Jersey Day is one more way to show solidarity

Humboldt tragedy has brought out the best in Canadians across the country

As a hockey mom, I am among the Canadians across the country who have been consumed by news of the Humboldt Broncos tragedy. This hit our nation where it hurts, with our children and in our hockey-loving hearts. While thousands of kilometres may separate us, when it comes to our children and our love of hockey, our hearts beat as one.

Here in Montreal, many local elementary and high schools will join others across the nation in participating in Jersey Day this Thursday, April 12. It’s the brainchild of a group of hockey moms from Langley, B.C. As many people have observed, it’s a simple gesture that will help let victims’ families know that they’re not alone and that there’s a whole community behind them. Children are asked to wear a team jersey or sports team shirt to school and bring in a donation of $2 that will go toward the families of the victims.

It’s an opportunity for students and staff to stand in solidarity and show their support, both moral and tangible, for the families and the communities who are suffering from their loss, as well as to express their own grief.

As well, across the country, in a heartwarming act of honouring the victims, people have been leaving their hockey sticks outside of their front door and sharing pictures online using #PutYourSticksOut #SticksOutForHumboldt and others. This is an excellent display of how social media can galvanize not just a community but an entire country in mourning. People

The tributes have sent shivers down my spine. Our nation is in mourning, but we stand united.

are posting pictures of everything from mini sticks that their toddlers use to wooden oars and candles, if they don’t own hockey sticks.

Canadians have opened up not just their hearts, but their wallets. A GoFundMe campaign for the victims and families affected by the crash has catapulted into the website’s biggest campaign in Canadian history. Upward of $8 million has been raised. The money will go where it’s needed, be it to help pay for the funerals of the young men who died or to pay for renovations required to accommodate players who have lost mobility.

Sometimes the worst circumstances can bring about the best in people, and while this is the worst nightmare of any parent, it has brought out the best in our society and has given us an opportunity to demonstrate our true Canadian values of empathy, kindness, compassion and generosity.

The fact that this happened to boys from a small town many of us hadn’t even heard of two weeks ago, yet we have all been moved so profoundly, is testament to our incredible Canadian spirit. The tributes have sent shivers down my spine. Our nation is in mourning, but we stand united.

I know how close families get over the course of one season. We are a hockey family. My son and husband both play hockey; our kids play street hockey after school, we watch hockey with religious fervour that often includes war paint across our face.

When you’re travelling to different cities for tournaments, all staying in the same hotel, eating together and seeing each other four to six times a week at the rink, you get to be very close. It’s a unique sense of camaraderie that transcends age, race, culture or tradition. Many of the victims of this tragedy had been playing together for years.

There is a palpable sentiment spanning our nation that this could have happened to any of us. We are heartbroken as a community, and as a nation. While we cannot do anything to bring back these 16 lives that were tragically cut short, we can come together in the most Canadian way we know how, with kindness, compassion and our hockey sticks held high.

Fariha Naqvi-Mohamed is the founder and editor in chief of CanadianMomEh.com, a lifestyle blog.