Hockey Day in Canada...I mean, England!

On Sunday I headed down to the Maple Leaf Tavern or Pub, or whatever it's called, in Covent Garden, for a fun filled afternoon of Canadiana. My girlfriend was working across the street at the BAFTA Awards so it was a perfect place for me to plant my ass for a few hours filled with hosers, poutine and heavy Canuck style hockey game binge drinking. I'd not seen an entire hockey game in about a year, so I was pretty stoked about it, to say the least. The Maple Leaf was going to show three games that day, but I was mostly interested in watching my hometown Maple Leafs, the lovable losers that they are, suck for three straight stress induced heart palpitation filled periods. I do miss that twist in my stomach when I see Tomas Kaberle not take that shot on the power play, I sure miss that Czech sonofabitch!

I showed up at the pub around 3PM and the Edmonton Oilers vs. Ottawa Senators game was in the second period. The place was busy already, Canadians piled in like a can of delicious Brunswick Sardines (product placement-give me free sardines please!) I decided to sit down and enjoy a 4 quid pint of thirst quenching, crisp and clear Sleemans Honey Brown Lager (#2=free beer please!) and catch the vibe of the place.

This was the largest gathering of Canucks I'd seen in one place since setting foot in Blighty and for some reason found it a tad disconcerting. I think I'm used to the diferent Brit accents I hear in my day to day life and the sound of Canadian accents bouncing back at me was a bit too much like being at home.

I spoke to a few Canucks and we all exchanged previous addresses: Windsor, Brampton, Toronto, Markham, Victoria, Calgary and so on. I was uncomfortable at first, until the beers (Sleemans and Mooseheads #3) started to kick in...that's when things got a bit...Canadian.

To be continued: Part 2 in the next couple of days.