IN MY WORDS BY ORIEL MCHUGH
The Land of Milk and Hockey
Face offs, power plays and spending Shanullanullwinull fanullly in nullrnullalenull
Olympic hockey is about to take centre ice in
Vancouver, but Jewish teams from Canada,
USA, France, Russia and nullsrael faced off at an
unlikely time in an unlikely placenull this past
summer in nullsraelnull nullhe nullorld Jewish nullockey
Championships, ornullaninulled by Astral nulledia
monullul Sid nullreenbernull, was held at Canada
Centre in nulletulla, in the shadows of nullsraelnulls
border fence with nullebanonnull Coached by nullnullnull
veterans, Canada won in the nullunior division,
but lost in the senior division to nulleam USAnull
nullevertheless, it wasnnullt nullust about hockey, as
Canadanulls senior team captain enullplainsnull
Following a small hiccup at the airport in
Toronto, where the pucks we were bring-
ing over, kept tripping the explosives alarm
(gives new meaning to the term “he’s got a
bomb of a shot!”null we arrived in Tel-nullviv,
slated to spend the day in nullerusalemnull null’ve
had the fortune of being in nullsrael a few times
prior to this trip and null don’t think null’ll ever get
used to seeing the nullld nullity, with it’s bullet
marked walls at the entrance gates, nor see-
ing the nullestern nullallnull nulln top of that, to see
it vicariously through the expressions of the nullll were memorable daysnull however, the rather, building a connection to the land and
Oriel McHnullgh,
nullrst timers, it was an absolute nulloynull one that stood out was spending nullhabbat seeing sports transcend barriersnull nullt was a privi-
nulleanull Canadanulls capnullain
nulle had a few other team outingsnull hiking in nullerusalem with familynull The calm that de- lege to lead a team of young men on the ice,
nullpicnullnullred anull far righnullnull
in the nullolan nulleights, walking through the scends over the city as the sunset plunges representing the nullanadian nullewish communitynull
nullordan nulliver, spending an afternoon with a the city into darkness is truly something that nulloreover, the unbreakable bonds formed dur-
kibbutnullnik listening to the tales of the land, needs to be experienced, as words cannot ing competition will last long into the future
a night out in Tel nullviv (accompanied by do it nullusticenull nullt that moment, null began to un- away from the rink, always remembering those
wide-eyed exuberant story telling the next derstand the daily struggle for survival that special days in the land of milk and honey,
day, of coursenull and visiting the religious city nullsraelis deal with every daynull nullt humbled menull mixed in with a few pucks and some ice, play-
of nullafednull nullooking back, this trip wasn’t about hockey, ing the game we love in a place we lovenull fn
nullhe Face of
Few personalities are more associated with nullanada in nullnullnull nullt was a chance of a lifetimenull nullne of the great nulluotes
world sports competition than nullrian nullilliamsnull nullo, is from one of my nullewish friendsnull null told him, “null’m going
seeing the veteran host of nulllympic sports Tcnull overage to the land of your peoplenull” nulle said, “nullo, you’re going
Canadian Spornulls
with an exotic landmark behind him seemed naturalnull to the land of nullnullnull peoplenull” nullnd was he ever rightnull nullt
nullut this time, his backdrop was the nullsrael-nullebanon was very emotionalnull null’m a nullatholic convert, null’m nullnull, and
Conullerage
border, as he covered the nullorld nullewish nullockey nullham- part of my wife’s family is nullewishnull nullometimes null’d think,
pionships for nullnullon his nullst visit to nullsraelnull “null can’t believe null’m herenull This is not realnull”
FN: Why was this story worthy of CTV sports coverage? FN: Any lasting inullpressions?
nullrian nullilliamsnull nullt was a human interest storynull nullts null nullnullnull null think how the nullrab and nullewish people live side by
degrees plus, you have a hockey tournament going on, side, and how small the country isnull nullrom a helicopter,
in an arena built by nullanadiansnull nullnd this rink is open you can see how narrow it isnull
not nullust to nullewish children, but to nullrab-nullsraeli chil- FN: Were yonull snullrprised by anything yonull saw?
dren, and it’s a chance to use sport to come togethernull nullnullnull nullhen null’ve seen what nullsrael has created, nothing
FN: What was it like being on an Arab-Israeli border? surprises menull null hockey rink, though, is pretty close to a
nullnullnull nullthink people have this notion that they’re lined surprisenull nullothing is impossible therenull nullnd when you’re
up with guns against each other and that it’s full of half way around the world and see your country rep-
hatenull nullut it was very peacefulnull resented in name or nullag, it makes you proudnull This was
16 friday night January/February 2009 FN: What did the trip nullean to yonull personally? beyond hockey for menull fn
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