Mr. Speaker, last Sunday night the remaining Canadian hockey teams in the hunt for the Stanley Cup were eliminated from contention. Canadian hockey fans should not despair. Though the remaining teams tout jerseys with cities like New York and Detroit on them, the majority of players wearing them were born and raised in Canada and played hockey on the ponds and the rinks of Canada.
Hockey is still our game. We set the standard for excellence. Hockey is part of our heritage. It brings families and communities together in places like Sudbury, Flin Flon, Trois Rivieres and Owen Sound.
Though the Stanley Cup will reside south of the border this year, we should not forget that most of the players who will thrill the fans are as Canadian as the maple leaf.
Long live hockey in Canada.