A True Red, White and Blue Canadien
Last night, I celebrated the miserable, phlegmy bug that has overtaken my head, neck, chest, skull and sinus area by curling up under a duvet, doing shots of Nyquil and watching The Rocket- the bio-pic on French-Canadian hockey legend Maurice Richard.
While there were some serious low budget moments and the story seemed to be frozen on game highlights moments at times, the film did do justice to Richard and his time, in many senses. It depicted Richard as a complex, proud and broody man. His skill and power on the ice contrasted his strong, quiet traditional Canadien Francais disposition. Most importantly it showed the dark, discriminatory and crooked side of the NHL during the years when it was overseen by Clarence Campbell and other blatantly bigotted Anglo-Saxons.
Richard's campaign against the discrimination faced by French-Canadian players from referees, league and teams officials meshed well with Quebec's own historic struggle during and after the Duplessis years to find it's own identity within Canada. Hockey fans and Canadian history fans alike should check this film out. It is essential to learning something about the French-Canadian view that may be missing from an Anglo-Canadian understanding of the NHL's history.
In the end, my night couldn't have turned out more perfectly. When I checked the Saturday NHL scores all was as it should be: The glorious Habs beat Buffalo - the team who was until last night's results in first place in the league - 4-3; and the listing Leafs - currently 20th in the league- were brutally spanked by the 17th place Penguins 8-2. It all made me feel very good.
Vives les tri-colores!
Update: Sorry my little dancing Kleenex faeries, but I am reposting this today. I am still fucking SICK and don't have the energy even to nose drool on the keyboard. Blech!
While there were some serious low budget moments and the story seemed to be frozen on game highlights moments at times, the film did do justice to Richard and his time, in many senses. It depicted Richard as a complex, proud and broody man. His skill and power on the ice contrasted his strong, quiet traditional Canadien Francais disposition. Most importantly it showed the dark, discriminatory and crooked side of the NHL during the years when it was overseen by Clarence Campbell and other blatantly bigotted Anglo-Saxons.
Richard's campaign against the discrimination faced by French-Canadian players from referees, league and teams officials meshed well with Quebec's own historic struggle during and after the Duplessis years to find it's own identity within Canada. Hockey fans and Canadian history fans alike should check this film out. It is essential to learning something about the French-Canadian view that may be missing from an Anglo-Canadian understanding of the NHL's history.
In the end, my night couldn't have turned out more perfectly. When I checked the Saturday NHL scores all was as it should be: The glorious Habs beat Buffalo - the team who was until last night's results in first place in the league - 4-3; and the listing Leafs - currently 20th in the league- were brutally spanked by the 17th place Penguins 8-2. It all made me feel very good.
Vives les tri-colores!
Update: Sorry my little dancing Kleenex faeries, but I am reposting this today. I am still fucking SICK and don't have the energy even to nose drool on the keyboard. Blech!
posted by K-Dough at 11:01 AM
41 Comments:
Yeah, yeah....Habs, whatever. Montreal won, Ottawa won and the Leafs had a terrible spanking. It WAS a great night in hockey.
Feel better soon, K. Have you see Mystery, Alaska? It's a great hockey movie.
Nope, have not seen that yet Pammie. Honestly, unless I'm sidelined by unexpected forces I don't ever get the time or energy to watch movies. Busy busy busy. But usually good busy. Music, friends, culture, food, children, (work), creating, drinking, biking etc etc etc. You know how it goes.
I plan to catch up on all the movies I've missed when I'm retired. Wait a sec- I don't believe in the concept of retiring per se...so...
I'll probably never see it.
Was that Rocket movie partially funded by Via Rail sponsorship kickback money?
Monsieur KD, you should have been watching the Leafs slaughter! Sidney Crosby is indeed the next Gretzky. A 19 year old kid that can play like that... well, it gives me hope that the NHL isn't doomed to tedium.
Yes, the NHL can be boring and may, as Sheena worded it, "suck ass", but watching Sid the Kid is pretty cool.
As a guy who has cousins in the NHL I was more or less forced to grow up liking hockey.
Don't get me wrong, Adrian, I love watching hockey. Didn't miss a single game of the Juniors. Just sick of the over inflated prices, salaries, egos and corporate boxes full of a-holes who don't even bother to watch the ice.
K, get better soon. I have not seen that movie so I might catch it sometime.
As for the leafs, what can I say except our time will come too and then I will see who will make fun of the leafs;)
Joanne- after 40 years, if the Loafs ever won the cup, they'd be more than ripe for even further badgering.
Looking fwd to the 50th anniversaire!!
Sheena: can't believe you use Via (latin) to rail against the HABS!
We will see, K.
Myriam Bedard said it, so it must be true.
Sheena: I know, I know. I know.
I heard great things about The Rocket.
I will rent it fo sho, yo.
ugh.
so bored.
Just finished editing an article for a travel mag.
Bored does not compute yo. Life short.
get well...sheesh....everyone's getting 'the bug'!!!! i'd send ya some hawaiian ti and noni leaves to help you out, but i don't think they'd allow them into the country. instead, take two devil's club roots and call me in the morning :)
Ack!!! I know what you mean KD... I have been wrestling the same flu for 2 weeks now, and I still feel like shit.
I have Koivu, Kovalev, Ryder, and Sourey, as well as Afinaginov, and Pomerville in my one of my pools... 6 points for the game, although I'd rather have had a 8-7 win for Buffalo.
I wouldn't crow to loud about the habs... good win, after being SHUT OUT twice back to back in their previous two games.
I settled for watching the entire 12 hour box-set of "Band of Brothers", which left me feeling tense, upset, and rather paranoid of strange sounds in the deep of the night... you never know when one of those damn Gerry's is gonna pop up from under your bed.
Little Yerry Seinfields?
What a magical era in Hockey....hiding a lot of ugliness and thuggery. (Hearing about all the abuse of young boys at the Gardens has forever darkened my sparkly childhood memories of that place as well..)
Oh yeah, sorry about the illness K-man. I don't know if it's a coincidence, but I've had the flu shot three years in a row, and no flu for...let's see....three years. Hmm....
that's just the most awesomest post I have ever read.
Tricolore pour l'eternite!
Leather- thanks for the man love dude. But it is not the flu so that shot would have done me no good any way.
CC: Go Habs!
CC: oh yeah and check your e-mail dude.
Dancing Kleenex Faeries? You must be still sick.
What med's do you take for Dancing Kleenex fairies? I gotta get me some of them. New post up.
Advertisement
When I get a runny nose, aching, coughy shitty fucking cold, I use Liquid Peyote. It's all I take.
Oh yeah, clean the sinus', and take a trip whilst never leaving the bed.
When your cold medicine is providing you with visions led by your totem spirits... you know it's got to be good stuff.
Most of my visions are led by my totem dude. As are yours, I suspect.
Of course, the world revolves around it.
Reminds me of a great tune by awesome California band Jellyfish. Like tuh hear it? Here it goes:
I've known him all my life
it seems so inconceivable
at thirteen we shooks hands but we've been always inseparable
he's cinnamon on my toast we're so
close
that's not to say we haven't had our share of arguments
he's so unpredictable he winks
acknowledgments
when i would rather he closed his eye than push me aside
my hand's a five leaf clover
it's palm sunday over and over
i never had the luck of swingers
till i was wrapped around your finger
he's my best friend
he's my best friend
he's my best friend
i'm his best friend
he's my best friend
you don't need a brain to have a
stroke of genius
or a beautiful girl to let down
your curls
cause growing up is hard enough
when your a powderkeg for
powderpuffs
(whether we're stayin' in or hanging out)
i'd never ask another on a date to
the ball
he doesn't need a rubber sweater or
alcohol
cause he gets tipsy from exchanging looks
and a little misty reading sticky
blue dirty books
I'm waiting for the comment from the person who has discovered the secret for curing a cold that has somehow eluded the entire medical profession. There's always one of those guys: "as soon as I feel it coming, I just take/inhale/drink/ whatever and I never get sick. Haven't had a cold in ten years.." Come on, where are you, freak?
K-Dough! Jellyfish! Fucking awesome, intelligent stuff. I thought they were my secret band...
I lovvvvvvvve Jellyfish!
Hey, let's play a game:
What song is stuck in my goddamn gourd right now- playing over and over?
Lollipop, lollipop... blah blah blah lollipop?
Actually, I don't want to know whats stuck in your throat you phelm filled buggerer.
Jesus. Betcha that left ya with a prickly pair. ba dum bum!!!
ahem- it's phlegm.
Ok if you insist-
Freak of the Week, Marvelous 3. What a great fuckin tune.
Ok, now what am I humming?
Yah, yah phlegm boy...
They don't pay me the big bucks to contemplate the strange and twisted variations of what others would euphemistically refer to as human thought rolling through your head.
Get into bed, and stopping coughing on your keyboard.
If your that sick I could Purolator you a loaner P3 if you want... Give you something to while away the hours... my fat fingers don't like the paddle anyway.
Lie in bed, and BLOW SHIT UP!!
Hmm...what are you humming? Something Canadian, I'd bet.
Shania Twain-Man I Feel Like a Woman?
Nickleback-Rockstar?
Loverboy-The Kid Is Hot Tonight?
Tell me..Am I close??
Pam- soooooooo not close.
And the answer was:
Motorhead's The Ace of Spades.
Post a Comment
<< Home