The Hockey Sweater

Quebecker Roch Carrier relates a story from his childhood. His childhood idol, like that of all the children that he knew, was Maurice Richard - "the Rocket" - and hockey and the Montreal Canadiens his passions. All the children wanted to look like the Rocket, act like the Rocket and especially play hockey like the Rocket. Even in pickup hockey games, all the children wore Canadien sweaters with five pretend Rockets playing against five other pretend Rockets. When his existing Canadiens sweater wore out, Roch's diligent mother, using what little English she knew, ordered Roch another one through the Eaton's catalog. But the replacement sweater ended up being his worst nightmare. Roch prayed to God to right what he saw as this fundamental wrong in his life.