Rest In Peace, Doug

I received a text from my friend, Jan, this afternoon that both shocked and deeply saddened me. He reported that our friend, Doug Lem, had passed away this morning.

I believe I first met Doug through mountain biking with mutual friends. Doug was an excellent cyclist. He was especially proficient at traversing steep mountainside descents. Something that would scare the pants off the rest of us.

For a number of years a group of us would regularly drive to Mont Tremblant in Quebec over the Canada Day long weekend to go mountain biking. We would rent a number of condo units and pile in. During the day, we'd take the lift up and ride down. It was great fun.

In the winter we would play hockey together. Doug would normally play defense like me. But, more often than not, you'd see him rush end to end trying to score a goal.

Doug was in excellent shape. Pretty much skinny like me. And he wasn't very old either. I'm guessing in his mid to late 40s like most of us. That's why I was surprised to hear he may have died of a heart attack.

Our Friday night ice hockey was supposed to start this upcoming Friday (October 18th). And, Doug, was slated to play. There will be a large hole in our line up that will never be filled.

Rest in peace, my friend.