I can't help it, I'm Canadian

What can I say? I love hockey. And I'm not talking about field hockey. One thing I've noticed is that Indians refer to field hockey as hockey. In all ice hockey-playing countries, hockey refers to the game played on ice. I like to say, "Hockey in Canada is like cricket in India," because seeing little kids playing cricket everywhere reminds me of the days playing hockey on frozen rivers and lakes, on the street, in the gym, anywhere. Wait a second, what I actually said was, "Field hockey in Canada is like cricket it India." When I realize what I said, I usually say, "Ice hockey, not field hockey." What is my point? Good question. One interesting note is that cricket isn't India's national sport. Same as hockey not being Canada's national sport. Both are our adopted sports, but not the national games. India's is field hockey, while Canada's is lacrosse.

Unlike last year, I'm excited now because the National Hockey League (NHL) is returning after a year's absence. The saying "You don't know how much you miss something until it's gone" really applies to hockey and Canadians. In two weeks, the regular season will start and this time the playing field is as level as it has been in at least 12 years. My favourite team, the Calgary Flames, made it to the final in 2004, so I can only expect big things from them this year.