Why Even Non-Hockey Fans Are Talking About That Game

 Why Even Non-Hockey Fans Are Talking About That Game

If you’ve lived in Canada long enough, you know that hockey isn’t just a sport—it’s practically a national identity. But what if you don’t care about hockey? What if, like me, you see the violence, the insane amounts of money, and the troubling off-ice issues and think, No thanks?

That’s where I was—until last night.

No, I didn’t suddenly become a die-hard fan. I didn’t suddenly forget everything I dislike about the sport. But something happened that was bigger than hockey itself. It was a moment—one of those rare times when a game becomes more than a game and brings people together in a way that transcends the ice.

Maybe you’ve had that experience with a World Cup match, an Olympic event, or even a music festival—something that, for a brief moment, makes you feel connected to everyone around you, whether you’re personally invested or not. That’s what happened last night.

For many, this wasn’t just about a team winning. It was about identity, belonging, and history. And in a city where a lot of us come from different places—whether Mexico, China, India, or anywhere else—it was a rare moment of unity.

You don’t have to love hockey to appreciate what happened. You just have to understand what it means to belong to a place, even if it’s complicated. And last night, for better or worse, a lot of people felt that.

Now, will this make me suddenly start watching hockey? Probably not. But I can acknowledge that, for a few hours, something happened that mattered!!

Did you watch the game? Or were you, like me, just observing the energy around it?