"Hockey culture" itself is too broad of a term, and like any culture, it is always changing. Canadian hockey culture and US hockey culture are different. Both have a love of the game use the sport to survive the most deadly and boring of the seasons. Where there are differences, there is variety. One is not better than the other, just different.

Last Saturday the six Canadian NHL team played each other, and the CBC had an 18-hour or so program with the three NHL games and story after story after story about Canadian hockey. First was discussion of where and when the game first started, a Zamboni driving contest, tribal teams, women's teams,  a game between a youth team and an old-old timers team, a record setting (30 or so consecutive hours) continuous game, etc. most happening live during the broadcast. It was fabulous (vcr tapes can be ordered from CBC). Hockey is a great game and Canada can be proud of the joy it has brought to the rest of the world -- the US and Russia included. As an American watching that, I was admittedly jealous.

The US culture is probably different. Edina, probably the richest suburb in the state of Minnesota, use to dominate high school hockey. But every so often, a poorer, rural team from up north (Warroad or Rosseau) would come down and kick their butts. People loved it. Nevertheless, the Mount St. Charles, RI and other prep school images of hockey success still are strong. And maybe the cake-eateres either do not like or know how to fight. However, as a substitute for fighting, college hockey has rightly been criticized for allowing and supporting a rise in high sticking, cross checking and other stick fouls which partially is because of the massive amounts of "protective" equipment but also more sissy and less blatant than droping the gloves and standing toe-to-toe with another human being.

Lastly, I want to comment about the only part of Canadian hockey I know - the Assiniboine Park Rangers tournament in Winnipeg Canada. We've taken a team up there the past couple of years and I am just amazed by the number of arenas and teams in the area. Seven to eight rinks are used for the tournament, and this is just a small sampling of the total number in Winnipeg. Winnipeg is not a city, but a collection of small neighborhoods. Each neighborhood has built its own arena (or community center) and volunteers or park departments run the indoor and outdoor rinks. I wouldn't want to live in that environment -- being characterized by what neighborhood (side of the tracks) you were from -- but I am nonetheless amazed at the pride every neighborhood shows in its arena, its teams, and its friendliness to visitors. I suspect this is the way it is in most places -- this is what we have, this is what we have produced, and this is what we are proud of.

Nathan Hampton