Hockey Night in Canada will take on extra significance Saturday night, as Canada’s three Eastern Conference teams host their first home games since Wednesday’s attack in Ottawa.
To honour the brave soldiers who lost their lives this past week in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu and Ottawa, and to show appreciation for the men and women whose selfless actions stopped the attackers and aided the victims, the Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs will stage a coordinated tribute Saturday preceding the 7 p.m. ET puck drops at their respective arenas.
Senators fans have also been encouraged by the club to wear red to the game and arrive early to allow for enough time to pass through security.
More NHL on Sportsnet:
Subscribe: Rogers GameCentre Live
Rogers Hometown Hockey | Broadcast Schedule
Sportsnet Fantasy Hockey
The show of solidarity, to be staged simultaneously by the three Canadian teams hosting 7 p.m. ET games at Canadian Tire Centre in Kanata, Ont., Bell Centre in Montreal and Air Canada Centre in Toronto, will be broadcast live on Sportsnet and TVA Sports in Canada and on NHL Network in the U.S.
“As we continue to reflect on the tragic circumstances surrounding the deaths of two our country’s soldiers on Canadian soil, we do so with heavy hearts,” Senators owner Eugene Melnyk said via statement. “But what doesn’t break us, makes us stronger. Today our country stands more united than ever and so does the entire NHL family.
“We are very pleased to join forces with the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs in coordinating a unique and special tribute prior our games on Saturday in honour and recognition of these two brave soldiers, their families and all members of our Canadian military.”
Corporal Nathan Cirillo, who was shot and killed Wednesday while standing guard at the National War Memorial, has been honoured in a series of tributes in arenas around the league this week.
The Senators and Leafs were supposed to play Wednesday in Ottawa but had their game rescheduled to Nov. 9 due to the attacks, which took place within yards of the visiting Leafs’ hotel.
