This is a puck.
This is a stick.
This is the ice.
As elementary as it may sound to the average Canadian hockey fan, that basic information about Canada's national pastime is anything but for many new immigrants from such distant places as Asia, India and the Middle East.
That's why last Friday's Introduction to Hockey - sponsored by the Tri-Cities chapter of the SUCCESS Settlement Services Department along with the BC Hockey League's Coquitlam Express - provided a wealth of information about a sport that is integral to Canada's culture for the 100-plus newcomers who gathered at the Poirier Sports and Leisure Complex and later watched the Express take on the Surrey Eagles.
Kevin Yazdi and his eight-year-old son Peter emigrated from Iran, where soccer and wrestling are the two most popular sports. And while Peter shouted, "I LOVE the Canucks!" when asked what he likes about hockey, his dad appeared sheepish about signing up his boy for a minor team until he learned more about the game - specifically, dropping the gloves.
"We would like to register him for it but I don't have a clear idea about hockey," Kevin Yazdi said. "The part that is not clear for me is the fighting. So I came to watch it and see what they do."
For starters, the group listened intently to an orientation session hosted by Express business operations manager Marion Shenher, who handed out detailed colour "Hockey 101" booklets to students.
After an hour-long how-to talk that covered everything from equipment to icing, it was time for questions and comments. Not surprisingly, Kevin Yazdi was the first to shoot up his hand.
"Fighting... nobody stops them," he said. "They fight until they bleed."
"Sometimes that happens," Shenher conceded. "What mostly happens with these guys [is] because they're younger, you'll see the two linesmen pull them apart."
Another visitor chimed in on the same topic.
"Fighting is part of the game," he said knowingly. "Some people just want to see that... lots of body contact."
"It's part of it," Shenher agreed. "It's a very aggressive sport. They're carrying weapons and have their gladiator helmets on. Sometimes they feel invincible, like they're wearing armour. They sometimes take it a little bit [further] than they should, but I think that's just being boys."
Shenher went on to explain in detail the role of the officials, specifically the referee - right down to the red arm bands he wears to signify his authority over the two linesmen.
"His job is to call penalties," said Shenher, grasping a hockey stick and approaching an eager, young listener to help make her point. "So if I take my stick and, say whack you here on the leg - which isn't very nice - he's going to send me to the penalty box."
SUCCESS settlement program officer Alice Poon organized the event and estimated 115 immigrants showed up for either the orientation session or the game, with most attending both. Of that number, she said 90% were from China and Korea, with the remainder having come from Singapore, Malaysia, India and Iran.
"It was a wonderful event for them and it was the first hockey game they ever watched, except for two [participants]," Poon said. "It was truly a multicultural night."
The good news for Express fans was the home team won the game, 4-1.
There was good news for Kevin Yazdi, too: There were no fights.
