We stand together for thee.
That was the powerful message sent by two American-based hockey teams on Wednesday night after a lone gunman brought terror to Canada’s capital city earlier in the day. The shocking attack in Ottawa left a young Canadian solider dead.
Before the start of the Flyers-Penguins game at Pittsburgh’s Consol Energy Center, the sell-out crowd joined Jeff Jimerson in singing “O Canada” in powerful tribute to the fallen soldier.
Jimerson, who regularly sings the Star Spangled Banner before Penguins games, began singing Canada’s national anthem as he encouraged the fans to join in. The players stood on the ice with heads bowed as the lyrics were displayed on the giant screen above the ice and maple leafs were projected onto the ice.
“I thought it was a special tribute tonight,” said Mike Johnston, the Canadian born coach of the Penguins. “Certainly when those events happen, they strike everybody.”
“O Canada” isn’t normally performed in games between two U.S.-based clubs.
“@penguins and thr fans singing O Canada is why sports will always have a special place in our culture,” former NHL journeyman and current University of Denver hockey coach Jim Montgomery tweeted Thursday morning, “it brings people together. #moved.”
The terror attack that left much of downtown Ottawa shut down for hours, led to the cancellation of Wednesday’s game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators.
