Hockey Night in Canada

Our son, his wife and two young sons live in Finland. The boys were born in Finland and have dual Canadian Finnish citizenship. Both speak fluent Finnish but understand and converse in English. Their schooling was entirely in Finnish so to be clear, Finnish was their primary language and they were Finns in every way.

Until recently, they lived full time in a suburb of Helsinki. And then everything changed. The family decided to come to Canada for a year. We were thrilled! It was a golden opportunity to get to know our grandsons, to see them on a daily basis and introduce them to Canada.

Hello Canada

They arrived in late July to ensure that they could settle in before the school year started. Their new life started slowly, but soon they were were full speed ahead. Grandson #1 was enrolled in soccer, Grandson #2 was enrolled in hockey and suddenly there were weekly practices and games to attend. Participating in group sports was a first for both boys, and it was fascinating to watch their growing interest in both. In no time they were immersed in hockey. They knew all of the NHL teams, their favorite players and team standings. They were familiar with hockey terminology and could easily identify icing, off sides and other penalties.

“The Cousins”

Because they had no close relatives their age in Finland, the boys were delighted to discover their Canadian cousins. And the cousins were happy to spend time playing street hockey in the driveway and kicking the soccer ball in the back yard. If that wasn’t enough, the cousins also played softball and baseball, both sports that the boys knew absolutely nothing about, but were eager to understand.

Wait, There’s More

Sports weren’t the only new experience for the boys. During their stay they also learned about Garage Sales, Hallowe’en, basketball, Canadian football and local sites and activities too numerous to mention. We had sleepovers and walks up to the local store to buy Slushies. We had a regular Thursday after school Game Day that gradually transitioned into working on 1000 piece Jigsaw puzzles. In short, theirs was now a typical Canadian lifestyle.

The Big Game

Fast forward two years. Their one year visit has become two, and now sadly it is time to return to Finland. As a final goodbye we have arranged a family barbecue and as is always the case, the main event is a street hockey game in the driveway.

Grandson #1 has taken the lead for this evening’s game. He has recruited “the cousins”, Papa and “Uncle Who Prefers Not To Be Identified.” (Participation is mandatory with no one afforded an opportunity to decline.☺️) Teams have been organized. Papa and “Uncle Who Prefers Not To Be Identified” are on one team, all the kids on the other team. Everyone has seen his hand written rules for Hockey Night in Canada.

For clarification purposes, the Rules are quite strict. Each infraction results in the associated penalty shot(s). Note: Infractions #3 and #6 are particularly creative.

To say it was a roaring success would be an understatement. It was loud with cries of protest against rules that were obviously broken, cheers when a goal was scored, lots of trash talk, penalty shots and laughter, so much laughter. No one knew the final score but the kids smiling, happy, sweaty faces said it all. Most importantly, it was symbolic of everything Canadian, a beautiful memory for all of us and a fantastic way to end their two year visit.

Looking back, the move was a massive change for the boys and for us. They left their friends, their home and their Finnish culture for the Canadian unknown. We gained a relationship with the boys that was a wonderful gift and not surprisingly, Hockey Night in Canada was the icing on the cake, the cherry on top and the glue that solidified a forever bond.