Hockey: A divine sport?—Canada's national sport in relation to embodiment,community and hope

Building on the claim that sport functions as a popular religion, I develop the argument that sport can but does not always offer its followers something consonant with religiously espoused values. These values are often more attractive and meaningful for many than what is offered by institutional religions. Hockey in Canada will be examined as a case study through which the question of what is religious about hockey and why it appeals to so many will be considered. The example of Christianity, the largest religion in Canada, will be used to help illumine some of the religious-like attraction hockey holds for many. In particular the following topics will be discussed: embodiment and justice; pleasure, play and sport; community; and hope, heroic figures and transcendence.