The Korean War Veteran Internet Journal January 11, 2013 Historic games to commemorate Canadians who played on Imjin River during Korean War Imjin River Cup hockey matches to be played on frozen Rideau Canal in Ottawa and on ice rink in front of City Hall in Seoul Veteran Aimé Michaud holds photo showing Canadian soldiers playing hockey on the frozen Imjin River in the winter of 1952 as he meets with Veterans Affairs Minister Steven Blaney, Senator Yonah Martin who conceived of a hockey game honouring Canada s Korean War Veterans, His Excellency Cho Hee-yong, Korea s Ambassador to Canada, and Lieutenant
General (Ret d) Charles Belzile, who wears the badge of the Queen s Own Rifles of Canada, his first regiment, although he also was a commanding officer in the Royal 22e Regiment. General Belzile also was commandant of all Canadian ground troops in Europe and in his final position, he was commandant of the Canadian Army. Photo by Hoojung Jones, member KVA Canada, Hamilton, Ontario, Assistant Webmaster KVA Canada. The details are not all that clear at present, but two commemorative hockey matches will be held to kick off activities in Canada and Korea marking 2013: The Year of the Korean War Veteran. Senator Yonah Martin, an avid hockey enthusiast as well as being the champion in government of Canada s Korean War Veterans, has long worked on a program to have a team representing veterans who played hockey on the Imjin River in Korea during the war match off against a team made up primarily of Members of Parliament. Two expat hockey players from Seoul are planning to fly over to play for the team representing the veterans. So is Sergeant Marc Bellemare, the Canadian Defence Attache assistant, if he can get authorization to work as coach at the Ottawa game. That event, which will be known as the Imjin Classic, will be held out behind the National Arts Centre on the frozen Rideau Canada on Sunday, February 10 at 11 a.m., during Ottawa s Winter Interlude festivies. The 35th edition of Winterlude runs from February 1 to 18, 2013 Celebrate the joys of winter at Winterlude, with three fun-filled weeks in February. Canada s favourite winter activities are featured across Ottawa and Gatineau at this annual event. (Hit control and click on items below). Skate on the world s largest skating rink, check out the ice sculpture competitions or play at North America s largest snow playground. There s fun for the entire family, and all sites are open on Family Day.
The Rideau Canal runs through Ottawa, passes Parliament Hill, many historic and impressive sites and will be the scene of the Imjin Classic Korean War Veterans Commemorative Hockey Match on February 10, at 11 a.m. The world outside of Canada s capital might not know it, but not just a few Ottawa residents skate their way to work on the Rideau Canal! Is Ottawa cold? The ice on the canal is very thick! But the commemorative hockey games are being held internationally, with one taking place in Korea and the other in Ottawa. The first of the two games will be played in Seoul on February 3rd, on the open air rink in front of the new Seoul City Hall in the centre of the city. This game, if properly promoted, could draw a huge crowd, because Seoulites like to flock to the City Hall Square for all public events. When Psy sang his Gangnam Style there, he drew more than 30,000!
The ice skating rink at Seoul Plaza in downtown Seoul is breathtaking. In warmer weather it is the venue for many public entertainment activities. It also is the site for demonstrators and orators. With two mostly Canadian teams flashing the blades and bashing with sticks, the February 3 Imjin River Memorial Cup game should draw quite an excited crowd. Some of the members of the competing teams will likely be Korean skaters, as many Koreans skate in the league. Canada s Ambassador to Korea, His Excellency David Chatterson, likely will be there unless something huge takes him out of the city. Who will toss the opening puck? Nobody knows. The game in Seoul will be played by expats, mostly Canadians who for various reasons adore life in Korea. Sergeant Marc Bellemare, who is trying to make it to Ottawa as well as the commemorative game in Seoul, is instrumental in making the Seoul arrangements. Probably shouldering a lot of the load and coordinating the effort with the Canadian Embassy is Colonel Jacques Morneau, the Canadian Defence Attache. He is no stranger to skates and coached one of the games last year. The Canadian Embassy will host an exhibit of photographs commemorating the Canadian soldiers who once played ferociously, but nobly on the Imjin River when nearby American 8-inch howitzers called the Persuaders were roaring out their huge shells on enemy positions.
Away from home jersey of the Gecko s Glaciers of Seoul. Two will be presented at the game in Seoul and two also in the commemorative game on the Rideau Canal in Ottawa. These new jerseys were specially custom made to commemorate the veterans who played on the Imjin River ice in 1952 and 1953 and all of Canada s Korean War Veterans. The jersey shown has the insignia of the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry Regiment, but the teams that play in the Imjin River Cup league in Korea represent many Canadian Regiments. Prime Minister Stephen Harper is an avid hockey fan and keeps a photo of the Canadian soldiers playing on the Imjin River in 1952 in one of his offices. He wanted to see the legendary Imjin River Memorial Cup, so Marc Bellemare, who plays on the Gecko s Glaciers in Seoul, brought it to the Prime Minister s airplane when he was in Korea on business in the early months of 2012. Will the Prime Minister attend the Imjin Classic that is held in Ottawa on February 10? Nobody knows.
Below is some explanation of the history of the near legendary Imjin River Memorial Cup. It is a message from Andrew Monteith, one of the founding players of the Gecko s Glaciers, and also the discoverer of the coveted Imjin River Cup. The Imjin River Cup will be brought to Ottawa for ceremonial presentation to the winners of the Imjin Classic match on the Rideau Canal but it surely will return to Korea as soon as the participating expats head back to Seoul. : History of the Imjin River Memorial Cup I am taking this time to give you a brief history of the Imjin River Memorial Cup and the Geckos hockey team. Back in 1999 the Geckos Hockey team was founded by two gentlemen: Pascal Comeau (currently living in Quebec) and of course Chris Damboise, former owner of Gecko s Terrace (a restaurant and night club that is big with foreigners in Seoul). Chris Framboise is now living in Ontario. Chris and his then wife Jin, proudly sponsored our team by offering funding, but more than anything else, a place to gather have a few beers and talk hockey, politics or just life in general. I'm happy to say that we are still having beers and conversations at Geckos 13 years later. I joined the team in 2000 as did quite a few other hockey starved Canadians. I think it was during that summer that Chris stumbled upon the now infamous Imjin River photo at the U.N Compound in Itaewon. (Ed Correction: An expat had purchased the photo at a junk shop in Uijongbu). That's where Vince Courtenay came in. I believe you were there and provided Chris with the details surrounding the picture as well as a way to get some prints of the photo and you kindly gave us a brief written script of the game in question, which is printed on a side of the cup. Hence, that is why your name is enshrined on the cup. After proudly putting the photo up on the wall at Geckos and in my own office, I came across this wonderful cup in the back alleys of Dongdaemun (Eastgate market area) and just knew we had to have it. I believe it was Chris, Pascal and I who were sitting around the bar one night when the idea came to use the cup to honor the memory of that "magnificent game" by having a tournament amongst our own Geckos players. The rest is really history and each year the tournament grows in popularity and importance. After Pascal and Chris left the peninsula, I took over the team and tried to
keep the momentum of The Imjin River Cup going. I recently gave the cup a facelift by changing all of the team names to reflect actual regiments who fought in the Korean war. Now all captains must name their team after a regiment or battalion. While most of the regiments are invariably Canadian, one of our captains who served in the American Forces during his playing days here in Korea chose to name his team after the famous American "Rakkasans 187th Regiment." (187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team) the unit that his father fought for and jumped with during the Korean War. So obviously this cup has grown over the past 12 years and hopefully, it will continue to do so. It would be great to bring it to Ottawa and show it off and give it the recognition it deserves. Thanks for all you've done for our team and all of the Veterans out there. Vince, you are a true patriot. I will be in touch with Chris to let him know about the upcoming game, I'm sure he would love to attend. Merry Christmas, Andrew John Monteith So there you have as much as we know about these two commemorative hockey matches at this point. We understand there is considerable enthusiasm in the western provinces, especially among Aboriginal veterans who played the game in service (but not necessarily in Korea). There certainly is much enthusiastic interest by veteran Claude Petit, who received the Order of Canada for founding 1,500 Canadian Aboriginal Youth hockey teams and fostering them through more than 20 years or organized play now more than 30 years! Claude didn t find out about the commemorative game in Ottawa until he was locked in with plans to take his wife, Ardis on a cruise of the Mexican Riveria, and then a drive from Phoenix to visit friends who live near the Grand Canyon. Ambassador David Chatterson (Canada s Ambassador to Korea) showed me the Imjin River Memorial Cup when I was in Korea in 2012, Claude said. He had
the embassy photographer take my picture with it and I would be proud to be on the ice in Ottawa. Unfortunately, two stainless steel knee joints and my promise to my wife, Ardis for a winter vacation in a warm place will keep me from going. But you can be sure that I ll be there in my heart! We think many, many veterans all across Canada or wherever they happen to be, including the minions of those who flock to Florida each winter, will also be there in their hearts and probably there at the game in Seoul in thought and spirit, too. Claude played on the 2nd Battalion Princess Patricia s Canadian Light Infantry team in Germany after the Korean War. We promise details as they are consolidated. We understand former regimental adjutant of the Princess Patricias, Captain Rick Dumas, is trying to sign players for the commemorative team that will represent the Canadian Veterans. Likely he will turn to all of the Regiments to put a mighty team together. How to even the two sides is a matter of concern. The Members of Parliament likely are no match for the young players from serving regiments and a couple from the Geckos Glaciers in Seoul, but they ll work it out. It is a source of pride to Claude Petit that when he watched a Princess Patricias exhibition hockey game in 1951 against the famed Detroit Red Wings, an Aboriginal player from the Patricias actually scored a goal against a startled Terry Sawchuck, one of the greatest goalies ever in the National Hockey League. So maybe the Members of Parliament stand a chance, if they don t fight amongst each other the way that they do in sessions when they re arguing about how to run the country. ***