Not to drag politics into a perfectly exciting time of year for anyone who lives on this fair island in this magnificent province, but here goes: there is truly something heartening about the montage above, and not just for the goosebump-inducing reverie. It is one of the few pitches to the heartstrings that doesn’t reek of corporate shill (unless you count the CBC as a brand, of course), and it reminds us that, no matter how Toronto-centric Hockey Night in Canada can be, our national broadcaster will wholeheartedly back any other Canadian team when the Leaves inevitably soil themselves.
I love the fact that the accompanying song is a) in French, and b) by Loco Locass, a fervently nationalist rap group that pines for the day of a separate Quebec. I love that it name checks René Lévesque as well as the many English players–Robinson, Shutt, Gainey, etc–who endeared themselves to the masses by learning the language as well as playing the game. (Lyrics here.)
Finally, I love that the CBC threw those political implications of the song aside and blasted this catchy, beautifully written pean to a great team across the country, from Victoria to Newfoundland–and therefore showed itself more astute than the team’s owners, whose love affair with all things U2 shamefully continues. Bravo.