The Tavern erupted in an explosion of cheering, clapping and chants of "U-S-A" Sunday night, and this time the noise was not for a political election or address. Instead, the students filling the dining area were celebrating Zach Parise's game-tying goal with 25 seconds left in Sunday's Olympic gold medal game between the United States and Canada.
The university rallying around a sport other than the basketball team is unusual. It is no secret that AU students are gluttons for political debate, discourse and discussion and that sports are probably about item 50 on the list of importance. It was hard to tell that sports were largely unimportant Sunday night.
Perhaps the most shocking part of Sunday's quasi-watch party in the Tavern was that it was because of hockey. While it's the favorite sport in Canada, hockey is a sport Americans largely ignore. Television ratings have dropped significantly since the mid-'90s and so has attendance to games. Hockey's small status in American society is also evident at AU, as it is hard to find a true hockey fan.
“It's awesome and communal,” sophomore Lauren Reddington of the School of Communication said about hockey. “No one really likes watching hockey and as [a girl] it's weird to find others watching hockey.”
It was not safe for Reddington and the other Team USA fans in the Tavern though, as the enemy was amongst them. David Grant, a sophomore in SOC, is from Canada and was not afraid to show it. While now living in Montana, Grant is originally from Vancouver and has followed hockey his entire life.
“I am so stoked,” Grant said about Sunday's game. “[I came to the Tavern] because of the big screen, I wanted to be in the zone.”
Grant has been skating on ice his entire life and has a comprehensive knowledge of the sport. Thanks to his advanced hockey knowledge and heritage, the game was especially important to him. His intensity did not stop his friends from teasing and poking fun at him.
“[My friends] all give me flak for [being Canadian], everybody does” Grant said.
However, not all of the students watching were like Grant and Reddington. School of Public Affairs sophomore Graham Sallinger openly admitted that he does not know much about hockey. For him, Sunday was more of a patriotic event, not necessarily a sports one.
“I am not really following much of the Olympics,” Sallinger said. “I am not following the hockey either, but its America vs. Canada and I [came] to see America win.”
Sallinger may have seen a good game while he was in the Tavern, but he did not see the victory he was hoping for. Just minutes after Grant was surrounded by Americans celebrating Parise's goal, he was the one celebrating and cheering because Sidney Crosby scored the overtime goal that gave Canada a 3-2 win.
Even with the loss, the Team USA fans were treated to an event and atmosphere that is foreign to the AU campus. While not as full as it was on Election Night 2008, there were enough people in the Tavern to feel a strong sense of camaraderie. Sunday was not only a once-in-a-lifetime hockey game, but it was a once-in-a-lifetime gathering at AU.
You can reach this staff writer at atomlinson@theeagleonline.com.
