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Day 7: November 19, Sarajevo, Bosnia
Day Seven – NHLPA Goals & Dreams tour makes memorable stop in Sarajevo, Bosnia
Just before 3:00pm this afternoon we arrived in Sarajevo, Bosnia. (Euchre series update: After a couple bad losses, Matty and Zams made a bit of a comeback, with the score for the tour now sitting at 9-8 in Devo and P.J.’s favour.) It didn’t take long for our team here to be absolutely overwhelmed by our surroundings. Only two minutes from the airport, we drove by buildings and even homes in residential areas that were damaged by bullet holes in the war that this country endured.
We were given a short tour of Sarajevo, and some history of Bosnia, on way to our destination.
During our drive we stopped at a monument which we learned was built to memorialize a little girl who was killed by a sniper, essentially starting the war that began in 1992 and lasted for years.
So let’s just say our tour got off to a very heavy start – unlike any of our other stops to this point.
At around 4:30pm we arrived at a gymnasium where we were again overwhelmed, but in such a positive way this time. Two-hundred children greeted us with a thunderous ovation; it rivaled that of an NHL arena. It really was a rock-star introduction for us. And most importantly, it showed us very quickly how much the NHLPA Goals & Dreams equipment donation, and our visit to their country, means to these kids in Bosnia. The kids were eagerly awaiting our arrival, and you could see by the looks on their faces, the enthusiasm and awe felt at the sight of a couple of former NHLers like Zams and P.J., right in their very own gymnasium. The way they admired all of us from the NHLPA Goals & Dreams program was just awesome.
(Just to give you some background on the kids who received the equipment) Bosnia-Herzegovina Sports Foundation (BiH) was founded by a Canadian, Brad Collins, in 2002. It started as a free ball hockey program, merely to try and get kids off the streets, and has since expanded into four registered national hockey clubs in Ilidza Sarajevo, Tuzla, Gorazde and Priedor in the Republic of Serbia! NHLPA Goals & Dreams donated 50 sets of hockey equipment to them last winter. This time around, we’re donating another 25 sets to the program. To say that the kids appreciate all of this new equipment would be an understatement. The foundation has four chapters, all of which are named after NHL teams: the Leafs, the Penguins, the Islanders and the Red Wings.
Not long after soaking up our greeting, we broke the kids up into groups to teach some hockey skill development drills. Devo taught the kids wrist shots; Matty showed them the art of the slapshot; we also did some passing drills; and P.J. was showing the kids his expertise of dump-ins (we’re sort of kidding about the last one!).
At 6:00pm our time, we played a game of ball hockey. Since members from the Canadian military also joined us today in Sarajevo, our team – Team Canada – consisted of P.J., Zams, Devo, Matty and Canadian military members on-hand for the day, all decked out in NATO jerseys. The Bosnian team was made up of leaders from BiH Sports Foundation (including Mirzet Hodzić, who is a very inspiring young man who has persevered and defied so much tragedy and difficulty in his own life).
Matty scored a highlight-reel goal (after being trash-talked by P.J., his teammate). P.J. had his usual stone-hands. It was a good game. The leaders from the Bosnian program are pretty good hockey players, so it wasn’t surprising that when the buzzer went it was Team Bosnia that finished on top, winning by a score of 3-2, to the joy of hundreds of young Bosnian hockey fans.
After the game we shared a dinner with the kids and local dignitaries, the Canadian Ambassador, members of the Canadian military, and those responsible for bring us here. There were a few speeches, including one by Brad Collins, who was one of the key individuals behind starting the BiH Sports Foundation in 2002, that moved all of us with his words about the Bosnian kids, who he referred to as the leaders of the future of Bosnia.
Brad also talked about the program’s appreciation for the NHLPA Goals & Dreams:
“I don’t know if you know this, but most kids have nightmares, not dreams. And for you to come in here tonight and be a part of their life is a dream come true. The impact that the NHLPA had on these kids today is a dream.”
Mirzet, or Mici, also spoke about his own life. There wasn’t a dry eye in the place. His is truly a remarkable story.
It’s going to take us awhile to really process what we saw today. These kids have lived through so much. Some of them have lived through the war in the ‘90s. (One kid told us how he remembered eating actual hardwood, just to keep his stomach full-- so sad.) We were mesmerized by the kids and by the stories they shared with us. These kids have seen so much, including the genocide, where many lost family members or friends. And still, here they were, laughing, smiling, and just thrilled to play and talk about hockey!
Our G & D crew… we’re wiped. We wish we could better deliver the significance of the day through this blog. It was fun, it was tough, and we’re so glad we made the trip to make this equipment donation, and most importantly to meet these truly great young kids in Bosnia.
Please check out the videos and the photos we took today. It’s so hard to put this day into words.
We do need to get a few hours sleep though. Another early morning tomorrow when we catch a flight to Vienna, before heading to Frankfurt for Day Eight of the tour.
Until tomorrow,
G & D crew
NHLPA Goals & Dreams in Bosnia
The NHLPA Goals & Dreams impact on Bosnian hockey can not be measured in the number of equipment donations but more on the stories that have come as a result of it. Although the Goals & Dreams fund has only made one donation to a grassroots hockey program in Bosnia worth approximately $25,000 the impact on the lives of many children has been incredible. A war torn country just 8 years ago, hockey is giving many children an avenue to turn too that is assisting in the healing process.
The program supported by the NHLPA Goals & Dreams fund:
- Bosnia-Herzegovina Sports Foundation (BiH)– 50 sets of equipment – John Vanbiesbrouck
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NHLPA Goals & Dreams facts:
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