Oh I completely understand what you wrote and I agree with you. Nationalism in North America is rooted in pro sport. Lots of pro sport and the antics from it in North America were developed in wartime to help distract from major negative news events and help create a "national pride" in wartime. Thus nationalism and sport are intertwined quite closely here.

Hockey in Canada is just a dry run for nationalism and blind dedication to state. It teaches kids the exact same traits the military does. This is by design and few question it because it is so ingrained and even expected. My kids don't play hockey. They get mocked and teased because of it. Not for long though. They're learning Jiu Jitsu.