Hi again…
February 27th holds some fascinating milestones for Canada, ranging from pioneering sports history to significant wartime victories.
1895: The Birth of the Colored Hockey League
In Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, the Halifax Eurekas and Dartmouth Jubilees played the first game of the Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes (CHL). Founded by local Baptist churches, the league became a powerhouse of innovation and pride. It is credited with pioneering the slapshot and the butterfly style of goaltending—techniques that eventually revolutionized the NHL.
1900: Victory at Paardeberg
During the Second Boer War, the Royal Canadian Regiment (RCR) led a successful pre-dawn charge against Boer forces at the Battle of Paardeberg in South Africa. This was Canada’s first major overseas military victory. To this day, the RCR celebrates “Paardeberg Day” to honor the courage of those soldiers.
1917: Ontario Women Win the Vote
A landmark day for democracy in Canada: Ontario women officially won the right to vote in provincial elections. This followed years of tireless advocacy by suffragettes and made Ontario the fourth province (after Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta) to extend the franchise to women.
1977: The “Glimmer Twins” in Trouble
In a more modern (and slightly scandalous) bit of history, Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones was arrested at the Harbour Castle Hotel in Toronto for possession of heroin. The high-profile trial that followed eventually led to a unique sentence: the band had to play two benefit concerts for the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) in Oshawa.
1994: Olympic Heartbreak in Lillehammer
In a legendary gold medal game at the Winter Olympics, Canada’s men’s hockey team lost to Sweden in a dramatic shootout. Peter Forsberg scored his famous “one-handed” goal against Corey Hirsch, and while Canada took home the silver, the game remains one of the most talked-about moments in international hockey history.
Warmly,
Bill & Marilyn
Founders of Canadian Senior Moment