Abstract
There are a few stereotypical images that spring to mind when one thinks of Canada's national identity, and hockey is inevitably one of them. Is this sport really a part of Canada's national identity, or has it become an empty corporate shell? This paper discusses the book "Hockey Night in Canada", by Richard Gruneau and David Whitson and the message it conveys about the Canadian cultural and national identity.

Tags:hockey, canada, culture

Abstract
This paper looks at how hockey, arguably Canada's most popular sport, is so engrained in Canadian culture that Canadian identification with it begins at an early age. The paper points out how, along with Richard Gruneau and David Whitson, the authors of "Hockey Night in Canada: Sports Identities and Cultural Politics", Canadian youth over the decades have grown up with a fairly stylized and masculine ideal of the sport and its place in Canadian society.

Tags:gender, hockey, canada

Abstract
This paper provides an analysis of the first chapter in Gruneau and Whitson's book "Hockey Night in Canada: Sport, Identities and Cultural Politics." The chapter is entitled "Hockey and the Politics of Culture," and offers the reader an introduction to the subject of hockey and the politics of culture. According to the paper, the organizing theme of the chapter appears to be to wrestle with the key question: "What has hockey got to do with culture?" The authors do not definitively answer this question. However, they do offer an excellent overview of the various ways in which we can approach the question.

From the Paper
"Chapter 1 of Gruneau and Whitson's Hockey Night in Canada: Sport, Identities and Cultural Politics is entitled "Hockey and the Politics of Culture," and offers the reader an introduction to the subject of hockey and the politics of culture. The organizing theme of the chapter appears to be to wrestle with the key question: "What has hockey got to do with culture?" The authors do not definitively answer this question. However, they do offer an excellent overview of the various ways in which we can approach the question."

Tags:hockey, canada, culture

Abstract
The paper explores what being "Canadian" means and what the essence of the Canadian national identity is. The paper shows how this turns out to be a surprisingly difficult question to answer - and it does not suffice to say that being Canadian means "not-being-American"! The paper discusses how there are not many countries in the world where people wonder as much about their national identity as in Canada.

From the Paper
"What does being "Canadian" mean? In other words, what is the essence of the Canadian national identity? Once we start to think about it, this turns out to be a surprisingly difficult question to answer - and it will not suffice to say that being Canadian means "not-being-American"! There are not many countries in the world where people wonder as much about their national identity as in Canada. Most Iraqis, for example, seem pretty clear about who they are, as do most South Africans, most Americans, most Israelis, most Brits, most French people, most Scots, most Germans, and so on. In this essay, the difficulties inherent in defining..."

Tags:canada, identity, hockey

Abstract
In this paper, the reviewer analyzes Patricia Hughes Fuller's article "'Am I Canadian?': Hockey as 'National' Culture" to highlight the differences between American and Canadian culture. The concept that Canada is very similar to America, in fact described as a "little America" is challenged through the Canadian attitude toward hockey. Hockey is described in the article as defining Canada's national identity. The reviewer further suggests that hockey is also seen as a symbol of Canada's own values. The paper concludes by citing the importance of the Canadian media in promoting hockey as a national sport, and by quoting Fuller, who suggests that hockey is the prime venue by which to see how Canadians and Americans differ.

From the Paper
"Both Canadians and Americans have become painfully aware of the fact that many see both nations as sharing similar cultures and heritages, although Fuller points out that this is most definitely not the case. While Americans are often seen as power-hungry, know-it-alls who want to idealize Canada as a little America, Canadians see the two countries as coming from completely different cultures. Fuller uses Canadian media to strengthen the argument that hockey highlights the differences between the two countries."

Tags:patriotism, national identity, Canada, sports, ice hockey

Abstract
The paper asserts that the concept of a common national interest and Canadian identity in relation to any field is a tricky one in this current environment of thriving globalization. The paper goes on to discuss how many other countries identify Canada as being a country that is not only the home of maple syrup and the bearer of the red leafed flag, but the home of ice hockey, one of the globe's most popular and growing sports. The paper emphasizes that this is despite the notion of a national identity being threatened by both globalization and the continuing segmentation of Canada into smaller, separate segments, as evidence by the distinctiveness of Quebec society.

From the Paper
"Gruneau and Whitson write that there has been "endless discussion about the kind of common culture and Canadian identity that best defines the 'national interest' and the nature of our 'national community'" (p. 273). Using examples from the readings for the course, discuss this statement in relation to the game of hockey. The concept of a common national interest and Canadian identity in relation to any field is a tricky one in this current environment of thriving globalization. However, one can identity key national themes upon examining observers' perceptions of a national climate, for example the Canadian state. Many other countries identify Canada as being a country..."

Tags:canadian, identity, hockey

Abstract
Every nation has a unique way of expressing their most deeply held beliefs and customs through local art, community projects, or organized activities like sports. This paper explains that, in Canada, geography and nature have resulted in the game of hockey being part of the national landscape. The paper further discusses John B. Lee's book, "The Hockey Sonnets", and how it uses the mythology of hockey to express cultural ideologies and dramatic narratives from the viewpoint of the Canadian cultural identity.

Tags:canadian, mythology, hockey

Abstract
This paper focuses its analysis on the interrelated dependencies between the performance of a major league hockey team and the civic pride of area residents. The paper refers to the foreword of Jim Silver's "Thin Ice," which is written by David Whitson writes. The paper agrees with Whitson's assertion that, for better or for worse, professional sports teams have been become surrogates and even mobilizers for civic identity and regional image.

From the Paper
"In the "Foreword" to Jim Silver's Thin ice, David Whitson writes: "For better or worse, professional sports teams have become surrogates for, and mobilizers of, civic identity in an era when this is increasingly hard to find; and the loss of a major team does represent, for many people, a significant loss to the atmosphere and general `life' of a city. Though there is little hard evidence to support claims that the presence of major league sports is decisive in residential -- let alone business -- relocation decisions, sports teams contribute to a cumulative image of a city with `things to do' (Silver 7). This essay examines the interrelated ..."

Tags:Canada, sport, nationalism, fan

Abstract
The paper looks at multi-ethnicity in Canada and at what unifies this nation. It focuses on the sport of hockey as an important component of the country's national identity. It looks at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and its struggle for identity, claiming that when it broadcasted its first "Hockey Night" in Canada, it found it's "true being". The paper explores the origin and importance of CBC's "Hockey Night" to national unity. It explains how the program crossed the boundaries of young and old, rich and poor, urban and rural, French and English, east and west. The paper also discusses the controversial aspect of the program's time slot, overlapping the national news. The status of the program as a source of education is mentioned and the paper concludes with a review of the contribution of CBC's "Hockey Night" to the national identity of Canadians.

From the Paper
"Canada is comprised of many different cultures, spread over a vast geographical region. The only way for all these different types of people all over Canada to create a cohesive united nation to dwell on the similarities, which are shared amongst the majority. Cultural identity, it could be said can found when a whole nation can share in and care about a similar subject. For Canada this sense of national identity is represented by the sport of hockey. In any social or academic setting where the topic of discussion is Canadian identity the lists always begin with peacekeeping and multiculturalism and always come back to hockey. Some may say hockey is only a symbol of Canadian identity, and is no different then a moose, a beaver, or long winters. Hockey however has more then a symbolic animal because hockey gives a spirit of unification and it is here where our country has celebrated some of its greatest victories and most horrifying defeats. The love of the sport of hockey may not be shared by all Canadian citizens, but it is certainly been loved and adored by many since its beginnings in Montreal in 1875."

Tags:unity, origin, imoprtance, time, slot, education, canadian, Foster, Hewitt, Ron, MacLean, Don, Cherry

Abstract
The paper relates that despite the notion of a national identity being threatened by both globalization and the apparent segmentation of Canada into smallish, disparate elements, it is evident that a Canadian culture still exists. The paper examines how ice hockey is typically associated by both Canadians and foreigners with Canada, the nation credited as its birthplace. The paper discusses how Canadians play hockey and enjoy watching it and it is also linked with society in terms of sport, relaxation, literature and fiction.

From the Paper
"The concept of a common national interest and Canadian identity in relation to any field is a tricky one in this current environment of thriving globalization. However, one can identity key national themes upon examining observers' perceptions of a national climate, for example the Canadian state. Many other countries identify Canada as being a country that is not only the home of maple syrup and the bearer of the red leafed flag, but the home of ice hockey, one of the globe's most popular and growing sports. This is despite the notion of a national identity being threatened by both globalization and the apparent segmentation of Canada into smallish, disparate elements, as evidence by the distinctiveness of Quebec society."

Tags:common, culture, national, interest, society, symbol