Ashley Ryan, wife of fallen EPS officer, drops puck at charity game for mental health
Wearing her husband's police jacket, Ashley Ryan walked to centre ice at a charity hockey game in Spruce Grove, Alta., Wednesday night.
She, a paramedic, then dropped the puck on the matchup that Brett was planning to referee.
Ryan and his partner Travis Jordan, both constables with Edmonton Police Service, were shot and killed last Thursday morning while responding to a family dispute.
Brett was an official last year at the Battle for the Badges, an event that raises money for mental-health programs for first responders and soldiers.
"It's been a tough week…He was a community-minded person. First person to give you the shirt off his back and he just wanted to help others," said friend and event organizer Miles Valiquette.
Although Brett was not someone who loved attention, Valiquette said he would be honoured to see the support he received at the game, which aimed to raise $10,000.
Firefighter Cole Hoeber had tears in his eyes when he spoke about the loss of Ryan and the week it's been for emergency workers.
"[This year] I think it's definitely a bit more important. It makes you think a little bit more about the job we do, the importance it is and the different sacrifices we make along our careers," he told CTV News Edmonton.
"I think [the event is] really coming together. It's going to be something special."
Ashley Ryan (right), wife of fallen EPS officer Brett Ryan, at a charity hockey game for mental health programs in Spruce Grove, Alta., on March 22, 2023. (CTV News Edmonton)
A moment of silence for Ryan and Jordan was also observed before the game between the U18AA PAC Saints and a team of local RCMP officers and firefighters.
Hundreds attended the event at the Grant Fuhr Arena, about 15 kilometres west of Edmonton.
"It's really good to see the community pulling together. Part of mental health is that social connection, so it's really good to see the number of people that have come out tonight," said RCMP Insp. Kevin McGillivray.
"Policing, just like all the other emergency services, we are quite a big family…But another big part of that is interacting with community members. So it really is great for our members to come out and see the support we have from the public."
Proceeds from the event will be donated to Legacy Place Society, which offers confidential peer support and user-friendly resources to first responders and military personnel.
A regimental funeral for the officers is scheduled for Monday at 1 p.m. at Rogers Place in downtown Edmonton.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Matt Woodman
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.