Sport: Les Canadiens: The Politics of Pucks

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Serge Savard, a tall, black-haired defenseman who was raised in northern Quebec, says most of his French friends in and out of hockey are having second thoughts about Quebec independence. "I would say on the team nobody really supports it." Scotty Bowman—William Scott Bowman—the coach, is bilingual. In French and English, he is preoccupied with theories of hockey. "We're winning 80% of our games," he says. "It's almost frightening. We skate well, but I think we begin with defense. A fine goalie, good defense." The elections? "We won that night. We beat St. Louis." Bowman is simply not a political man.

Ken Dry den, the goal tender, has a law degree from McGill. Tall and intellectual, Dryden sees his team as a duality "First," he says, "is what we are: a hockey team that wins. That's what we are and all we are, really. But beyond that, there's the way people perceive us. More than a hockey team. That sort of thing. If you think about it enough, you can ask yourself which are you, the team that is or the team that people perceive?"

"They're both," suggested Salutin, an existentialist. I polled his cast. Every actor supported Quebec independence. I polled more hockey players. Well nourished and prosperous, Les Canadiens like Quebec as it is.

Home Ice. The actors played a symbolic scene with intensity. The athletes talked about endurance. The director smoothed some rough spots. Scotty Bowman discussed "home ice advantage." Les Canadiens represent good hockey The Parti Québécois represents French Canadian political protest. The two meet only in Salutin's play. One can appreciate the intensity of hockey in Quebec, deeply and pleasurably, without having to see slapshots as metaphors.