I’ll go ahead and admit it. Ice hockey isn’t exactly a porch-swing sport in Gnat Country.
We don’t grow up skating ponds. We grow up dodging fire ants. The only ice most of us deal with goes in sweet tea. But every now and then, something happens up north that makes even a South Georgia boy sit up a little straighter.
And when the United States knocks off Canada in hockey?
Well now. That’ll preach.
Let’s be honest about something. Canada invented the sport. They breathe it. They name their children after it. Up there, hockey isn’t a game — it’s a birthright.
So when the red, white, and blue walks into their house and walks out with a win, that’s not just a box score. That’s a statement.
Now I know — some folks around here couldn’t tell you what icing is without thinking about a cake. But you don’t need to understand every line change to recognize grit. You don’t need to memorize penalties to appreciate toughness.
You just need to see Americans skating like rent’s due.
That’s what I love about it. Doesn’t matter the sport — football in Athens, baseball in Atlanta, or hockey in Montreal — when that USA jersey hits the ice, it carries something bigger than the game.
It carries farmers from Iowa. Factory workers from Ohio. Marines from Camp Lejeune. Teachers from Tifton. And yes, even a few folks from Gnat Country who don’t own a winter coat.
Canada’s good. Real good. Always have been. And there’s something honorable about beating a strong opponent instead of a soft one. Iron sharpens iron. Steel meets steel. That’s how rivalries are supposed to work.
But when the final horn sounds and it’s “The Star-Spangled Banner” echoing instead of “O Canada,” I don’t care if it’s 95 degrees in South Georgia — I’m standing up in my living room.
Because patriotism isn’t seasonal.
We’ve got our problems. Lord knows we do. Turn on the news for five minutes and you’ll see enough to make you sigh. But moments like that remind you this country still knows how to compete. Still knows how to rally. Still knows how to win.
And I’ll tell you something else.
There’s something fitting about America beating Canada in their signature sport. It’s a reminder that we don’t have to invent something to excel at it. Give Americans a chance, a challenge, and a flag to skate for, and we’ll figure it out.
That’s been our story for 250 years.
So congratulations to the boys in red, white, and blue. From the frozen north to the humid pine woods of Gnat Country, you made a few million folks proud.
Now if somebody will just explain offside without using a diagram, I’ll be set.
I’ll go ahead and admit it. Ice hockey isn’t exactly a porch-swing sport in Gnat Country.
We don’t grow up skating ponds. We grow up dodging fire ants. The only ice most of us deal with goes in sweet tea. But every now and then, something happens up north that makes even a South Georgia boy sit up a little straighter.
And when the United States knocks off Canada in hockey?
Well now. That’ll preach.
Let’s be honest about something. Canada invented the sport. They breathe it. They name their children after it. Up there, hockey isn’t a game — it’s a birthright.
So when the red, white, and blue walks into their house and walks out with a win, that’s not just a box score. That’s a statement.
Now I know — some folks around here couldn’t tell you what icing is without thinking about a cake. But you don’t need to understand every line change to recognize grit. You don’t need to memorize penalties to appreciate toughness.
You just need to see Americans skating like rent’s due.
That’s what I love about it. Doesn’t matter the sport — football in Athens, baseball in Atlanta, or hockey in Montreal — when that USA jersey hits the ice, it carries something bigger than the game.
It carries farmers from Iowa. Factory workers from Ohio. Marines from Camp Lejeune. Teachers from Tifton. And yes, even a few folks from Gnat Country who don’t own a winter coat.
Canada’s good. Real good. Always have been. And there’s something honorable about beating a strong opponent instead of a soft one. Iron sharpens iron. Steel meets steel. That’s how rivalries are supposed to work.
But when the final horn sounds and it’s “The Star-Spangled Banner” echoing instead of “O Canada,” I don’t care if it’s 95 degrees in South Georgia — I’m standing up in my living room.
Because patriotism isn’t seasonal.
We’ve got our problems. Lord knows we do. Turn on the news for five minutes and you’ll see enough to make you sigh. But moments like that remind you this country still knows how to compete. Still knows how to rally. Still knows how to win.
And I’ll tell you something else.
There’s something fitting about America beating Canada in their signature sport. It’s a reminder that we don’t have to invent something to excel at it. Give Americans a chance, a challenge, and a flag to skate for, and we’ll figure it out.
That’s been our story for 250 years.
So congratulations to the boys in red, white, and blue. From the frozen north to the humid pine woods of Gnat Country, you made a few million folks proud.
Now if somebody will just explain offside without using a diagram, I’ll be set.
— J.C. Dennis, Jr.— J.C. Dennis, Jr.
