Friends, family honour 'major hockey mom' Tanya Wiebe at London tournament

Hockey parents from across southwestern Ontario came to a special Family Day hockey tournament Monday to honour a "major hockey mom" who died tragically three weeks ago. 

Tanya Wiebe, 38, was found dead in a home near Sparta on Jan. 31. 

The body of a man with whom she was known to have been in a relationship, 34, was also found in the home.

Police haven't released details about how Wiebe or the man died, saying it's an ongoing investigation. 

Wiebe's 15-year-old son Chase plays for the AAA Chatham-Kent Cyclones, and his mother was a constant presence supporting her son and his teammates at tournaments all over the region and beyond.

At the special three-on-three tournament at London Sports Park on Monday some of the players wore special jerseys that featured the initials "T.W." in purple, a colour often used to show support for victims of domestic violence. 

Chase Wiebe took the ceremonial face-off. Chase's grandfather (and Tanya's father) Pete Wiebe dropped the puck. 

"It definitely was emotional, everything is still really fresh obviously," said Natasha Boyd, who's son Brant was the other player who took part in the face-off. Boyd said the pair played together for years until Chase joined the Cyclones prior to the start of last season. 

"The tournament has given the opportunity for the boys to come together today and really have a fun day of hanging out, playing some hockey, and supporting the family and bringing more awareness about domestic violence." 

'Everyone is still in shock'

Jason Brown is a friend of the family and has known Tanya Wiebe and Chase for years. He said Wiebe will be badly missed among the hockey parents in the St. Thomas area. 

"She was a major hockey mom, she supported her son and went up and down North America [for tournaments]," he said. "They played in Texas, they played in the New York area.

"Everyone is still in shock and it's very unfortunate that it happened, but it's something we're hoping can be used as an avenue to stop it and prevent it for others," Brown said. "We're all trying to work together and eliminate [domestic violence]."

Waiting on police to confirm what loved ones know to be true can be place a burden on a victim's friends and family, said Jessie Rodger, executive director of London-based women's shelter ANOVA. 

"It can feel so silencing watching someone they love be in a violent relationship and trying to help them but not having systems believe them and having to scream at the top of their lungs," she said. 

"And then the ultimate worst thing happens and they still have to scream on top of their lungs to advocate on behalf of the person who is now gone."

Although she understands processes like ongoing investigations, Rodger believes police services need to understand the impact that gatekeeping such important information can have on family members, she said. 

Rodgers says it's important for those responding to murder-suicides to recognize the importance of timeliness, she added.

"This is absolutely paramount to public safety. To understand this is happening so often that we need to be able to talk about it and if we can't talk about it, we're not going to be able to prevent it from happening," Rodger said. 

If you are experiencing domestic violence or abuse, you can contact Anova's 24-hour crisis and support line at: 519-642-3000 or 1-800-265-1576.

Or the Violence Against Women Services Elgin County at: 1-800-265-4305 or 519-633-0155