The Canucks and the San Jose Sharks were battling for the Stanley Cup. The arena suddenly became silent. It was the weirdest feeling. The game would be starting anytime now but in contrast to the usual hub-bub there was a deadly silence. The atmosphere seemed to foreshadow something wicked happening but how could that be?. The two centre forwards, both looking as if they were out for blood, squared off. There was a unanimous sigh when the referee finally did let the puck drop.
The tension was tighter than a guitar string. Every player, on both sides, knew that on the morrow, April the second, he would wake up knowing that he was a victor or a loser. It was an historic game, not because it was such a big deal to win the Stanley Cup, but because it was the first time in the history of the NHL that a game had been played in the morning due to prime-time television doing something called pre-empting. It seems that there was a Hollywood Special on during the evening hours.
No sooner had the puck droppd than the whistle blew. The players looked at each other. The fans looked at each other. The fans looked at the referee. What in tarnation was going on? No one had any idea, the referee least of all. When an explanation was announced no one could believe it.
Stanley Smartmouth looked out from the announcer's box. In all his years of announcing the game, he had never before been this puzzled. An email was arriving. Curious, he glanced over at it.
Very slowly the sender's line began to unscroll. From the Office of the Prime Minister of Canada.
The message began rather strangely. Stanley could not believe what he was reading. Then he remembered. Yesterday had been the day when the new Prime Minister had been sworn in. The newly elected Prime Minister promised startling changes in the direction that Canada would take with regard to human rights and duties.
This was certainly a startling change, Stanley reflected. He wondered if he could bear the thought of going back to announcing baseball games. Baseball was such a mickey-mouse sort of sport compared with the bone crunching glory of hockey.
There was a moment of silence. Then the loudspeaker blared.
"Good Evening Ladies and Gentlemen. This is your Prime Minister speaking. I just want to let you know that here forthwith the national game of hockey has been cancelled due to the many injuries and the violence that have taken place on the ice."
There was stunned silence in the arena. Stanley Sean Smartmouth took a slug of water. His mouth was so dry that he couldn't speak.
Then the Prime Minister began again. "Just think what day this is," he said. "APRIL FOOLS!"
A roar of laughter and joy rolled through the arena.
to be continued