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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Friday March 28, 2008 - 49 Hockey Day in Kandahar By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF T wo National Hockey League alumni from Oakville are back home after a week of showing off the Stanley Cup and playing ball hockey with Canadian troops in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Brad Dalgarno, who played 11 seasons with the New York Islanders, and Stu Grimson, an enforcer who retired from the L.A. Kings in 2002, were among about a dozen former NHLers who visited with many of the 2,500 Canadian soldiers deployed in the volatile region. With the experience now behind him, Dalgarno summed up visiting Kandahar Airfield in four simple words. "The trip was unbelievable," he said. Intended as a morale boost for the soldiers, this is the second time the Stanley Cup has made its way to Afghanistan accompanied by a group of retired professional hockey players. Band members from Blue Rodeo and Jonas, as well as solo artists Lori Anna Reid and Gregg Lawless, also made the trip. Dalgarno missed out on taking the journey last year and actually begged to be included in this year's Afghan odyssey in hopes of providing some kind of distraction and joy to soldiers in harm's way. "I do believe it helps, it helps them feel that they're being supported," he said. "I can't imagine anything worse than being put into a hostile environment and believing there is no support back home." Leaving Ottawa on March 16, Dalgarno's entourage first landed in a place called Camp Mirage, a staging area where Canadian soldiers prepare for deployment into Afghanistan. It was during this time that Dalgarno and the other NHLers had a very sobering experience that drove home the reality of what is happening in Afghanistan. "We started the trip with the sad news that Sergeant Jason Boyes, one of our troops, had been killed by an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) the day before," said Dalgarno. "We were invited as a guest of the general to participate in the ramp ceremony for him. It's one of those things where you feel very fortunate and privileged to be there, but it certainly wasn't a great moment. It's really sad to see one of our guys coming back like that." Shortly thereafter, Dalgarno was on the Kandahar Airfield NATO base, a place he described first and foremost as dusty. "I just couldn't imagine living there for your seven month tour. You just never ever got away from the dust," said Dalgarno. "It's just everywhere, you feel it in your lungs, it gets into your stuff, it gets into your room. You just can't shake it." The weather in Afghanistan also took a little getting used to, with temperatures reaching 30-plus C during the day and dropping to the point where a coat was required at night. Dalgarno marveled at how Canadian soldiers can function in such weather, given that the temperature normally reaches Oakville resident Brad Dalgarno (above, centre), pictured with Blue Rodeo band members Greg Keelor (left) and Jim Cuddy, was one of several former NHL players to recently visit Kandahar, Afghanistan, for a week of showing off the Stanley Cup and playing ball hockey with Canadian troops. Below, the players take to the ball hockey court. 60 C during the day in summer months. "They're all carrying 80-plus pounds of pack and flak jackets. I just don't know how they do it, but they get it done," said Dalgarno. Dalgarno would get another chance to see just how much these soldiers could take during four games of ball hockey scheduled during the week. The Canadian and American soldiers had been greatly anticipating the arrival of the NHLers and had even held tryouts for weeks to determine who would get to play them. For each game there was no shortage of spectators, with soldiers taking up positions all around the rink while others sat on army vehicles to get the best view. For the first game in Kandahar, Dalgarno said he and his colleagues faced a different team of soldiers every period so that as many soldiers would get to play as possible. In the next game, Dalgarno and the other NHLers played the American soldiers. "That was awesome. That was a great rivalry game and we had a big turnout for that," he said. "Then on Saturday there was the big showdown between the Canadian all-stars (soldiers) and the alumni. Thank God we still won, but it was a really spirited and good game. It's hard running around on a cement rink in the dust and heat, but it was really amazing and you just knew the troops were having so much fun and we were having fun." After the game, Dalgarno and the other NHLers spent hours signing autographs and talking to soldiers who also had the opportunity to get their picture taken with the Stanley Cup, which was set up nearby. Besides playing ball hockey with the soldiers, Dalgarno had the opportunity to speak with many of them at length. A system, almost like speed dating, was put in place to allow Dalgarno and the other NHLers to attend meals with different Canadian soldiers of different trades. "Back home, once people meet you, they go, `You don't strike me as a hockey player,' and you go, `Okay, whatever that means.' I kind of felt the same way about meeting soldiers. They didn't strike me as soldiers," he said. "I don't know if I was expecting a bunch of lunkheads, but they were not that. They were all very professional, they were incredibly articulate, they were very concerned with the work they were doing and took great pride in the work they were doing. They impressed the hell out of me." During these conversations, Dalgarno even came upon Charlie Thompson, a soldier who turned out to be not only from Oakville, but also from the same Glen Abbey area Dalgarno calls home. "There was a kid from Pilgrim Wood providing close security to one of the top military men," he said. "This kid was doing amazing work and looked all grown up, in great shape and in control." Overall, the trip to Afghanistan was an eye-opening experience for Dalgarno. He was amazed not only by the caliber of the people he met and their dedication to their work, but by the reverence shown to Canadian soldiers by the soldiers of other countries stationed on the base. Returning to Toronto on Sunday for Dalgarno proved to be like stepping onto another planet. "I've had many thoughts of people I've met. The guy that heads the tank division sleeps behind his desk in a dusty office. The office is basically like a cargo container and that's where he sleeps and works," said Dalgarno. "That's it. That's what he's got for seven months."