Members of the Carleton Ravens women’s hockey team are mourning the death of Daron Richardson, 14, daughter of Ottawa Senators assistant coach Luke Richardson.
Daron committed suicide Nov. 13 in Ottawa.
Members of both the men’s and women’s hockey team attended the Nov. 17 public memorial service at Scotiabank Place, but Shelley Coolidge, coach of the women’s team, said players are still mourning.
“The kids on our team that do know her are grieving right now, and the ones that didn’t know Daron personally are supporting the ones who grieve,” Coolidge said.
Shaun Van Allen, a former teammate and friend of Daron’s father, Luke, and current assistant coach to the men’s Ravens, said he was shocked when he heard the news.
“I wasn’t fortunate enough to meet her and listening to all the people who talked about her, she sounded like the most unbelievable person,” he said.
“Any time a young person takes their life it’s this feeling of shock and you don’t really know where to go. You give [your children] an extra hug every morning and you definitely don’t take anything for granted. It brings life into the bigger picture,” Van Allen said.
Friends and family described Daron as a bright, happy girl and said they didn’t notice anything and couldn’t think of any pressure Richardson might have been dealing with, according to The Ottawa Citizen.
“I have a daughter that plays hockey and she plays house hockey and we look at it more as just going out and having fun,” Van Allen said. “I think the pressure is what you put on yourself.”
According to Van Allen, his players often manage their time better because of their busy schedule.
“It’s the choice that they make and they really have to monitor their time,” Van Allen said.
Coolidge said her players tend to be a lot harder on themselves than they should be.
“For some of these kids, in their pursuit of excellence, it’s even more a pursuit of perfection. They’re pretty tough on themselves,” she said.
Coolidge said she was saddened by the news but is grateful that the Richardsons have been so open to the public.
“That gives us an opportunity to open up dialogue. For the Richardsons to be upfront and open with the whole situation, it gives our girls a chance to take a look and actually let people know how they feel about them, and I don’t think we do that enough,” Coolidge said.
“In terms of how each person is dealing with it on our team, it’s very different. It’s a very personal experience,” Coolidge said. “Your heart breaks for them because it’s such a personal challenge.”
