Colin Firth, Sushi, and The Leafs

My Dad and I, for his birthday, went to a Toronto Maple Leafs game last night. His birthday is next month but, seeing as he’ll be in the Land Down Under, we celebrated a little early this year.

Before the game, we went to see The King’s Speech, which was fantastic. Geoffrey Rush played a great part in Lionel Logue, delivering lines with the awesome dry humour that only the English can truly perfect. He was very convincing as Prince Albert’s speech therapist, and his overall demeanour counteracted nicely with the staunch royal characteristics portrayed by Colin Firth.

It was those characteristics, in his portrayal of Prince Albert/King George VI (he’s not schizophrenic – for some reason, royalty changes their names if their actual one isn’t “befitting” of a King), that landed Colin Firth his absolutely deserved Golden Globe. The movie was free of any action or romantic scenes, giving Colin (first name basis over here) little to rely on besides his co-stars and his own acting. And he pulled it off phenomenally. His stammer was so convincing that you wouldn’t believe it wasn’t real if he wasn’t a well known actor. His accent, having to be much different back then than it would be today, matched the aristocracy’s of that time perfectly. He was absolutely convincing as the unwilling King, and provided a rare look into the somewhat normal dynamics of a man forced into a public role while trying to overcome his personal weaknesses.

And Helena Bonham Carter? She was awesome as the Queen Mother. For a woman more likely to play crazy, “out there” characters, she pulled off the role of royalty amazingly well.

Afterwards, we went out for sushi, which is basically just awesome in and of itself. I don’t eat the fish sushi, but the veggie ones are delicious. Pretty much it was freakin’ awesome.

Then it was time for the game. I love the energy that comes from being at an NHL game. The arena was buzzing, and everyone was excited and hoping beyond all hope that the Leafs would bounce back from their embarrassing performance against the Rangers the previous night.

The pre-show was all about the nation’s game, making me feel awfully patriotic. The national anthems were sung. Everyone was settled in. The boys were warmed up.

The puck dropped.

And they sucked. Seriously, for the first 10 minutes, it was like watching a pee-wee hockey game. The Leafs basically chased the Ducks around the ice, not really ever coming in contact with the puck. It literally didn’t even look like they were trying. I thought for sure that this was going to be another bomb of a game.

And then, all of a sudden, something switched. I guess it could be that their nerves had calmed down, as Ron Wilson stated. Whatever it was, it made the Leafs start to play actual hockey. They were checking. They had the puck. They were actually shooting on the net instead of skating around with it as though they were going for a leisurely glide.

Five goals later, with two for the opposing team, and they won. THEY WON. The Leafs! Take that, Anaheim Mighty Ducks!

So all in all, it was a stellar day. But the best part of it all? Above the great movie and delicious sushi? Even above watching the Leafs kick Anaheim’s butt?

Spending time with my Dad.

Love,

Bella

A Major Meltdown for Team Canada

I’ve seriously slacked on the whole blog writing dealio. I’m back into it now, and I have a couple ideas for the next few entries. I figure that if I want to be discovered and offered a book deal, I’m going to HAVE to keep writing in order for that to happen.

Anyway, I thought I would start off the new year of blog entries by writing about something purely Canadian: hockey. You all know what I’m talking about. The gold medal world juniors game between Canada and Russia was one that brought excitement, intrigue, and, let’s be honest, maybe a little cockiness. Sure, Russia was good. But hockey is OUR game. The sport of Canadians. Hell, we already beat Russia once!

Canada started out awesomely. Better than that. They were on fire. Visentin, who flexed his goaltending abilities against the Americans, was in goal. Ellis, Schenn, and Cowen were pegged as some of the strongest players in the tournament. All factors seemed to point towards the gold.

During the first two periods, Canada really showed gold medal ability. They played the offense, targeting the Russians and taking them down with quick checks to the board. They kept the puck, for the most part, in the Russian end. They maneuvered with grace, scoring three beauty goals against Russian goalie Shikin.

Perhaps rightly so, Shikin was pulled and Bobkov was put in for the remainder of the game, a move that would prove as the turning point for what was shaping up to be an easy win for Canada.

Entering into the third period on a Russian power play, something had changed. Our boys no longer seemed steadfast and determined. Gone were the offensive playing and the ruthless take downs of the Russian players. Russia scored a goal within the first few minutes. And then another just minutes, maybe seconds, later. 3-2, Russia.

We still had it. Canada was still winning. And then Russia scored their third goal, tying it up. Suddenly, that gold medal was getting further and further away. Team Canada seemed defeated in their playing habits. It was like they panicked, backing off to the Russians who were suddenly rounding on them with all of their might. And they didn’t fight back. At times, it was literally as though Canada was saying, “Here. Take the puck. I’m done.”

Visentin let in goals that should have been saves. The defense severely lacked any power. Canada provided the “comeback kids,” as Russia was dubbed, with the perfect opportunity to do just that.

And did they ever, ending the game and the tournament with a 5-3 lead over Canada and taking home the coveted gold medal.

Canadians everywhere felt defeated but, I think it’s safe to say, that no one was as defeated and ashamed as Team Canada. They fought hard, and they faltered. It’s life. It's hockey. Shit happens. And chances are, no one is beating them up more than themselves.

We got Silver. Sure, when you compare it to Gold, it’s a loss. But on its own? It’s still pretty damn good.

Love,

Bella