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)