Playing Politics With Puck

Does not go over well with our neighbors in the Great White North:

Not that anyone thought December politicking was a good idea to begin with, but to add insult to injury, Bloc Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe chose to announce that in his opinion, La Belle Province should ice its own team at international hockey competitions.

This is, of course, impossible as current International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) rules allow for just one team per country for tournaments such as the World Championships and the Olympics.

Quebec would have to separate from Canada to earn independent team status.

Is there any group in the world more whiny than the Quebecois? I guess that's what happens when you combine French with Canadian. As usual, the rest of the country is not particularly amused:

Technicalities aside, Duceppe's announcement was the political equivalent of a four-year-old screaming at the top of his lungs for attention--and like exhausted parents we all stood up and ran to see what he wanted this time.

In other words, we took the bait, our ensuing national fury evidence that the separatist was far off-side with his declaration.

Politicize anything, but leave our hockey alone, was the resounding cry from across the country.

Besides, with an election looming, Canadians have more important things to focus on:

So let's all agree that we need to set some rules for election decorum. Let's leave hockey in the political neutral zone and focus on important issues such as the economy, health care, education, and the frightening fact that Stephen Harper's hair never, EVER, moves.

You might be able to keep hockey out of politics, but you'll never be able to keep out hair. When it comes to Canadian politics, I always go with the guy with the better mullet.