Only for Daron Richardson does an entire arena of Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs fans stop trying to strangle each other and stand in silence side by side.
A special ceremony took place at Scotiabank Place Feb. 4, where Canadian Olympian cyclist and speed skater Clara Hughes spoke about her battle with depression.
Amidst the sea of Leafs and Senators jerseys were patches of purple in honour of Daron, the daughter of Senators assistant coach Luke Richardson.
“She was an amazing girl,” said Carleton Ravens women’s hockey player Jessica O’Grady. “Her teammates loved her and any coach would have loved to coach her.”
O’Grady coached the 14-year-old, who was described by many as full of life, always smiling and someone everyone wanted to be around.
But something was wrong and on Nov. 13, 2010, she tragically took her own life.
“I was shocked,” O’Grady said. “I couldn’t believe it that this girl with so much going for her would do something like that.”
Neither could her parents, who had no idea Daron was suffering from a mental illness. Now, her legacy lives on with Do It For Daron (DIFD), a youth-driven program focusing on mental health and raising awareness and education for teens in Ottawa.
“You look at the courage the Richardsons have had and the voice they have put out there to help create awareness and encourage people to speak up,” said Shelley Coolidge, Carleton’s women’s hockey coach.
Here at Carleton, the women’s team also helped support the cause Feb. 4.
“We raised over $1,000 for DIFD,” said organizer Stephanie Desson. “We were told multiple times that people were really proud that we were supporting this cause.”
The event took place during the Ravens matchup against the Concordia Stingers Feb. 4 at the Ice House. In support of the cause, fans purchased DIFD merchandise and sweets from a bake sale on a table decked out in purple. There was also a raffle for an autographed prize and a $50 Campus Card gift certificate — all tickets sold by volunteers in purple. Purple was Daron’s favourite colour.
“We were wearing a lot of purple; it was a competition to see who could wear the most,” said fifth-year Ravens forward Claudia Bergeron.
The women sported purple laces and taped their sticks with bright purple hockey tape.
“It was just a game but to some it was a little bit more than that,” O’Grady said. “We wanted to win for Daron.”
The Ravens won the game 5-4 in overtime, and the team said they are proud their effort has brought attention to the DIFD campaign.
“The DIFD organization is all about getting the word out and we did that,” Coolidge said. “It just shows that hockey is so much more than just a game.”
Suicide is the second leading cause of death for Canadians between the ages of 10 and 24, according to the Canadian Mental Health Association. The Do It For Daron campaign tries to change that.
“Her death touched everyone on the team, even if we didn’t know her,” Bergeron said. “We wanted to be a part of the campaign.”
