After the nightmare, take a breath and go for the dream

By Sergeant Steve Desgagné

They were young, mostly pre-teens, but mature for their age. Although they have all experienced war, they were all ready to take a bite out of life. Some were orphaned as a result of well-known events, but each one breathes courage and drive. Serb and Bosniak alike, they are united and ready for triumph.

Residents of Ilidza, these children wanted a future different from what they could get from crime, addiction or the street. Determined to offer an alternative, Canadian citizen Brad Collins invited them to come together to learn to play ball hockey. Despite the cheap equipment and modest facilities they had to make do with, the boys found the experience so rewarding that they threw themselves into it.

In 2003, with the help of Sergeant-Major Miller, an association was founded in partnership with the Canadian military community at Camp Butmir. This association took on a mandate to give the local young people a safe and secure place on the base to practise their sport once or twice a week. After each match, the participants would go to Canada House for chips, soft drinks and chocolate. (Efforts to propose a healthier menu have failed.)

The association renewed itself with every rotation of Task Force Balkans. Over the years, many members have played hockey against the budding talent, while others organized activities to enrich the boys’ day-to-day lives.

With time, the young players perfected their game, even taking part in international tournaments. For those who are now grown up, the sport still has a privileged place in their lives. Some even dream of playing in the National Hockey League, while others have transferred that dream to their children.

This dream attracted some outside attention when the National Hockey League Players’ Association visited Bosnia as part of its “Goals and Dreams” program. On 19 November 2009, the NHLPA party not only donated 25 complete sets of hockey gear to local players, they even organized a memorable game with such legends as Rob Zamuner and P.J. Stock.

The Ilidza team faced off against a team made up of NHL guests and members of Rotation 10 of Task Force Balkans, including Corporal David Lowe of Ottawa, Sergeant Steve Desgagné of Montreal, Lieutenant-Colonel Pierre Saint-Laurent (the task force commander), Major Allan Thompson and Major Wally Williams, Captain Tarik Messous and local civilian employee Mrs Dina Evoy. Major Tancrède (“Tank”) Bérubé, who holds down the Bosnia desk in the Operations Branch at CEFCOM Headquarters, also played, as did other members of the visit team.

In a 30-minute game, the military-NHL team — which also included a few Canadians who just happened to be passing through Bosnia — went down to defeat with a score of 3 to 2. The victorious Bosnian team bubbled with hope and good spirits as they rubbed elbows with the guests of honour.

The NHLPA team has described this experience in Bosnia as one of the most impressive of their program, which extends to six countries. This conclusion is no surprise to anyone who has seen the refreshing, vibrant dynamism of Ilidza’s young people.

One of the military originators of the Camp Butmir association left a note on a wall at Canada House, saying, “NE LES DÉCEVEZ PAS” — Don’t let them down. We have invested our resources as well as possible to ensure the continuation of the ball hockey association over all these years, and we can say with confidence that our efforts have clearly made a difference

We are proud of these boys, who have come so far from their past.