In 1972, players wore no names on their backs. There was only CANADA. That anonymity mattered. The jersey was not an individual marker—it was a collective signifier, belonging to a country that was imperfect, contested, and shared.

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Preface

In February 2024, the late Ken Dryden challenged me to create a painting that would be my own interpretation of Canada. The idea came from a conversation about the 1972 Summit Series and its wider cultural impact. At the time, Canada was, in Dryden’s view, fractured. The series, he said, “galvanized us all.” People watched together, argued together, and experienced a shared relief and pride—especially after Paul Henderson’s decisive goal—not as proof of superiority, but as a restoration of belief.

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“Something Familiar” may seem simple—but so is hockey. Just a game, after all, yet one that can capture our nation’s attention, shape collective memory, and stir deep emotion. It's a reminder, as Ken observed, that hockey can galvanize us all, at a time we need it most.