The Religious Sermon of Hockey
For hockey fans, attending a hockey game, whether it is a NHL, AHL or the local community hockey team serves as a means of practicing their religion. There is a certain experience that fans may undergo while in attendance at a game. There is anticipation and excitement with each puck drop and each stick pass. Fans are able to cheer on their favorite team, and players. Fans can show their loyalty to their favorite team by wearing the team’s jersey or colors. In many cases followers, when they attend a game bring with them items to enhance the experience such as, poster boards with encouraging statements for their beloved team or noisemakers to support their team when they are getting down in spirit. These attributes of hockey fans are demonstrated during hockey games at Mile One stadium, which is the home stadium for the St. John’s Icecaps, an AHL team. There is a boutique where fans can buy merchandise and show their support for their team, there is fun music that plays, and even games that lucky chosen fans can play on the ice during intermission.
The experience of fans at a hockey game is important because it is a way for individuals to feel a sense of belonging and fellowship with other people. There is the feeling of oneness of the crowd, because of the common bonds that they share through the game of hockey. The fans in the stands encourage players on the ice, they shout their names in support, often inspiring them to push harder and to score a goal and win the game for them. Going to the game is a family event and is a time when families can bond with one another. For hockey fans some of the most important and popular religious events are the playoff games for the Stanley Cup that take place at the end of the season. Fans often line up for hours or pay much more that the face value of tickets in order to be present at the game to see their favorite team play and hopefully win the Stanley Cup. During playoffs, the game becomes more serious for the players because there is more at stake. There is the opportunity to win for themselves, their team and their fans.
