Canadian soldiers play hockey on the Imjin River in January 1952 ( Dennis Moore ) The winter of early 1952 was cold enough to freeze the Imjin River that cuts across the inter - Korean border . The frigid weather let Canadian soldiers fighting in the Korean War indulge in their national pastime : ice hockey . In the thick of war , soldiers from the regiments Princess Patricia ’ s Canadian Light Infantry and the Royal 22 Regiment , the “ Van Doos , ” put down their rifles and played a series of friendly hockey matches . The games were a precious respite from savage warfare . Canadian veterans of the Korean War , Claude Charland , Dennis Moore and John Bishop , speak to The Korea Herald in Seoul on Thursday . ( Joel Lee / The Korea Herald ) “ I remember playing hockey like yesterday in January of 1952 , ” said Dennis Moore , in an interview in Seoul on Thursday .   Moore , who fought with the PPCLI , was joined by other Korean War veterans who took part in the games -- Claude Charland , a former officer with the Van Doos , and John Bishop , a former PPCLI officer who served 38 years in the Canadian military . They were in Korea to watch a match between Korean students and current soldiers from their units , held on almost exactly the same site , to mark the 65 th anniversary of the end of the war this year . “ Then - Minister of National Defense Brooke Claxton came to Korea in November 1951 , and told soldiers that he will send hockey equipment to Korea from Canada . People didn ’ t believe him at that time , but the equipment arrived shortly after , ” said Moore . “ We started playing in January of 1952 . It didn ’ t matter who won the game . We were having a good hockey game . ” The games were played a mere five - minute Jeep ride from the front line , according to Moore , and spectators from different countries , including Korean farmers from nearby villages , watched on and cheered from the sidelines . Korean war veteran Dennis Moore fought in the Princess Patricia ' s Canadian Light Infantry regiment . ( Joel Lee / The Korea Herald ) “ Hockey brought us closer to home , because we were playing our national game , ” said Charland . “ This year , hockey brings us back to Korea . Everyone became one , not just those soldiers who played hockey , but also those who watched from the sidelines . ” The most difficult aspect of fighting the war was dealing with the inclement weather , which became bone - chilling in winter , said Moore . “ The hardest part was trying to stay warm . We froze our ass off and ate cold food . ” The Canadians -- part of the 1 st Commonwealth Division -- were mostly involved in defensive rather than offensive operations at the time , he explained , adding that all Canadians were volunteer soldiers . Korean War veteran Claude Charland fought in the Royal 22 Regiment , also known as the Van Doos . ( Joel Lee / The Korea Herald ) Canada contributed more than 26 , 000 troops to the war as the third - largest national contributor to the United Nations Forces . Of them , 516 died , including 312 directly in combat . The major battles that they fought in include the Battle of Gapyeong in 1951 and the Battle of Imjin River in 1952 . Charland said he led his first patrol as lieutenant in March 1952 , during which he and his soldiers were ambushed and embroiled in hand - to - hand combat . “ We managed to come back with five wounded but no soldiers killed . It was an accomplishment under the circumstances , ” he added .   Korean War veteran and former PPCLI soldier Jim Moore poses with a Korean girl he met at a commemorative ceremony for Canada ' s participation in the war in South Korea in 2010 . Moore met the anonymous child and said he has not forgotten her since . Meeting the girl eraced doubts in his mind as to whether he made any difference in the war , he told The Korea Herald . Moore says he is still looking for the girl to maintain correspondence . ( Dennis Moore ) Charland , who went on to become a colonel , said the soldiers “ lived like rats , ” toughing it out in the trenches and bushes , while doing what they could to keep themselves hygienic . “ But despite all of our misery , we kept a good morale . That ’ s why hockey was so important to us , ” Charland highlighted . “ When we got goodies from back home , we shared it amongst ourselves . Each regiment battalion interacted with locals in different ways , giving them food and taking care of orphans . ” The three veterans , with medals pinned to their jackets , offered guarded optimism for the divided Korean Peninsula . “ The two Koreas will become one country again . I have no doubt . And who will make that happen are the Korean people . Never mind anyone else , ” Moore said . Korean war veteran John Bishop fought in the Princess Patricia ' s Canadian Light Infantry regiment . ( Joel Lee / The Korea Herald ) Charland agreed . “ You can ’ t permanently have a situation like the Korean Peninsula , where two opposing regimes are facing one another under such a hostile environment , ” he said . “ When we look at how South Korea has developed since the war , we can say that , ‘ Fine , we lost 516 Canadians , but it was worthwhile . That ’ s it . What ’ s next is out of our hands . ” Bishop , who returned to South Korea as a military attache and Canada ’ s representative at Panmunjeom from 1982 - 1984 , warned against the escalating tension between Pyongyang and Washington . “ The number of casualties from a hypothetical attack by the United States on the North would be catastrophic , in the millions , merely from the artillery and conventional weapons , ” he forecast . A Canadian soldier ( right ) from a joint team of the Princess Patricia ’ s Canadian Light Infantry and the Royal 22 Regiment faces off his counterpart from a joint team of players representing Korea University and Yonsei University in Paju on Friday ( Joel Lee / The Korea Herald ) On Friday , soldiers from the two units played hockey games against a joint team of players from Korea University and Yonsei University at Yulgok Wetland Park in Paju , Gyeonggi Province , near the original site of the Imjin games . As well as the 65 th anniversary of the end of the war , the event marked the 90 th anniversary of the first recorded hockey games in Korea ahead of the PyeongChang Olympic and Paralympic games . The wartime games have secured their place in history . The Imjin River Memorial Cup has been held every year among Canadians in Korea , and the annual outdoor Imjin Classic was played for the first time on the Rideau Canal in Ottawa in 2013 , the 50 th year of diplomatic relations between Canada and Korea . 2018 Imjin Classic match in Paju on Friday was a friendly contest between a joint team of the Princess Patricia ’ s Canadian Light Infantry and the Royal 22 Regiment and a joint team of players representing Korea University and Yonsei University . ( Joel Lee / The Korea Herald ) Friday ’ s games and other related ceremonies , attended by Canadian Ambassador Eric Walsh , PyeongChang 2018 Organizing Committee   officials and other dignitaries , were jointly organized by the Canadian Embassy in Seoul and the city government of Paju . Korea ’ s Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs financially supported the visit of the three veterans . By Joel Lee ( joel @ heraldcorp . com )   [ 코리아 헤럴드 ] [ K - POP HERALD ] [ 페이스북 ] <ⓒ KoreaHerald ( www . koreaherald . com ) 무단 전재 및 재 배포 금지 >