LEST WE FORGET.

November immediately brings two things to my mind…well, three…I guess, the inevitable entrance of Winter, Remembrance Day and the Dale Blackstock Memorial Hockey Tournament. Two of these three things I look forward to. You want to guess which two I like? Not Winter? Good guess.


Remembrance Day has always been near and dear to me. Although my father didn’t see active duty overseas he was in the military during World War II and he became a long-time member of the Royal Canadian Legion. Dad taught his family to respect all of those who had sacrificed so much so all of us could enjoy so much.

Growing up in the 1960’s it was hard not to be reminded of the costs of war. While the world was still trying to get over the devastation of the Second World War there were still many conflicts going on around the globe. Africa, the Middle East, Vietnam, Central America and, of course, the Cold War which was a really weird kind of war because it didn’t have an actual battle ground, per se, it was fought in a different kind of way and it inspired so many books, TV shows and movies and kept many of us worried that the end of the world could be this close every day.

Mankind has proven time and again that it is really good and really consistent in creating war. Maybe it’s God’s plan to keep the herd weeded, or something, but my hope is that we will eventually learn from our history and that, in time, we will finally put an end to this madness. That is why we all need to take the time for remembrance and hope and pray that future generations will not relive our mistakes.



November also reminds me of the past twenty-six years of Dale Blackstock Memorial Hockey Tournaments. Twenty-six tournaments? Wow, how time flies, eh? I won’t be able to strap on the skates again this year but that won’t stop me from spending a good portion of the weekend at the rink catching up with old teammates, rivals and friends from years past. We’ll share some memories, (actual and made-up), and maybe a wobbly pop or two. I can hardly wait.

There is one sure way of putting winter out of mind and that is to stay as busy as possible and that won’t be a problem on the weekend of the 9th, 10th and 11th of November. Between the Dale Blackstock Memorial Tournament, Remembrance Day and the Roughrider’s playoff game in Calgary on the 11th there won’t be a shortage of activities to wile away the hours. No wonder time flies by so quickly.



“If we don’t end war, war will end us.”- H.G. Wells. (1866-1946).