As I witness the events unfolding south of the border, it brings to mind a face off Canada had against the Soviet Union. They spent decades preparing for an attack at the heart and soul of our self-image. The people they deployed to mount the attack were among the very best in the world at their craft.
When they thought they were ready and that Canada was weak, they made their move. The approach was directed and followed by the highest levels of the Kremlin. Brezhnev himself was a fanatical fan. That is right a fan. Of hockey. They were determined to beat us at our own game at the height of the Cold War. A proxy battle on ice
And things looked grim. We were down 3-1 in an 8 game series as the team headed towards Moscow. A lot of Canadians started taking the side of the Soviets and said they were better than us.
In Moscow, Team Canada had to face bad food, bugged rooms and crooked referees. It was no holds barred.
Going into the final game, the Soviets announced they were going to declare victory unless Canada won outright. What happened? Why don't we let Foster Hewitt spell it out for us?
Perhaps there is an allegory here. Can a totalitarian system reap the rewards of decades of preparation and defeat a free people? Not if the don't let them.
Recommend this Post
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment