Came across an interesting hockey book (fiction) while strolling the neighborhood. Title is "Beartown", written in 2016 by Fredrik Backman. The premise is a small (Swedish) town's love for their youth hockey team, and how over the edge that "love" can go when a player commits an act of sexual violence.
Before that violence and the reactions, though, there's a bit of dialog that I think speaks a bit to us denizens of eLynah. To preface, Peter, the GM of the A-Team (I think the equivalent of a Canadian Junior A team?) has wandered into a dive bar run by a woman named Ramona early one morning before a big game. (Note that the reference to the "juniors" in this dialog is referring to the age group below the A-team, so high-school level.)
"Hockey" he says. "Do you ever think about what a strange sport it is, Ramona? The rules, the rink...who on earth would come up with something like that?"
"Someone who needed to give drunk men with rifles a less dangerous hobby?" the aged landlady suggests.
"I just mean...Damn...this might sound a bit crazy, but sometimes you can't help wondering if we don't take this all a bit too seriously. If we aren't putting too much pressure on the juniors . They're not really much more than...kids."
Ramona pours herself a glass of whiskey. Breakfast is, after all, the most important meal of the day.
"That depends on what we want from the kids. And what the kids want from hockey."
Peter clutches his cup tighter.
"And what do we want, Ramona? What can the sport give us? We devote our whole lives to it, and what can we hope to get, at best? A few moments...a few victories, a few seconds when we feel bigger than we really are, a few isolated opportunities to imagine that we're...immortal. And it's a lie. It really isn't important."
Silence settles between them, untouched. Only when Peter pushes his empty cup back across the bar and stands up to leave does the old widow drain her glass and grunt:
"The only thing the sport gives us are moments. But what the hell is life, Peter, apart from moments?"
I know I've been missing those moments these past 9 months.
I'm disappointed that "Beartown" didn't turn out to be a reality show about big hairy gay men.
Quote from: jtwcornell91I'm disappointed that "Beartown" didn't turn out to be a reality show about big hairy gay men.
Well, it was canceled this year, but it's scheduled for July 10-18 next year in P'town.
Quote from: jtwcornell91I'm disappointed that "Beartown" didn't turn out to be a reality show about big hairy gay men.
You're thinking of Duck Dynasty.
Aaaannd... maybe the quickest thread drift ever.
Tough crowd, I'm tellin ya. Tough crowd. **]
This place is so tough the hat check girl's name is Dominic.