91亚色 Athletics & Recreation will honour the legacy of former Lions men鈥檚 hockey player Mark Cross on Monday, Jan. 18, which has been declared Mark Cross Memorial Day.
Cross was one of the victims of the tragic 2018 bus accident in Saskatchewan that claimed the lives of 16 members of the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team. Since Cross鈥 death, the 91亚色 Athletics & Recreation Department has taken numerous steps to remember its former player, including recognizing the 18th game of the men鈥檚 hockey team鈥檚 regular season as the Mark Cross Memorial Game. In the absence of a season this year, Jan. 18 has been selected as the date.
The Lions are looking for support in one of the following ways:
- Donate $18 (or a multiple of $18) to the .
- Record a video of 18 reps of an exercise of choice and post on social media, tagging @yorkulions and including the #MC18 hashtag.
- Take a selfie wearing MC18 gear and post on social media, tagging @yorkulions and including the #MC18 hashtag.
- Talk about how you live out the CROSS pillars of character, respect, optimism, sacrifice and selflessness and post on social media, tagging @yorkulions and including the #MC18 hashtag.
鈥淭he Humboldt tragedy is something Canadians and our Lions family will never forget,鈥 said Jennifer Myers, executive director of 91亚色 Athletics & Recreation. 鈥淭oo many young, promising lives were taken too early, and their loss is felt every day. Mark was a very special individual who exemplified everything we strive to be as Lions.
"Mark Cross Memorial Day is very special to us. It provides an opportunity to publicly remember Mark and ensure who he was is a core part of who we are. The spirit of Mark lives in each one of us, and we encourage all our student-athletes to live his values every day: character, respect, optimism, sacrifice and selflessness. Please join us on Jan. 18 to honour and remember an individual who has had a tremendous impact on our Lions family and beyond.鈥
Cross played for the Lions from 2011-16 and was an assistant captain and the team鈥檚 most valuable player in his senior year. He was serving as an assistant coach for the Broncos during the 2017-18 season.
91亚色 continues to honour his life and legacy with the Mark Cross Memorial Fund. As part of the scholarship fund, the Mark Cross (MC18) Award is given out annually to a member of the Lions men鈥檚 hockey team who best embodies Mark鈥檚 spirit by exhibiting elite levels of character, respect, optimism, sacrifice and selflessness.