With his home province grieving the 22 lives lost during a devastating shooting last weekend, Sidney Crosby sent a message of love and support to his fellow Nova Scotians on Friday.
“I’m in Pittsburgh, but being from Nova Scotia, my heart and mind is home with all of you,” Crosby, a native of Cole Harbour, N.S., said during CBC’s ‘Nova Scotia Remembers’ special.
“I’d like to extend my condolences to all the family and friends affected by this tragedy, as well to the family of Constable Heidi Stevenson from Cole Harbour, who sacrificed her life protecting others. I’d like to thank all the first responders and, as well, the medical personnel that faced this nightmare head on to keep us all safe.
“I know we’ll stick together as we always do through challenging times, and help support those who need it the most. I’m sending all my love and support back home.”
Nova Scotian athletes from around the country have expressed their grief and condolences for their home province in the wake of the tragedy, which stands as the deadliest mass shooting in Canadian history.
“It’s been really hard to wrap my head around how something so tragic could ever happen in a place like Nova Scotia where everyone is so friendly and you’re always greeted with a smile,” Canadian Olympian Blayre Turnbull, of Stellarton, N.S., told The Canadian Press on Tuesday.
“Where I live, I don’t ever remember locking my door at night or any time during the day if we ever left the house because it’s such a safe place where everybody is trustworthy and everybody acts as if you’re their neighbour and you’re their best friend.
“I hope we can stay united and still remain the friendly and safe place the province has always been.”
Added former curling champion Colleen Jones, of Halifax, on how the character and resilience of Nova Scotians can carry them through this difficult time:
“It’s a province where Sidney Crosby can come and still shop in Sobeys when he’s here for the summer and nobody bothers him. And Anne Murray can go golf at her golf course up on the Northumberland Strait and nobody bothers her. Because I think it’s a province where everybody does know everybody or two degrees of separation. I think there’s a humility to the province drawn from hard times in the past.
“This is a province that economically-speaking — it’s always had a struggle. So people helping people is the only control you’ve got in some of the uncontrollable situations.”
