Involvement in hockey nets more positives than negatives
More than half of Canadians who have played hockey think male players disrespect girls, women: Poll
Upon reading Tiffany Crawford's story on the hockey poll I was saddened by the slant of the results of such a tiny survey. I really don't understand all the negative press that hockey is receiving now.
I have been fortunate enough to have been involved with hockey almost all of my life and am proud of the accomplishments of the Canadian hockey community. My experience with this group has found very little negative verses all the positive results.
After completing junior hockey in 1959, a teammate and I at Kerrisdale were encouraged to take over the midget (15- and 16-yearold) rep team as they had lost their coach. From that start I became involved with coaching little kids out of the PNE in the mid-'60s. We had all races and religions there in the east end with great success, fun and results.
Then I coached out of the North Shore Winter Club during the '70s as it was cheaper for our family with three boys, one girl and dad playing hockey, and mom curling and helping with team management. We had girls playing hockey with the boys in the young teams where dressing rooms weren't a problem.
I've watched our grandchildren grow into this sport and find that, although the cost is spiralling, the game and people involved are engaged in a healthy activity and atmosphere.
I'm still involved with our senior groups (into our 80s) playing hockey but COVID-19 has shut us down for the present.
Occasionally, I bump into a person who I had coached and appreciate their positive reception on fun times back when.
There are thousands of players, coaches and volunteers that I think will feel the same as I that we have received so much more positive experiences than negative. I believe that the people involved gain in learning to work together and that hard work and dedication can pay off in so many ways.
Ralph Haugland, White Rock
The PNE is worth saving
Thank you Dan Fumano for your column on the PNE and, yes, we definitely need to save it.
I was especially interested in the fact that your Aunt Donna worked at the PNE. My parents had, perhaps, the first food truck selling corn-on-the-cob in the late 1940s and early `50s at the fair. Unfortunately, we don't have any photos of it.
A number of years later, my father, Albert Okell, went to work at the PNE as the designer and builder of the parade floats, so our family has a long history, as do so many others, with the event.
Hopefully, the B.C. government will earmark the PNE for the much-needed funding to keep it afloat.
Patricia Pennington, West Vancouver