posted December 9, 2005

Letter from a world Traveller

Canada has international reputation for hockey - open rinks sooner

[Letter addressed to local city councillor Adam Giambrone] Mr. Councillor. My name is Dave Bidini, writer/musician. I've written 5 books for McClelland and Stewart, two of them about hockey. I've also produced two hockey films: The Hockey Nomad and the Hockey Nomad Goes to Russia. In the first film, we travelled to Ulaan Baatar, where we met folks madly in love with hockey who were forced to flood their city's only rink in minus 30 degree weather. In Russia, we went to Kazan, where a local truck driver, Battan, devoted his entire wages to building the city's first indoor arena. In Dubai, I played with Arab kids on the desert; in China, I skated with 80 year olds who brought their gear to the rink in shopping bags.

In every country, they upheld Canada and Toronto as the model for a hockey utopia. They dreamed of coming here in winter and skating on our myriad of rinks. Because of global warming, there are fewer natural ice patches, so we rely on our city rinks to uphold this hockeytopia. Please consider Toronto's international reputation when you're deciding whether or not to open the rinks early or late. I feel that the Dufferin Grove opening date was more in line with this vision than this Saturday's, which is far too late. Recreational hockey and the city's great array of rinks represent Toronto to the world as much as the CN Tower or the work of Glen Gould.

Please keep this in mind.

- Dave Bidini

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