28. Hockey

Yes, I am Canadian and I like hockey. I didn't always like hockey, however. When I was younger I used to get annoyed when Hockey Night in Canada would come on and chew up an entire Saturday evening of programming. However, sometime around grade 9 or 10 I decided to make a change. I started watching hockey and started to enjoy it. Now, I'm a big fan. I don't really get to watch very much, but I enjoy it when I do.

The big reason I'm thankful for hockey these days is for the identity it provides. It's nice to have something down here that makes me feel Canadian. It's happened on more than one occasion where somebody will find me watching a game or checking stats online and they'll make the comment "yep, you sure are Canadian." Sometimes it's hard to put into words what the differences between Canada and the U.S. are, but they exist and enough of them exist that it feels good when there is something that brings you back home.