Toronto Titans hockey team honours Andrew Taber, teen who died in Christmas Eve cottage fire
John Rieti, Adrian Cheung | CBC News | Posted: December 27, 2016 10:13 PM | Last Updated: December 28, 2016
13-year-old who loved hockey died in fire along with parents and older brother
"For Taber."
That was the rallying cry from the Toronto Titans hockey team, who hit the ice today without their teammate Andrew Taber, the 13-year-old who died along with his parents and brother in a devastating Christmas Eve fire at their cottage near Peterborough, Ont.
"You know what this game means," coach Jules Jardine told his team moments before the game, while Taber's No. 92 jersey hung in the locker room.
Jardine said the Titans organization learned about the fire on Christmas Eve, and reluctantly began informing the players, many of whom consider the Tabers — parents Geoff Taber and Jacqueline (Jacquie) Gardner, sons Andrew and Scott — as part of their hockey family.
Jardine described Andrew Taber as a "fantastic kid" who had a clear passion for hockey and always worked hard to improve his game. He was also a friend to everyone on the team, more the type to smile and laugh along as his teammates clamoured to be the centre of attention.
Eventually, the Titans will play with a patch honouring Taber, so he'll still be right there with them.
'Play for Andrew'
The Titans, a Minor Bantam team, practiced together on Tuesday for the first time since the fire.
"It was one of those drives in the morning where I was hoping it would take me two hours to get to the rink, because I knew when once we saw the boys and the families together it was going to be very emotional," Jardine told CBC Toronto.
After tears and hugs, the team decided to honour Taber with a moment of silence before Tuesday's game against Markham.
In the locker room, Zain Assaf, 13, said it was hard to comprehend not having his friend there with him, especially since the two would often carpool to games together.
"I'm really going to miss that," he said, as a teammate gave him a supportive tap on the shoulder.
Assaf said Taber would have wanted the team to keep playing and not get too hung up on the loss.
"I just want to play for Andrew," he said.
"Hopefully he's up there giving us strength and watching us."
Jardine said the past 48 hours have been difficult for his team, especially because the tragedy took place during the holiday season. He said he's hoping that today's game will be what they need to keep going.
"Keep a piece of Andrew in your mind for the rest of your lives," he told his players.
The Ontario fire marshal is still investigating the cause of the deadly fire.