Canadian Veterans Return to the Ice

In recognition of the the 65^th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice and the beginning of the XXIII Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, the Office of The Honourable Senator Yonah Martin hosts the Imjin Classic, an annual commemorative hockey game that began in 2013, which was designated the “Year of the Korean War.”

On Friday, January 19, 2018, a Canadian hockey team made up of Korean War veterans from Canada, Canadian ex-pats living in South Korea, and military personnel will play against a team made up of players from Yonsei University and Korea University near Paju, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea, as the Olympic torch passes through on the “Road to the Olympics.”

The Korean War veterans from Canada who will be playing are Dennis Moore, John Bishop, and Claude Charland.

The Imjin Classic is inspired by a hockey game held during the Korean War between the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry and the Royal 22^nd Regiment on the frozen Imjin River in Paju.

The Korean War began on June 25, 1950, and the combat phase ended on July 27, 1953, with the signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement. Many Canadians continued to serve between the signing of the Armistice and the end of 1955.