When I was younger, hockey was one of those things that was in my periphery. I would watch the occasional Canucks game if I happened to be channel surfing and when the Olympics rolled around in 2002, I dutifully shuffled into the gymnasium to watch with many of my fellow high-school students Team Canada play in Salt Lake City.
It wasn't until I moved to Ottawa for university that the game played a more active role in my life. I made friends with a massive fan who took me to junior OHL games and filled in the gaps in my knowledge of the sport. Before I knew it, I was seeking out NHL tickets on my own and staying up late to watch Vancouver games while in the eastern timezone.
How, you may ask, am I going to tie that into a Madonna song? Like this: the lead single off Ms. Ciccone's 1994 album Bedtime Stories was Secret. In addition to being my favourite Madonna song, it also sums up how I feel about the sport. The lyrics in the first verse go: "Things haven't been the same since you came into my life. You found a way to touch my soul and I'm never, ever, ever going to let it go."
Hockey, like Rose promised to Jack, I'll never let go.
If the game's not your thing, fear not, there's absolutely no hockey in the video for Secret. Watch it on YouTube: http://youtu.be/EPHUZenprKc
