MAD ABOUT HOCKEY

The game of hockey was created more than a century and a half ago, in our wonderful snow-covered homeland. The sport soon won hearts and aroused passions that are played out everyday in the streets by children in their winter boots, dreaming of the National Hockey League. Whole families sit cheering in front of their television sets, encouraging their idols. In the stadiums, where the gods of the ice bravely forge their legends, the atmosphere is quite simply euphoric.

Many aspire to the Hockey Hall of Fame, but few are called. When exceptional players emerge, myths are created and enriched over the generations.

The passion for hockey is the passion for victory. And the ultimate victory is symbolized by a single silver bowl known as the Stanley Cup.

The "Mad About Hockey" site pays tribute to the men and women who have brought the sport to life over the generations, and who continue to do so today. Hockey has been a part of our daily lives since 1837. Not a single day goes by without hockey appearing in the headlines. In every era since 1837, there have always been star players to win the admiration of the crowd - players like Aurèl Joliat, Maurice Richard, Jacques Plante, Jean Béliveau, Guy Lafleur, Mario Lemieux and Patrick Roy, to name but a few. Hockey is part of our culture and our daily lives.

Hockey, our national sport, now has its own site, designed to reflect our enthusiasm for the game. For example, one section contains more than 200 major dates in the history of hockey in Quebec and Canada. Another section contains more than thirty testimonies from ordinary people, relating their memories of hockey - because almost everyone, at some time or another, has had a memorable experience connected with the game. Other sections of the site reveal the human face of hockey - for instance, the "good luck" rituals practised by the players, and anecdotes concerning that almost sacred symbol of hockey, the Stanley Cup.

To all of you who are "Mad About Hockey", we hope you enjoy your visit. And now - let the game begin!