Canadian and U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan took time out Sunday to play in new hockey gear donated by the owner of the Ottawa Senators.

Eugene Melnyk was on a business trip to the Middle East when he  brought $50,000 in hockey sticks, pads and jerseys for the soldiers, telling them that "millions of people back home" support their efforts.

"I am your No. 1 fan," the Canadian billionaire businessman said.

Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk, right, shakes hands with Capt. Jim Bacon of Petawawa, Ont., wearing his new Ottawa Senators jersey in Kandahar.
(John Cotter/Canadian Press)

The American ball hockey team that the Canadians eventually beat 9-0 had no hard feelings.

"We and the Canadians have both had a good working relationship since we got here in May," said U.S. Maj. Lee Knowles. "It's been good times. They've carried us, we've carried them. This is a good time to kick back and have some fun."

Melnyk joked about his willingness to do anything to sell a season's ticket, but then he became serious, saying like a lot of people, he had no idea about what exactly the troops are doing — that it's more about building than just fighting.

Good way to unwind

Playing and watching ball hockey is an important ritual for some of the more than 2,000 Canadian troops in Afghanistan, with the teams playing for the Kandahar Cup, a pint-sized version of Lord Stanley's coveted trophy.

Playoffs are to begin in May, when temperatures in Kandahar will climb well into the 40s.

Not long after Sunday's game wrapped, came a reminder of the dangers outside the relative safety of Kandahar base, when two Canadian soldiers had to be airlifted to hospital after their vehicle hit a landmine about 75 kilometres away.

Lt. Chris Courtemanche said the soldiers, from the National Support Element, have been treated for non-life threatening injuries and their families have been notified.

With files from the Canadian Press