On October 22, the Toronto Maple Leafs were staying in downtown Ottawa when an attack by a gunman on Parliament Hill put them in lockdown at their hotel for several hours.
Their game that night against the Ottawa Senators was postponed. Canada spent several days sorting out the events that cost soldier Corporal Nathan Cirillo his life while on duty at the National War Memorial.
On Sunday, the Maple Leafs won the re-scheduled game.
Predators playing a new tune in America’s Music City.
The more memorable portion of the day came hours earlier when both teams skipped their normal game-day skate and paid tribute to Cirillo at the memorial.
Maple Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf spoke for many when he said it was good that the players were able to “pay our respects, it’s bigger than the game – something I will never forget”.
Sports often have served as shelter from some of life’s bleaker realities.
Doubly so, perhaps, in Canada. Terrorist incidents and gun violence have been more pressing issues across the border, in the United States.
The attack startled Canada, raising questions about – and changes to – the low levels of security in place around its seat of government.
Sunday’s remembrance may have been a unique event for Canada and a familiar looking one to Americans, but it was also a reminder that the two nations have always been more alike than different, with much more in common than an ice hockey league.
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