A junior hockey team held a commemorative ceremony for a teen that died earlier this summer while playing the game he loved.
The Acadie-Bathurst Titans unveiled a banner and raised it to the rafters before a sold out crowd at their season opener on Friday night to remember 16-year-old Jordan Boyd who died suddenly on the ice.
Boyd collapsed on Aug. 12 inside a Bathurst N.B. arena, where he was attending a training camp for the Titans, after he felt some discomfort during a wind sprint.
Stephen Boyd attended the ceremony and said his son was more than just a hockey player.
"He was a very kind young man," Boyd told CTV Atlantic. "And he had a lot of different interests. Of course, hockey was his passion but he was a great friend to many many people."
Although Boyd was in the stands at the tragic practice, he never had a chance to say goodbye to his son.
"I guess what I would say is: Jordan we are so very proud of you and the Titans are proud of you and we are here tonight to see you," Boyd said.
Jordon's older brother Greg Dobson remembers a lighter side to the teen.
"Jordon surprisingly was quite the dancer. He would like to put on some of his favourite music in the house and dance around whether it be on Saturday mornings in his boxers or after a winning a big game," Dobson said.
Titan management said they saw something special in the young man.
"Great kid, I mean, I met him a few times, drafted him. I saw him play last year myself and he always had a big smile on his face. He was just a guy that seems to enjoy life," Titans general manager Sylvain Couturier said.
A tribute to Jordan Boyd has nearly 90,000 views on YouTube.
With report from CTV Atlantic's David Bell
