“He/ she shoots...he/she scores!!! And the home team wins the game!,” This is a common phrase that is heard all across cities and towns in Canada. It is blasted across the speakers in big stadiums of NHL teams, such as those of the Montreal Canadians and the Toronto Maple Leafs. It is also heard at community stadiums between friends who play a game of hockey for exercise and fellowship. It is even heard in many backyards from Newfoundland to British Columbia when there is enough snow and cold weather to make a makeshift rink in the backyards of homes. Hockey is Canada’s game, and is widely practiced by individuals of all ages from toddlers to seniors. It’s popularity all across Canada and the dedication and loyalty of fans have turned it into an implicit religion.
Hockey fans and players fit into the model set forth by Edward Bailey in his writing "What does Implicit Religion Mean?." Bailey argues that an Implicit religion consists of aspects such as, the importance of commitment, integrating foci, and the extensive effects of the parish. (Bailey, 17,18) These attributes can all be applied to the sport of hockey. There is a further demonstration of hockey as an implicit religion through the examination of David Chidester's work "Introduction" in Authentic fakes. Hockey exhibits the characteristics that he deems Implicitly Religious. This includes the encompass of the community, objects of particular meaning, exchanges, fetish, embodiment of followers, and the popularity on both a national and global scale. (Chidester, 2)
