Don Sanderson Loses Battle

If you live in Canada or follow the hockey world you most likely have heard about Donald Sanderson.

Don was a 21-year-old young man who lost his life early this morning at Hamilton General Hospital after succumbing to his injuries sustained during a hockey game in December while playing for the Whitby Dunlops Senior "A" team.

Following a fight with one of his opponents he banged his head off the ice and slipped into a coma. While many opportunists are using his passing to further their own agendas regarding fighting in hockey or how helmets should be improved, I think it's more important to remember who Don was. There will be plenty of time to debate hockey safety in the weeks and months ahead.

I'm proud to say that Don was a friend of mine. Our friendship stemmed from our love for the game of hockey and the hours we spent at the arena during his time with the Trenton Sting Junior "A" Hockey team.

While I was nearly 20 years older than Don, we seemed to grow on one another rather quickly when he arrived to become a part of our hockey club. I can still remember his very first practice and the immediate impact he brought to the ice. In fact, the impact was mostly him laying out his own team-mates who were taking the practice too lightly. Some of the boys came over and complained to me at the bench but I just told them that this is the time we use to prepare for real games and if you can't take a hit now, how will you be able to handle it when it matters.

It's fair to say, I liked Don right away. When he came to the bench and we talked for the first time, I told him to just keep doing what he's doing and he'll stick with the team.

When I got to the rink for practices or games, Don was always serious about the task at hand but never shied away from a chance to converse about life and hockey. We had some good debates about the Leafs and the Habs while sitting in the medical room. We'd chat during breaks in practice on the bench and even during games when Don was assessed a penalty...and that was quite often as I recall...we'd share a few laughs as I was in the timekeepers box as the games official scorer.

During a trip to Boston where our team competed in the Chowder Cup, Don and I along with several other players made the long and hot trek across the city, up and down Beacon Hill by Boston Common to visit the original Cheers restaurant. As a big guy I was dragging my butt in the sweltering heat but Don stayed with me as we trudged our way back to meet the rest of the team at Boston Market.

(Don is in the back row of the photo with the hat on)

Don was a winner. He demanded the best of himself and his team-mates. I recall a couple of conversations with Don being frustrated when he felt some of the guys on the team weren't pulling their own weight. I'm pretty sure after we talked he went into the dressing room and voiced his opinions. His fellow team members could never deny Donnie's desire to win and succeed.

After Don left Trenton we didn't chat nearly enough but he did make a point to keep in touch via the online Facebook community. As I look back and read one of his last messages to me, it's easy to see that Don was a very mature young man who appreciated everything and everyone in his life.

His message to me read, "Thanks for the support while i played in trenton...people like you are what make us players able to play because of your support. take care DON".

Be at peace Don. Rest easy my friend.

(You can click on the photos to see them larger)

Another Lost Snowbird

I was saddened to learn that another member of the Canadian Air Force Aerobatic Team known as the Snowbirds had crashed and been killed on Friday.

Capt. Shawn McCaughey of Quebec was killed after his jet crashed Friday afternoon in Montana while preparing for a weekend air show. No one ejected from the jet after it broke formation and crashed.

The Snowbird pilots are great ambassadors of Canada and represent the thousands of men and women in our armed forces wonderfully. It is always sad to see a tragedy like this happen but these pilots all know the risk and are willing and able to take on this challenge which they believe in so strongly. It makes me proud to be a Canadian every time I am lucky enough to witness them first hand. I've been very fortunate to live in an Air Force town which has given me countless opportunities to see this team in action over the years.

By my count there have been six pilots who have died as a result of a crash while performing with the Snowbirds. This is the 36th year that the Snowbirds have been in operation after forming in 1971. There have been several more close calls with pilots having to eject due to malfunctions or coming into contact with each other. Thankfully the total number of deaths is not higher.

I have always been a fan of Air Shows and up until recently, the annual Trenton Air Show was something I always looked forward to but that tradition appears to have come to an end with no mention of any further shows. The last Air Show in Trenton was in 2003 and like all of the Air Shows before then, I was in attendance.

The first time I saw the Snowbirds fly was in 1972 at the Trenton Air Show. It was just their second season and sadly, this was also the sight of their first fatality. I was almost 4 years old and I can still remember it today.

My mom and dad and my brother Scott and I were standing at the fence line watching the Snowbirds perform and were amazed by what we were seeing. They had already done a couple of maneuvers in formation and the two solo pilots were now doing their well known head on pass. The planes approach each other and at the right time they do a roll and avoid each other while giving the crowd a thrill.

The two planes passed in front of us. I don't remember hearing any sound of them clipping wings but I recall my mother saying, "Look, they're dropping leaflets." As it turns out it was actually aircraft parts falling to the ground. The Snowbird heading East went into a spin and flew into the ground and exploded on impact. The plane going West continued on into the distance and was wavering from side to side tipping its wings. The rest of the planes broke formation and a couple flew after the solo pilot still in the air while the remaining aircraft landed.

The fire trucks rolled and were on the scene but the damage had been done as Captain Lloyd Waterer (24) was killed instantly. I had heard from my uncle who was on the ground crew that day and was one of the first on scene that Captain Waterer did eject, but his plane was spinning so fast that he actually ejected while upside down and ejected into the ground.

It is my hope and my belief that this will not cause people to cry out that this team should come to an end and be disbanded. After previous incidents there has been talk of this happening but thankfully so far it has only been talk.

The only question might surround the aircraft themselves as they are an aging machine. The Canadair CT-114 Tutors have been a very reliable airplane and you can bet they receive thorough inspections on a regular basis but sometimes change can be good. I'm not sure what they'd be able to use instead but I'd love to see them flying CF-18 Hornets or something similar in the future. As long as they continue to fly and perform, I and many other Canadians will be happy.