Today marks the anniversary of the day when Wayne Gretzky freed the Edmonton Oilers and all surrounding Canadians from Lord Stanley’s iron grip with a few swift dekes and a hat trick.
Nearly every independent country has a special day for celebrating their freedom from the chains of tyranny or a benevolent monarch. In the U.S., that day just so happens to be right around the corner (July 4th - tell us you already knew that). However, before the nation of Lincoln, Washington and well, Rutherford B. Hayes basks in the glow of yet another firework-laden birthday smash, those Nanooks to our North have cause to pop the champagne corks and light off some M-80’s. Why, you ask? Because today is Canada Day!
That’s right, today marks the anniversary of the day in 1867 when Wayne Gretzky freed the Edmonton Oilers and all surrounding Canadians from Lord Stanley’s iron grip with a few swift dekes and a hat trick. Canada would never be the same. Actually, that’s not entirely (or at all) true. Rather, Canada day commemorates the signing of the British North America Act, which united the then four provinces of Canadialand as one nation under a maple leaf, indivisible, with liberty, hockey, and socialized medicine for all.
Canadians all across the Great White North will be whooping it up today with barbecues, picnics, a few poor attempts at water hockey on thawed out ponds, and general good times. Sounds like a good time to us. But really, how is that different from any day in Canada - which begs the question, “Isn’t every day Canada Day?”
