34 BEATROUTE MARCH 2020
03.20YYCAGENDAHeartful Of HockeyMen Express TheirFeelings explores thegame’s complex emotionsIn hockey, the blade cuts two ways.It’s a fast-paced sport that requires atremendous amount of skill, speed, andfinesse where the dance on skates,stickhandling, playmaking and putting thepuck in the net is an art and science. It’salso primitive and destructive; when thegloves come off, the goon squad comesout and the sucker punch gets thrown.Playwright Sunny Drake comes fromDown Under — Brisbane, Australia. Heplayed and coached field hockey for 10years, and was raised in a householdfull of rough and ready rugby players. Alltoo familiar with the rigors of sport, hewanted to investigate what makes a mantick once the puck is dropped.“I picked the most uber-masculinesport,” says Drake. “Hockey can befantastic. It’s exciting and filled withcomradery and strategy. But can alsobe brutal, toxic, and crushing. There’s afull range of complexity. But when it’s sodevastating, I think men are counting thecosts and finding different ways how tobe masculine.”Noting the extremities of emotion,Drake says, “It’s not out of the questionfor a player to shed a quiet tear if theylost the game or express a wider arrayof feelings in the game’s heat of themoment. When you see fans hug in thestands or players get intimate on theice, that is closest to a man hug that isacceptable. All these ironies are reallyfertile ground to explore in a play.”Men Express Their Feelings startswith a fist fight between two dads who,along with their sons, are ordered by theleague president to the dressing roomand participate in a sharing circle to sortout their differences. From there theytouch on a whole range of things – closecontact, locker room culture, racism andthe difficulty their wives have with theirhockey heads. But with all the weightyissues being tossed around, Drakestresses, “It’s still a comedy.”Men Express Their Feeling runs March6 to 15 at the Big Secret Theatre, ArtsCommonsBy Brad SimmIrish Whiskey:A Word From The WiseStuart Patrick Connor, the Oak Tree Tavern’s full measure Irish owner, knows howto stock his shelves and is particularly mindful when It comes to his selection ofwhiskeys. While most of us have experienced the infamous shot glass straight-downthe-piperitual, Connor is pleased to offer a much more glorious path to the rewards ofenlightened whisky drinking.JAMESONFor a traditional Irish whisky, originalJameson can do the trick but comeswith a harder taste and some scratchingat the back of the throat. This is theentry-level whisky pleasing to thosecraving for a midnight liquid bump.Jameson is “good to shoot if you're an18-year-old,” says Connor.PADDYDubbed the “old man drink” in Ireland,Paddy is a light, affordable, everydaywhisky. “Cheap and good,” notesConnor. “Just right for coffee, sportinggames or brown paper bags.”HELL-CAT MAGGIEHell-Cat Maggie or “the fighting whisky”offers a nice middle-ground — goldenbrown, a bit a sweeter that leavesbehind an oaky flavour without a strongafter-burn. “Shot of choice,” says Connor,“if I’m just toasting with friends.”REDBREASTThe Redbreast 12 Year Old is on thehigher end of the scale and one of thesmoothest according to Connor. “Wheresome whiskeys have that really awfulburn, this one doesn't really give you theyuck face. It’s sweet, smooth and delicious.”Made to sip, not to shoot, whilesitting in a leather chair by the fireside.GREEN SPOTIf you’re feeling saucy and want to treatyourself, Green Spot is the way to go.Known as the “water of whisky,” becauseit’s almost transparent in colour,the sipping quality is undisputed with noaftertaste and zero burn. Connor claims,“It’s a gift to someone that you're eithertrying to impress or don't want to killyou. Smooth, dangerous, the ultimate.”By Christian KindrachukMARCH 2020 BEATROUTE 35