Ethan Vilu : 25: Hockey Poems New & Revised, by Richard Harrison

25: Hockey Poems New & Revised, Richard Harrison
Wolsak and Wynn, 2019

 

 

 

It is simple and perhaps a little obvious to note that, in relation to its emblematic status in the national imagination, the subject of hockey takes up extraordinarily little space in contemporary Canadian poetry. There are many potential reasons for this: one could, for example, suggest that hockey’s central status in the dominant culture of this country could make it an unappealing subject for poets who may (rightly) want to call that same cultural hegemony into question. A more straightforward explanation, however, is that it simply has to do with the kinds of people poets are likely to be – not just poets, in fact, but all of those who consider an appreciation for poetry to be any kind of conscious factor in their identity. It is a specific group of people who form the conventional audience for poetic writing in Canada, and as a subculture they are perhaps less enthused about hockey (and sports more broadly) than other groups might be.

Indeed, in the introduction to 25: Hockey Poems New & Revised, Richard Harrison makes note of this phenomenon even as he sets about to refute it. He talks about the hesitancy and shyness with which he brought an early manuscript of Hero of the Play, arguably the seminal work of Canadian hockey poetry, to his publisher. Then, as now, there was doubt as to whether all of this made sense as a use of the poetic impulse. The work was published in 1994 and has been in print ever since – a truly legendary feat within the context of Canadian books of poetry. It can be seen, then, as a testament to the nebulous but very real similarities between sport and poetics, and to a widespread desire for poems which honor those connections.

Of course, it is not just any poems that are sought after, but good ones, ones which take the complex, opaque and all-powerful realities of the game and make them legible on the page. Harrison has an immaculate track record of writing these sorts of poems, and this new collection is a stellar representation of that talent. His style – solemn, meticulously unpretentious, and invariably accented with prose sensibilities – is exquisitely suited to the subject matter. Just as with his other works, one of Harrison’s greatest strengths in 25 is his profound, invested vulnerability. There are poems here (Love and the Hockey Pool jumps fervently to mind, as well as Saddledome: After the Flood) which are remarkable, even shocking in their rumination on their embarrassing (but so thoroughly human!) psychological phenomena. Virtually every poem in this book is a demonstration of Harrison’s mastery of the form, and of his insight into the workings of his own deeply held passion.

Naturally, as with any text of this nature, not every sentiment expressed is going to click on all cylinders. It is hard to read his treatment of disgraced former hockey commentator Don Cherry in Coach’s Corner, for example, as anything more than a convoluted excuse made for someone whom the author knows does not deserve it. In a broader sense, Harrison’s treatment of both historical and current inequities in the sport of hockey (for example in The Feminine Redux) can in many ways be seen as unsatisfying. Again, however, one must commend the unvarnished vulnerability in the work, and the author’s willingness to write candidly from his own imperfect perspective. Without in any way holding back criticism where it is due, one must still contend with the raw, alchemical insight which so often occurs in 25, as well as with the technical ability with which it is so aptly expressed.

It is a curious and perhaps counterintuitive reality that there is so little recent poetic writing about hockey coming from the Canadian literary community. What Richard Harrison demonstrates with his most recent work is both the difficulty and risk as well as the wonderful possibilities which are inherent in such subject matter. We can be thankful that Hero of the Play did end up making it to the shelves, and we can continue to engage with the hockey poem as a fascinating part of our literary culture. There is much to be uncovered, and there are many more impactful connections to be made.

 

 

 

 

Ethan Vilu hails from Calgary, Alberta. Their poetry longsheet A Decision Re: Zurich was published by The Blasted Tree in 2020. In addition to serving as the managing editor for NōD Magazine, they are the current circulation manager for filling Station.