Class and Respect Around the NHL

The NHL is a family. There are 30 teams, hundreds of players and many, many people behind the scenes. There are competitors, rivals, even enemies.

But when there is an event of urgency, even if it has no relevance to hockey, the NHL tends to show compassion and respect reminiscent of family support.

When Dallas Stars forward Rich Peverley collapsed on the bench in March due to a heart condition, the game was postponed. Peverley had pre-existing arrhythmia, which was well-known in the league, and by the time the updates on his condition were released, there had been a massive outpouring of support for Peverley and the Stars on social media. The Twitter accounts of every single team and their fans sent out good wishes and positive thoughts.

In April of 2014, there was a tragic and frightening bombing at the Boston Marathon. That event not only had Boston on lockdown; it sent shockwaves through the entire city. It was announced that the game between the Boston Bruins and the Ottawa Senators would be rescheduled for another date.

Once again, the NHL showed support to Boston. Once again, social media accounts sent encouraging messages and tweets of condolence for those affected by the bombing. And once again, rivals became friends, even if only for a short while.

It is well known that the Bruins and the Montreal Canadiens are more than rivals. But I saw — and engaged in — exchanges between Habs and Bruins fans that never reflected anything but camaraderie. Support for the city, for the injured, for the families of those who died: this became the norm for several days after the bombing.

This week, there were two incidents that hit Canada hard: two soldiers were killed during two separate incidents, and the very core of Canada was attacked. Fear and uncertainty gripped the country, and in a prolonged outpouring of support, the NHL came through again.

The first incident occurred on Wednesday, October 22, when the attacks paralyzed the city of Ottawa. There was a game scheduled between the Senators and the Toronto Maple Leafs, which was canceled. The Leafs organization — from management to players — tweeted out tremendous support. But that night, there was a game in Pittsburgh between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers. A video of what happened there was viral within an hour.

The Penguins organization did something that resonates in the hearts of everyone, hockey fans or not, Penguins fans or not: they had the Canadian National Anthem sung before the game, even though neither team was Canadian. In a show of solidarity, an emotional rendition of the song — with every fan standing and singing along — still resonates four days later. The next night, the same thing happened at the games in every arena: whether it was a moment of silence, “O Canada”, or both, announcements of solidarity and support for Canada were made and greeted with the same respect from fans in the stands and players around the league.

Before Saturday night’s games in Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto, the Senators held a ceremony on the ice. With Senators players in red jerseys, each standing next to a New Jersey player in white, they formed a circle at center ice. The center of the circle was reserved for the honor guard representing Canada’s military and Lyndon Slewidge, who sang the anthems. After the first two lines of “O Canada”, Slewidge held his microphone up to the crowd, who sang in unison. The ceremony was broadcast in Toronto and Montreal, with crowds there singing as well. Flags were waved. Signs were held up in support. And once again, hockey took a back seat to emotions.

It is heartening to see the kind of unity that emerges when there is a crisis or a catastrophe. We see it in other walks of life. But to see it in our sport, especially as widespread as it is, really gives us a lesson in priorities.

When hearts transcend hockey, it makes us sit back and take stock. It makes me prouder to be a hockey fan when I see rivalries put aside in respect for the people involved.

Every single team in the NHL has shown that kind of respect this week. And now, having my country involved in a crisis, I can personally attest to the healing these gestures can bring.

Lissa Albert is a Montreal Canadiens writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow her on Twitter @LissaRantSports. “Like” her on Facebook and/or add her to your network on Google.