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By Emma Miskew

Having been born and raised in Ottawa, I have always loved watching hockey, and in particular the Ottawa Senators. While the team won the Stanley Cup 11 times, the last time was in 1927 and the team unfortunately disappeared in 1934, meaning by the time the team was reinstated in 1992 their fan base was no longer around or had chosen other teams to cheer for.

As a young fan, I knew that going to games in Ottawa against the other Canadian teams would yield almost as many fans for the away team as for the Sens, especially when they played against the Toronto Maple Leafs or the Montreal Canadiens. Even if you’re not a hockey fan, you know that the rivalry between the Sens, Leafs and Habs is so intense that friends who cheer for opposing teams will often get into heated arguments about the teams. (I’ve tweeted excitedly at the Sens after their big wins and have had replies from people saying they used to be a fan of mine, but because I like the Sens they aren’t anymore! They usually have a profile picture of the Leafs or Habs logo, haha!)

The love for hockey in Canada is unparalleled, and a lot of us are in withdrawal over the summer months, waiting patiently for the game to return. With Canada now having seven teams, it’s not often I’ll run into another Sens fan outside of Ottawa when we’re travelling to curling events. I’m lucky if I can even catch a game when we’re out west if the Sens aren’t playing against one of the Western Canadian teams.

Hockey has officially started back up again, but as Canada’s sport, it is taking second place after the Toronto Blue Jays and their amazing run. The Blue Jays, being Canada’s only MLB team, appear to have the full attention of our entire country as they battle in the playoffs for the first time in over 20 years. There is no city-to-city rivalry right now; everyone is rallying together wearing Blue Jays gear to cheer on this amazing team that refuses to give up. Baseball has never been more fun to watch!

While my team was in Toronto in early September for our first event of the season, we had a break in our schedule so we were able to go to a Jays game. I’ve been to a bunch of games in the last few years, but they were nothing like going to this one last month. The electricity in the crowd was exhilarating, with everyone on the edge of their seats ready to jump up at the opportunity to cheer on their team. We also got to see the Blue Jays win, which made the game all that much better.

And if we thought that was exciting … then the playoffs happened!

With the Jays dropping Games 1 & 2 at home, then winning 3 & 4 away, our entire country was nervously watching Game 5 to move on to the ALCS. And what a game it was! I got goosebumps sitting at home listening to the amazing intensity of the crowd, and I felt so much pride for this unified country and Canada’s Blue Jays. I have never felt so nervous watching another sport and can only imagine how it must have felt for the players themselves to play in that atmosphere and to win at home.

I’m very much looking forward to watching the games to come (as long as we’re not curling, of course!), and seeing those Blue Jays jerseys all over the country as we travel!