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Ottawa Redblacks to play as scheduled Friday, host pre-game ceremony to honour fallen soldiers
In the wake of Wednesday's shootings in Ottawa, sports in the city are proceeding a little differently than normal. The NHL's Ottawa Senators cancelled their game Wednesday night, and the CFL's Ottawa Redblacks said they would monitor the situation before making a call on whether to go ahead with Friday night's home game against the Montreal Alouettes. Thursday evening, the Redblacks officially announced that Friday's game will be held as scheduled, and it will include a special pre-game ceremony to honour the fallen. With the Senators not playing until Saturday, this will mark one of the first chances for the Ottawa sports community to come together. FromTim Baines of The Ottawa Sun:
OSEG president of sports Jeff Hunt confirmed Thursday that Friday's game against the Montreal Alouettes is still on, with an early start time of 6:30 p.m., at TD Place.
"This is one of those situations where you really see the power of sport," said Hunt. "We can grieve together, heal together and move forward. Being part of a sporting event gives everybody that feeling that yeah, we are back to normal and everything will be fine.
In light of the shootings in Ottawa on Wednesday, there will be increased security at the stadium.
"We'll be a little more vigilant," said Hunt. "I won't get into anything specific, but we want fans to feel like they're in a safe place.
"One of the messages I'm trying to get out, especially because it's a 6:30 game, is for fans to try and be here a bit earlier. We're planning an appropriate tribute, a recognition of the events of this week, not just in Ottawa, but in Quebec. We think fans will want to be part of that, it's something you'll remember for the rest of your life."
That's thoughtful of the Redblacks to not only have a tribute to Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, who lost his life in Wednesday's shootings, but have it incorporate what happened in Quebec Monday. That incident saw two soldiers run over by an attacker in "a possible terror attack," with Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent fatally wounded. Both attacks have made a major impact on Canada, and this won't be just any other game for the teams involved and the fans in the stands . As Ottawa native and Redblacks' fullback John Delahunt told Gord Holder of The Ottawa Citizen, this game represents a chance to both reflect on what happened and to get back towards normal life:
“I think it will be a great demonstration of how we can get back to living our lives,” the 27-year-old fullback said following the Ottawa Redblacks’ practice at TD Place stadium.
“I think it’s important to remember Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, who lost his life yesterday, and not forget about him in this whole tragedy. But we’ve got to get back to living our lives. We can’t let this event change how we view ourselves.”
Delahunt told Lisa Wallace of The Canadian Press he feels football can provide a way for the community to come together and move forward in the wake of tragedy:
"It's special to be able to play in front of my hometown and help people take their minds off the tragedy of what happened," said fullback John Delahunt. "When events like this happen Canadians seem to unite so I definitely expect to see a great sense of patriotism from the fans. I'm sure it will be an emotional anthem and we can all reflect on what a great country we live in."
Getting back to sports can be tough in the wake of tragedy, as these games are ultimately inconsequential in the big picture of life. Sports can provide an escape, an outlet and a positive way for a community to come together, though. Here's hoping Friday's game in Ottawa can do that.
