And as comes as a result of all tragedies, we are given yet another reminder that life - as the teammates, friends, and families of the most innocent of victims never knew it before - does indeed go on, even if it is somewhat uncomfortable in doing so. I caught myself re-watching an NHL playoff game from last season yesterday, and when the camera happened to pan across the sticker that graced the back of every player's helmet in memoriam of the Humboldt Broncos my heart instinctually sank. The only affiliation I have with a junior team from a province in Canada that I'll never feel comfortable spelling without Google is that I too have ridden in a bus to play competitive hockey. Yet, the mere sight of their logo still resonated with me five months after it became internationally known for the most senseless of reason. I guess what I am trying to say is that, regardless of the game's necessity to go on, it took courage for every person in that building last night to take the most daunting of steps forward into a house that, to some, still needs to be made un-synonymous with horror. In its totality, what ended up a loss on the scoreboard for the Humboldt Broncos was a massive win for their community, but it certainly wasn't accompanied by the type of unadulterated joy that comes with most victories. Instead, I'd imagine the emotions were quite conflicting at every single level of an organization that, try as it may, will never quite be the same again. As refreshing as it was to see that particular team and that particular crowd erupt with excitement upon the scoring of their season opening goal, it seemed only as long overdue as it seemed way too soon. I'm no therapist, but I'd presume that's what it's supposed to feel like when you move forward while paying mind to those passed. I can't possibly comprehend what it must have been like to step foot on that rink knowing what it meant to so many people. I do, however, know that every stride taken on that ice was much more powerful in a figurative sense than it was a literal sense for those saying hello to a new season before saying one more goodbye to some old friends.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Categories
All
Archives
January 2020
|