from Michael Grange of Sportsnet,
The Leafs will host the Boston Bruins on Hockey Night in Canada, the first gathering of the nation’s hockey congregation after a week in which Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent was killed in a targeted hit-and-run attack in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu. Quebec and Cpl. Nathan Cirillo was murdered on the steps of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the shadow of Parliament. Both deaths are considered acts of terrorism with Canadian soldiers as targets.
The three Canadian NHL teams playing in the early games – Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa — are planning a joint tribute pre-game to Cirillo, the 24-year-old reservist from Hamilton who was part of the Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders of Hamilton and Vincent, an airmen.
It will no doubt be moving. It represents a rare opportunity for millions of Canadians to reflect on a pair of excruciating events, in particular Wednesday’s shooting which resonates both for its powerful symbolism and the smallest details – in Cirillo’s case a six-year-old boy who will be growing up without his big, rugged Dad; a picture of two very sad pups now without a loving owner; while Vincent leaves a sister without her twin.
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