Team-mates describe Boon Huat's death as a great loss to hockey in the country

Team-mates of the late national hockey stalwart Chua Boon Huat who died in a pre-dawn accident this morning, said his death was a big loss to hockey in the country. Boon Huat, 33, the livewire of the National men's hockey team, was killed in an accident along the Lebuhraya Damansara-Puchong (LDP) at about 3am when his Proton Perdana V6 car collided with a tanker near the Kelana Jaya LRT Station. National hockey goalkeeper S. Kumar who is a close friend of Boon Huat said he had lost a very dear friend and the country lost a great hockey player. "He is a person who always valued friendship, no matter what race they are. He is very dedicated and committed hockey player and never hesitated to advise new or young players," he said when met at the University Malaya Medical Centre, here, today. Kumar said the last time he met Boon Huat was when they were together at the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) 'buka puasa' function yesterday with team mates Baljit Singh and Jivan Mohan. "We sat together and had a chat for about 30 minutes. I still cannot accept the fact that he is gone. I have known Boon Huat since 1998 when we played in the National Junior Hockey league. Though I was from Negeri Sembilan, he invited me to play for Melaka. "He taught me how to become a dedicated player. He was always committed in his game, whether in training or match," he said. Former National player and assistant coach Nur Saiful Zaini Nasaruddin said he had played together with Boon Huat in the 2008 TNB Cup. "When we played together, I noticed that he was not only dedicated and committed, he was a very talented player. I am disappointed that I could not meet him at the 'buka puasa' yesterday because I had to attend a function organised by TNB," he said. Nur Saiful added that Boon Huat's death would greatly felt by the National hockey team while the emotion of the players in the National team would also be affected.