Letters to The Province, March 16, 2022: Vancouver Canuck Brad Hunt is a chess master


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It was my privilege to attend the NHL game between the Vancouver Canucks and the Toronto Maple Leafs in Toronto on March 5. The physical aspect of hockey was present, but not overwhelming. The game was a chess match, a next-level chess match.

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A traditional chess game has a board with 64 stationary squares, 16 known pieces, and a slowly developing attack. The chess game I saw on the ice was a game with moving squares and changing pieces. Pieces of various speed, physical size and talent interchanged rapidly to continuously set up a new game board. Numerous set attack plays provided another element to the already complex game.

One player on Vancouver was clearly in his element. Brad Hunt is a chess master. His instantaneous analysis of the rapidly changing game board kept him a step ahead of the play. It was a pleasure to see this chess master on the ice.

Eric Proctor, Peterborough, Ont.

Pandemic aftermath: Where do we go from here?

With the pandemic seemingly coming to end, it’s time to clean the slate.

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First of all, thank you to all who have led us through this most difficult period. Sadly, many lives have been lost, so many heartaches. This letter is not intended to review or judge the process, rather to simply ask: “Where do we go from here?”

Many a harsh word has been spoken. Many rigid and hard views and responses have taken place in all areas of life: medical, political, business, among friends and, sadly, family. Let’s hope that we have learned about the art of healthy debating, where we don’t allow discussions to turn into arguments where all lose.

We are now hearing that the most serious outcome of the pandemic is the divisions that have developed. This need not be so. Let’s clean the slate and move on positively. Do we want to be right, or do we want to live in peace?

Forgive and forget. This may not be so easy in some cases, but do what is right and not what is easy. Remember the song as sung by Sonny James: “If I have wounded any soul today, If I have caused one foot to go astray, If I have walked in my own willful way… Dear Lord forgive.”

If peace reigns, we all win. And that will be the best outcome.

Hal Willems, Kelowna


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