N.L. hockey team travelling to Beaumont Hamel to connect with fallen soldiers

Alex Kennedy · CBC News

· Posted: May 02, 2025 12:30 PM EDT | Last Updated: 31 minutes ago

A radical of Newfoundland teenagers volition question to France to correspond their state and state successful an upcoming bid of hockey games, portion connecting to a portion of their history.

The recently formed Trail of the Caribou U-18 Hockey Team, formed successful representation of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, volition play a bid of games against European teams. The radical travels connected Friday.

Manager Michael Holden said the squad is composed of hockey players from astir the metro St. John's portion on with Twillingate and St. Anthony. The trip has been a extremity since helium travelled with different squad from the state to Germany and the Czech Republic last year.

But the astir important portion of the travel is disconnected the ice.

Named for the way of 5 monuments honouring Newfoundlanders and their sacrifices successful World War I, the radical volition besides locomotion the Trail of the Caribou to Beaumont Hamel. Holden said the travel provides a unsocial accidental to link sport, acquisition and history.

"I started talking astir it, I mentioned it to immoderate parents, and everybody was implicit the moon," Holden told CBC Radio Wednesday.

Holden said the radical hopes to correspond Newfoundland and Labrador and Canada with pridefulness while educating the teams they play against. The squad is travelling with some Canada and Newfoundland and Labrador themed jerseys — the second showcasing a Caribou logo connected a agleam bluish jersey, symbolizing a forget-me-not angiosperm and the Regiment's logo.

Cameron Heath, a Grade 12 pupil astatine Holy Spirit High School who is portion of the team, called the travel the travel of a lifetime.

Once the squad arrives astatine Beaumont Hamel, Holden said they volition partake successful a ceremonial with the assistance of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Players volition recite the Act of Remembrance, laic a wreath and perceive the anthems of Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador and Great Britain and the Last Post.

Each subordinate has besides been assigned a worker buried successful the graveyard astatine Beaumont Hamel to research. They'll besides basal astatine the soldier's sedate site.

Heath's worker is Pvt. Malcolm Cyril Mahaney. Born successful Carbonear successful 1893, Mahaney was killed astatine the Battle of Beaumont Hamel astatine the property of 23.

"He was truthful young. Had truthful overmuch beingness left, and helium went to warfare for his country. For his family, for his friends," Heath said.

"Some of the soldiers my friends person are the aforesaid property arsenic us, and it's precise eerie to us. This is simply a conception we ne'er knew."

Players person besides been asked to bring something from the state to spot connected the graves.

"I'm hoping to bring a tiny Newfoundland flag, oregon possibly a formation rock, to punctual him of home," Heath said.

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