Letterkenny and Canadian Hockey Towns

[dreamshark]

 Ok, so lydy got me watching Letterkenny and I couldn't quite make sense out of the Canadian hockey culture. I understand that hockey is a big part of Canadian culture, but was still confused by the huge hockey rink and multiple teams in a rural town of 5,000. After a little googling, I think I sort of understand. It does not, in fact, make sense that every tiny town would have a big hockey arena. Apparently there are small town "hockey hubs" (my term) scattered around rural Canada and a national youth hockey association to fill them. Kids from miles around join an age appropriate team in the nearest hockey hub and then MOVE TO THAT TOWN for the entire hockey season. They live with "billet families," enroll in the local schools, and become kind of honorary town citizens. They age out of Youth Hockey at 21 and then become eligible for Senior Hockey clubs.

So that's what's going on with Reilly and Jonesy. In the first episode somebody describes them as being "new in town" or "not from here" or  something like that, but it's never explained where they came from, or how old they are, or what the heck a "billet sister" is. Now it makes more sense. And now we know that they have just turned 21, which I think makes Katy a bit of a cougar. 

If you (and by you, I guess I mean lydy , unless she has talked more people into watching this weird show) want to know more about how this system works and incidentally have your heart ripped right out of you chest, read this story about what happened to the Humboldt, Saskatchewan, team. I feel like the whole dynamic of Letterkenny is a little clearer to me now.

Comments

[lydy]

That is all very enlightening, thank you. I've been approaching Letterkenny as an alien culture, and figured that eventually, I'd figure out the confusing bits from context. Never occurred to me to _research_ it.

[lydy]

And by "alien" I mean "extraterrestrial alien."