There’s another plus side to the move to Belgium (as if it really needed one)
Hockey!!
I’ve got a friend, a good one who lives here in Belgium. He, like I, is a hockey fan. Only he’s a much bigger hockey fan, in fact he also plays in the Belgian League. Check E. HotCorey Cornish’s team in the standings http://www.rbihf.be/leagues.php?cat=bd2 They’re Olympia, top of the charts. He like, myself, is a firm Canucks supporter.
Anyway, whilst Chiara and I were staying on their floor during the Great Brussels Househunt we got to enjoy CBC’s Hockey Day in Canada, in Mechelen, in taped delay.
For those who don’t know, Canada’s venerable public broadcaster, the CBC has recently added to it’s very old “Hockey Night in Canada” tradition a new twist: Hockey Day.
The NHL, in it’s expansion, has left left it’s Canadian teams behind, a few clubs have migrated to the states, as in the Phoenix Jets, and the Colorado Nordiques, and hockey has been focussing on pushing it’s way into the lucrative yet crowded, American sports market.
But the CBC, and Canada’s hockey teams have been organizing Hockey Day, wherein the 6 Canadian Hockey Teams play each other, back-to-back-to-back in a whole day affair, complete with coverage of local minor hockey games from various rinks around the country. And Ron MacLean and Don Cherry coming from a smalltown rink in Canada.
This year it was Nelson BC, and 6 sweet hours of, not just hockey, but CBC hockey coming straight into Mechelen via the North American Sports Network. It required staying up late on Saturday night, to catch the Montreal Ottawa game live, then waking up at 8am Sunday Morning to enjoy the Canucks trouncing cross-country rivals the Leafs.
Followed by the battle of Alberta, and lastly followed up by some Playstation 2 battling. Sportswise, it’s unfortunate to move away from Italy and AS Roma, but it has put me much closer to hockey in general, and specifically the Canucks.
Who, by the way, are on fucking fire these days!
