I’ve covered a lot of events in my 17 years as a photojournalist with The Progress, and hockey has been a big part of those photo shoots.
For the most part, those hundreds or thousands of hockey games have been pretty standard — get an action shot, file it, shoot another game in a few days.
But once in a while, it’s not the action shot that’s important, it’s the reaction shot.
And so there I was, on Tuesday night, excitedly and anxiously covering the Chilliwack Chiefs as they took on the Penticton Vees in game 7 of the final series of the BCHL Fred Page Cup tournament.
This was it. Win or lose, it would all be over after this game.
It was 0-0 with a few minutes left in the third period. I made my way from the concourse to ice level so I could hop onto the ice the second the game was over. The game went into overtime with nearly 4,000 fans on the edges of their seats.
And then it happened. The Vees scored. The Chiefs lost — they were devastated. Thousands of fans felt their pain.
I stepped onto the ice and continued to shoot, switching my focus from action photos to reaction photos.
Then, a fellow photographer on the ice saw me pointing my lens towards the heartbroken team.
“You’re not actually going to shoot that, are you?” he asked, and then paused. “They’re crying,” he said.
Then I paused.
“It’s news,” I said to him.
And honestly, it was the only thing I really could say to him.
As sad and awful and horrible as it was for the Chiefs to lose Tuesday night’s game, the story had to be told. And as a photojournalist, it’s my job to tell that whole story in one photo — and an action photo surely would not suffice.
Regardless of whether the Chiefs won or lost that night, I would have treated the assignment the same — get the best shot that tells the story of what happened in that game.
That photo happened to be a shot of forward Aaron O’Neill consoling Chiefs captain, Jordan Kawaguchi, with swollen, red, tear-filled eyes.
It was a very sad thing to see, but their emotions were honest. Their faces told the story of their dreadful loss.
And it’s a sight we’ve all seen before, an emotion we’ve all felt. Whether you’ve felt it firsthand, or seen it in the face of a loved one, the feeling of disappointment, heartbreak, and loss is something we can all relate to. The pains of life come with the joys. It’s inevitable.
Journalists cover everything. We cover fires and deaths, fundraisers and plant sales, wins and defeats. It’s all part of what makes Chilliwack a vibrant community.
My photo of O’Neill and Kawaguchi is not an image where I was taking advantage of their downed state. It’s an image that, when people see it, I’m hoping the reader can feel empathy for our home team.
My photo tells a story of disappointment, yes, but also of compassion, teamwork, and friendship.
That photo is just one of the thousands of stories that needs to be told in Chilliwack.