‘Ottawa’ Capital Voices: ‘You Expect to Lose, But When you Win it’s a Bonus’
In anticipation of Canada’s sesquicentennial celebrations, the Citizen’s Bruce Deachman has been out in search of Ottawans — 150 of them — to learn their stories of life and death, hope and love, the extraordinary and the everyday. We’ll share one person’s story every day until Canada Day.
“I grew up in Jamaica for 10 years, and moved back to Canada in ’99. And hockey lockouts more or less drove me to soccer.
“I was a fan of the Ottawa Senators. In ’95, my grandmother bought me a Game Gear, Sega’s version of Game Boy, with a hockey game, and I always played as Ottawa because that’s where I was born. But living in Jamaica, in Discovery Bay, the sports I could watch live were either soccer or cricket. So when I moved back to Canada, I got back into hockey and really enjoyed it, but after the lockouts I started getting really annoyed, so I got back into the soccer culture and have enjoyed it ever since. I’ve had season’s tickets to the Fury since 2012.
“It doesn’t matter where you’re from, where you’re born or what your job is, you’re here for the team and it wipes everything away. It’s the mentality that everybody’s a person, you’re here for the team, and that’s all we want to know. And that’s what’s amazing.
“I love it. It’s a party with my friends and we have a good time. That’s the main thing. Winning helps, but I cheer for a team in England that tends to lose a lot — Aston Villa — so we’re used to losing. A win is a bonus to us. My dad says it’s like being a Leafs fan: you expect to lose, but when you win it’s a bonus.”
— Stephane Brisson-Merrick. TD Place Stadium, Lansdowne Park, Oct. 28, 2016.