Following the tragic events on Wednesday morning, I took a bit of a reprieve from posting just so that I could process everything that has happened over the past few days.
Living in the world that we do and watching violent events unfold elsewhere, it was easy to fall into the trap of thinking that I was becoming numb or desensitized to these situations.
And then it happened in Ottawa.
It shouldn’t take a day like Wednesday to make you realize how often you can take living in this city, and by extension living within Canada, for granted.
But I did, and now, like many of you, I hope that I will never again have to experience what happened on October 22nd.
From the moment the news broke on social media, to emailing and calling friends, family and loved ones to ensure they were safe, to watching the live news reports, to seeing the gut-wrenching photographs of strangers taking photos with or performing CPR on Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, to Josh Wingrove’s chilling video that featured the sounds of gunfire within Parliament, to today’s sombre footage of the hearse travelling down the Highway of Heroes, everything continues to feel surreal.
Yet as the days have passed, a lot of discussion has focused on whether this has or will irrevocably change Ottawa. Inevitably it will leave a footprint and forever be part of our city’s history, but will it change us?
Ottawa’s a resilient city with some passionate and prideful people and despite the one individual who committed these heinous acts, there were the countless first responders who put themselves in harm’s way running towards the sound of gunfire and not away from it. So long as as individuals like Barbara Winters, Sergeant-at-Arms Kevin Vickers and Cpl. Nathan Cirillo continue to exist and outnumber the wrongdoers, I’ll continue to have faith in this city.
They’re all heroes and their actions have and should continue to be celebrated.
I had goosebumps watching tonight’s pre-game ceremony at the REDBLACKS game and I don’t expect it to be any different at tomorrow night’s game at the Canadian Tire Centre.
I’m proud of this city and I’m proud to call it home.
Chris Stewart’s Name Resurfaces in Rumour Mill…
Uh oh, it looks like Chris Stewart’s name is back in the rumour mill again.
According to Elliotte Friedman’s latest ‘30 Thoughts’ filing, the Boston Bruins have kicked the tires on acquiring Stewart to fill the void left by Jarome Iginla on the team’s second line.
Huzzah!
The Senators have been linked to Stewart dating back to the weeks leading up to last season’s trade deadline. So with Stewart eventually moving on to the Sabres where Tim Murray presides as the general manager, many have suspected that a trade between the Sabres and Senators would be imminent because of the obvious familial connections between Tim and Bryan Murray.
I’ve already written about Stewart’s availability and Ottawa’s reported (and inexplicable) interest in him as a player, but it hopefully bodes well that in Bruce Garrioch’s first Sunday column of the season, Garrioch indicated that asking price for Chris Stewart was reportedly Mark Stone and a prospect.
I don’t blame Tim Murray for asking for a young prospect who’s probably the better professional now, but I most certainly can blame the Senators for inquiring on Stewart in the first place.
Now it’s entirely possible that the Senators haven’t kicked the tires on Stewart in some time, but at the risk of Stewart still being available, that won’t stop me from pulling for Boston to pull the trigger on this deal. Get it done, Beantown.
Other News and Notes…
– If you’re headed to tomorrow night’s Senators game versus the New Jersey Devils, the Senators organization is asking that you wear red to support the Canadian Forces and first responders.
– The Senators will also be holding a moment of silence for Cpl. Nathan Cirillo prior to the start of tomorrow’s game. This moment of silence will be part of the team’s coordinated special tribute with the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs to honour and recognize the two soldiers who died this past week on Canadian soil.
– Wednesday’s postponed game versus the Toronto Maple Leafs has been rescheduled to Sunday, November 9th at 6:00 pm.
– Just weeks after sending Johnny Boychuk to the upstart New York Islanders, Bruins defenceman Zdeno Chara was felled by a knee-on-knee injury involving the Islanders’ John Tavares. The injury was suffered in last night’s 3-2 loss and Chara is expected to miss the next four to six weeks. Ruh-roh.
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