Finally, some hope! That is how I would sum up the run of the Montreal Canadiens in the Stanley Cup playoffs. In a time shaped by heaviness, division, anxiety, and political fatigue, hockey has become a welcome interruption — a reminder that joy and hope still have a pulse in this country. I am not sure I could have handled another Canadian team losing to our neighbours to the south.
And truth be told, before the playoffs started, I probably could not have named more than one player on the Canadiens roster. I am a classic fair-weather playoff fan. I swing east or west depending on who is still alive in the bracket. It is not really about favourite players for me. It is about the possibility that somehow, for a few weeks at least, we might all cheer for the same thing.
Hockey as a Sacred Glue
In Canada, hockey functions a lot like religion. We may have soccer pitches and baseball diamonds in every town and city, but hockey still carries a kind of sacred glue. The word religion comes from an old root connected to “binding together” — like ligaments holding muscle and bone in place. Hockey does that too. It binds people together across class, language, politics, and geography. We saw it when the Toronto Blue Jays made their playoff run. Suddenly, they became our team. Nation against nation. The Canadiens are carrying some of that same energy now.
Why Does Hockey Feel Almost Religious?
So why does hockey feel almost religious? And what kind of hope does it offer? Scholars Dr. Matt Hoven and Tracy Trothen suggest three important connections between sport, spirituality, and religion: beauty, belonging, and believing. I agree with their connections and wonder how these connect to my experience of organized religion.
First, Beauty
Beauty sits at the heart of hockey’s appeal. Plato once said, “Beauty causes the soul to grow wings.” There is something transcendent about watching extraordinary skill unfold on the ice — the elegance of a perfect pass, the ballet of skating, the impossible save, the sudden roar after overtime magic. For a moment, we are lifted out of ourselves. And it is not just the game itself. The stories matter, too — sacrifice, resilience, perseverance, heartbreak, redemption. Human beings trying to become fully alive. Religion at its best does something similar. Through music, poetry, story, silence, and ritual, people are reminded that life is deeper and more beautiful than we often notice.
Second, Belonging
In an age where loneliness and disconnection run deep, hockey creates community. People wear jerseys like vestments. They fly flags, paint faces, gather in living rooms and bars and arenas. These are signs of belonging. My lifelong Habs fan friend Stephen Kouri put it this way: “Watching with friends gives me connection and fun. There aren’t a lot of positives in the world right now. This is certainly one.”
Fans at a Bell Centre viewing party celebrate a first period goal during game 7 between the Montreal Canadiens and the Buffalo Sabres earlier this month. Rev. John Pentland writes that these moments remind us we are part of something larger than ourselves, something that religion also does.
