Jerseys for Humboldt
‘Jersey Day’ helps country show support for Humboldt
It’s been 40 years since Ed Tobin wore the yellow jersey of Ascension Collegiate’s Astros, when he and his teammates carried the Bay Roberts high school hockey team to victory at Newfoundland’s provincial championships.
Thursday, Ascension students poured into the school clad in jerseys and green and yellow to honour the memory of Tobin’s son Parker, who was among 16 people killed in the Humboldt Broncos crash in Saskatchewan.
Across the country Thursday, people showed up to work and school decked out in sports jerseys as part of Jersey Day, inspired by a group of British Columbia hockey moms to send a message of support for the families who lost loved ones in the Humboldt crash.
For this small Newfoundland town, thousands of miles away, the connection is personal and the grief intense.
Glenn Littlejohn, a childhood friend and former teammate of Ed Tobin, was getting ready to drive his son to school on Saturday morning when he caught the images from Saskatchewan.
“When I saw the bus and Humboldt, my first thought was Parker,” said Littlejohn.
Ed Tobin’s brother still lives in the town. One woman, standing under the Canadian, provincial and Bay Roberts flags at half mast just down the road from the school, said she was especially struck when she saw Parker Tobin’s picture — he looked just like his uncle as a kid.
The town was holding a vigil Thursday night for Parker and his family. Littlejohn spoke to Ed on the phone Wednesday night, and planned to share some words from the family. He said Tobin and his wife Rhonda feel the support from home is helping them get through the tragedy.
“It’s been even beyond his wildest beliefs,” said Littlejohn. “They’re so appreciative.”
Jerseys were worn across the country, with many employers encouraging staff to wear jerseys.
At Ontario’s legislature, members of provincial parliament from all parties wore jerseys during question period in the house.
Meanwhile, Toronto’s transit authority said it was allowing employees to wear jerseys over their uniforms. And a number of Toronto schools posted photographs on social media of students wearing their jerseys.
Farialle Pacha, 26, an employee of a wealth-management firm in downtown Toronto, wore her cousin’s AHL sweater in solidarity with the Broncos.
“Being Canadian and hockey being so entrenched in our culture and it’s such a terrible tragedy to have so many young lives go in such a terrible way — my brothers play sports and I play sports and you can’t imagine something like that happening to your family — anything you can do to show solidarity and support for those who lost those young lives, it just seems like the right thing to do,” she said.
Bailey MacLachlan, 25, said the bank she works for sent a mass email asking people to show support. She wore a Maple Leafs jersey.
“It really hit close to home. It was a horrible accident,” she said. “I’m part of a hockey community, so it was something that I could really relate to. I just think it’s great how all these different towns, cities, countries have come together to show their support and help those who are dealing with it heal.”
Paramedics in Peel region, west of Toronto, and police officers in Guelph, Ont., were among those who donned their jerseys. In Quinte West, Ont., provincial police showed their support by having two members of their canine unit wear jerseys and pose for a photograph alongside uniformed officers.
In Alberta, U.S. Ambassador to Canada Kelly Craft donned a red Team Canada jersey to deliver a speech to the Calgary Chamber of Commerce extolling trade between Canada and the United States on Thursday morning.
She said she and her husband, Joe, were “deeply saddened” by the tragedy.