Origins

Hockey Night in Canada

by Dalya Goldberger

The national anthem has just finished and Miss Hoopty and Delilah settle into their seats in the nosebleed section of the hockey arena, each with a $6 beer in one hand and a $4 bag of nuts in the other.

“Why are we here, again?” asked Delilah. “You despise hockey.”

“I KNOW, I KNOW,” winced Miss Hoopty, “BUT I GOT THESE TICKETS AS A GIFT AND IT’S BAD KARMA NOT TO USE A GIFT THAT’S GIVEN TO YOU.”

As Delilah was pondering why anyone would give Miss Hoopty hockey tickets as a gift, a man and his son sat in the seats next to them. The two were equipped with a giant blue foam finger and a portable radio. When the man noticed their drinks, he turned and spoke.

“Excuse me,” he said pointing at the beer in their hands, “but this is the Family Fun Zone. You’re not supposed to have alcohol in this section.”

After apologizing and tucking their drinks under the seats, Miss Hoopty let out a long sigh. Then the whistle blew, the puck was dropped and the game was off to a roaring start. Miss Hoopty stared straight ahead.

“You might as well watch if you’re here,” suggested Delilah. “You might like it.”

The look on Miss Hoopty’s face suggested otherwise.

Within the first four minutes of the game a fight broke out between two players and the crowd went wild cheering them on, including the man and his son sitting next to them. Delilah and Miss Hoopty cringed in their seats as one player pummeled the other.

“That’s got to hurt like the dickens,” gasped Delilah.

“Look, dad!” the boy next to them shouted. “The other guy turtled up!”

With that, Miss Hoopty turned to Delilah, her nostrils flaring. “IT’S A GOOD THING WE PUT OUR BEER AWAY. WE WOULDN’T WANT TO EXPOSE THIS LITTLE ANGEL TO THE EVILS OF MODERATE ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION.”

Delilah did not have time to reply. The game had resumed and the crowd suddenly jumped to its feet. A loud voice from the man's radio announced what they had missed.

“He scores! Right in the five hole!” boomed the announcer. “Number 11, Saku Koivu, scores the first goal in tonight’s game of the Habs against the Toronto Maple Leafs …”

The first and second period progressed in much the same way as the first. The Canadiens scored three more goals, causing the father and his son — obvious Leafs fans — to become less boisterous and more sullen.

“HOW MANY MORE PERIODS ARE THERE ANYWAY?” grumbled Miss Hoopty, who had managed to surreptitiously drink her entire beer.

“This is the last one,” said Delilah, who, despite the violence had managed to enjoy parts of the game. “I think the Leafs are going to be shut out.”

Miss Hoopty eyed Delilah warily over her use of the sports slang.

At the same time, the man sitting next to them had overheard Delilah’s comment. “We’ll see. It’s not over 'til the fat lady sings,” he retorted.

Suddenly overcome by a moment of fierce competitive spirit, Delilah shot back: “I’ll bet you $10 that Koivu gets a hat trick and ends the game.”

Ignoring Miss Hoopty’s dropped jaw, Delilah reached across her friend and firmly shook the man’s hand. Near the end of the period and not one goal from the Maple Leafs, Delilah smiled confidently at the man, who was unconsciously ripping tiny bits of foam off of his giant finger. With 59 seconds remaining, Saku Koivu scored his third goal and won the game.

“Thank you,” Delilah said, trying to sound gracious as the man handed her a crumpled $10 bill.

Miss Hoopty looked puzzled. “ARE YOU SURE YOU WON THAT FAIR AND SQUARE? I DIDN’T SEE ANY HATS.”

Like the dickens is a common expression that means hurts a lot and that has nothing to do with Charles Dickens. Dickens is a euphemism for the word devil. Rooted in the 16th century, the term came to be used as an oath at around the same time as God, Hell and Holy Mary. The word Dickens is derived from Nick or Old Nick, which can be traced back even further. Nicor was Anglo-Saxon for monster and a Nick was a mythological kelpie — a half man, half horse that lived in bodies of water and that took morbid delight in drowned travelers. Other expressions in the same vain include what the dickens, in dickens’ name and you have the dickens in you.

Turtled up is a term used to describe a player who refuses to fight another player, usually to avoid getting hit. The turtled player instead lies on the ice and retreats into his shell, so to speak.

When a goalie stands in the net, there are four natural open “holes” for the puck to go through: the upper left and right corners and the lower left and right corners. The fifth hole (five hole) is the space between the goalie’s legs.

Habs is the short form of Habitants, the French nickname for the NHL Montreal Canadiens. A habitant was a French settler, especially a farmer, in rural Quebec up until the early 20th century.

Shut out describes a game in which the losing team scores no points. The term probably has its origins in horse racing, referring to a bettor who arrives too late at the track window. The bettor is shut out by the closed window and, therefore, cannot place a bet to win any money. This term is also commonly heard in baseball.

It’s not over 'til the fat lady sings means the outcome of any contest isn’t known until the final results are in. Its origins, however, are the subject of some debate. One theory suggests that the expression originated in the US in the 1970s and is attributed to Dan Cook, a San Antonio sports commentator who was commenting on the outcome of a basketball playoff game in which the San Antonio Spurs had won one game in the series against the Washington Bullets. Another theory suggests that it’s a reference to Kate Smith — a full-figured American singer in the 30s and 40s whose rendition of “God Bless America” signaled the end of sporting events like the World Series. Others argue that it derives from the opera where usually the soprano sings an aria before the curtains are drawn. Since the stereotypical opera singer is heavy set, we get it ain’t over 'til the fat lady sings.

A hat trick refers to three goals scored by one player in a single game. It’s an American expression based on a practice that originated with British cricket bowlers in the 19th century. Bowlers were awarded a new hat, or the proceeds of a collection made by passing a hat, when they bowled down three wickets with three successful balls.

Dalya Goldberger is the Managing Editor of Writer’s Block. Listen for her from time to time on Paul Castle’s “That’s a Good Question” segment on CBC radio in Saint John, New Brunswick, and CBC’s "Daybreak""in Prince George, British Columbia.

Sources:
Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins: Revised and Expanded Edition by Robert Hendrickson
Street Hockey King (http://www.streethockeyking.com/hockeyterms.html)
The Canadian Oxford Dictionary, Oxford University Press, 1998.