writers like Ken Dryden, Roy MacGregor, Peter Gzowski, Richard Harrison, David Whitson and Donald MacIntosh and others have examined hockey as a Canadian institution or a metaphor for Canadian life. Writers who have looked at hockey in this way do not just tell us about this sport. The best analyses of hockey not only tell us about Canada's obsession with the sport, they also tell us about Canada. For many Canadians, talking and writing about hockey is a way to connect with our unique history and our identity In short, understanding hockey is a way of understanding Canada and Canadians.
Historians, sociologists and a range of other academics have addressed at length the enigmatic Canadian identity. Who are we? What are we? What defines us? Levi Dronyk's statement above suggests something of the connection between hockey and the Canadian identity. Many Canadians look to hockey celebrities like Wayne Gretzky, Guy Lafleur, Paul Henderson, Foster Hewitt, Howie Meeker, Don Cherry as a way of defining who we are, what we do, and what brings us together. But, hockey can also tell us about the differences that separate us. How does hockey highlight our differences in terms of geography, ethnicity, race, class, religion and gender? How does hockey reflect the tensions and issues apparent in Canadian society at large?
Understanding Canadian History Through Hockey
Understanding the French/ English Conflict through Hockey Literature
Understanding the Canadian Experience Through Hockey Literature
Understanding the Canadian Economy through understanding the NHL