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A worthy
tradition
Sharks coaches honor their
countrymen
You may have noticed Sharks head coach Todd
McLellan and his staff adorning a certain accessory behind the bench on
Saturday night, and again last night when the Sharks squared off against the
Nashville Predators. It was a simple red flower, hung neatly on each
coach’s left lapel. The red poppy, or replica of the flower, probably
means little to most American hockey fans, but for a Canadian, it represents
something more than just a way to dress up a suit.
The red poppy is
worn by many Canadians during the two weeks prior to Remembrance Day. The
Canadian holiday, also known as Armistice Day or Veterans Day as we know it in
the U.S. , always falls on November 11th. It was on the 11th of November (the
11th month of the year), at the 11th hour of the day, when World War I
officially ended.
Canadians celebrate their veterans with a public
holiday, but more symbolically, with the red poppy. In the United States , war
veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice are traditionally honored on Memorial
Day, whereas American honor all veterans, living or otherwise.
While
not all the provinces celebrate with a statutory holiday, Canada ’s
federal government partakes in several traditions on Remembrance Day, including
the reading or singing of “In Flanders Fields”, a poem written by
Canadian officer and physician John McCrae during World War I after McCrea
witnessed the death of his friend, Lieutenant Alexis Helmer.
The
leading passage:
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row
refers to the flowers
that grew prominently around the battlefields and military burial grounds
around Flanders, or what is present day Belgium . “Red” represents
the color of blood that flowed so prominently in the war that was supposed to
end all wars.
The Montreal Canadiens have the lines:
To
you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold
it high.
inscribed in both English and French in their locker
room above photographs of famous Canadian players, reminding current players of
the teams history, and the importance of honor in the team’s culture.
This particular passage is also inscribed upon the base of the
flagpole at the American Cemetery , Madingley, in Cambridge , England .
The poppies worn by Canadians is a reminder of what
honor should truly represent. It is a tradition that we are lucky to partake
in, albeit vicariously through members of a hockey team that calls San Jose
home. Veterans Day, Remembrance Day or whatever you call it, is worth
recognizing regardless of which of the two countries you hail from.
Remember those, American and Canadian, that paved the way for your freedom by
remembering them on this day of honor. It's certainly something to see a
coaching staff represent their country and it's history in such worthwhile
fashion.
=======
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset
glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we
throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us
who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
— Lt.-Col. John McCrae (1872 - 1918)
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