This article re-examines the concept of Canadian civil religion through an analysis of three items of hockey memorabilia: the game-winning puck from the 1972 “Summit Series” between Canada and the former Soviet Union, the “Lucky Loonie” buried beneath the ice during the 2002 Winter Olympics, and the “Golden Puck” scored by Sidney Crosby in the 2010 Winter Olympics. Born during exceptional moments of collective national attention, it is argued that the civil religiosity of these hockey relics lies in the tension between their status as a testament to the values and virtues of Canada’s hockey heroes, and their embodiment of a mysterious secular grace, colloquially referred to as “luck.”
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