Eagles Host Emily Middagh Memorial Game
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The Lethbridge Eagles paid tribute to fallen teammate and former captain Emily Middagh (Em) today ahead of their game against the Calgary Titans. In a special memorial game hosted to a sizable crowd at the ATB center, the Eagles began the game with a ceremony to honour Em and the impact she had on the team. Assistant Captain and Em’s former roommate, Tenelle Lind, delivered an emotional speech to kick off the event, a transcript of which follows:
“Hello everyone. As many of you know, we are hosting this game in honor of our former teammate Emily Middagh or as many of us called her, Em. Em loved the game of hockey and always showed up to the rink with a smile on her face. We were fortunate to have such a talented player like Em come and join the team for one season. The first time Em stepped on the ice with the Eagles it was evident she was one of the best players on the team. I was given the chance to play alongside Em which allowed us to grow a strong bond. This eventually led to her and her dog River moving in with me. When Em moved in, I quickly came to realize the many other talents and hobbies outside she pursued outside of hockey. Em was musically gifted, she loved playing the guitar and the piano and was also a phenomenal singer. Her creative outlets didn’t end there, she designed and drew all her tattoos, and was quite skilled in woodworking, building her own chess board. She also excelled in flag football, soccer, and golf. Emily was humble and kind, she would never boast or brag about her talents, and skills. Her focus was always on seeing others succeed. She was a shy person so naturally it took time to get to know her, but when you were able to break down her wall it was guaranteed that you would love her. For being such a timid and quiet person, it always caught me off guard to hear some of the ideas she had. Specifically, when she decided it was great idea for us to go steal candy from people’s front porches on Halloween or when she decided to go skiing in our parking lot. She was never the loudest person in the room but always had the biggest heart. She truly cared about her friends and family, and it was evident in the way she walked through the world.
Unfortunately, during this time Em was fighting a battle with depression and was open about her struggles with her closest friends and family. She was a people first kind of person and did not want her issues or struggles to impact others. Sadly, on February 7th, Em lost her battle with depression, and we lost Em to suicide. It’s truly a shame that such a great person with so many aspirations and gifts had to leave us so soon. Not an hour goes by in a day that I don’t think about Em whether it be at the rink, in our living room, or on the trail in the coulees where her, River, and I would once go for walks. It breaks my heart every day to think that not everyone got the chance to meet Em - she truly was one of a kind. As heartbroken as I am knowing she is gone, it is reassuring to me knowing that our team has an angel always watching over us. I am so grateful for the friendship and bond we had in our time together, and it is something I will always hold on to and carry with me.
The Eagles honour Em by hanging #14 on the bench every single game. It is our way of commemorating and celebrating the hockey player and person Em was. I know, and I hope Em knows, that every time the Lethbridge Eagles lace up their skates it will be for her. Thank you.”
Former Eagles #14, Emily Middagh. Image provided by Tenelle Lind
The Eagles would go on to win the game 5-3 against the Calgary Titans, adding to a significant lead in the standings this season. Following the game, Lethbridge Sports had a conversation with Tenelle about what playing for Em means to her and the team.
Speaking about hosting the first Emily Middagh Memorial Game, Tenelle tells us, “It was truly surreal. Through COVID we never got a chance to celebrate [Em] all together. Having all the team together and the other team from out of town, it was probably one of the best hockey games I ever got to play.” In addition to hosting the game and being able to play for their fallen teammate, the Eagles also pulled off a big win against their opponents. We asked Tenelle what bringing home the W in addition to everything else meant to the team. “That was a plus. Our main goal was to have fun and play our game. Winning’s great and it adds to our stats and we’re leading the league, but really today we just wanted to have fun and play hockey. That’s why we come here every day - to play the game we all love.”
Tenelle herself has been playing hockey for a long time, and attributes her love of the game to having a family deeply rooted in the hockey community. Tenelle’s older brother plays in the NHL and younger brother is in WHL. She has a sister in the NCAA. “Our family is very hockey oriented.” She laughs. Tenelle is playing with the Eagles following being recruited by the Pronghorns before that program was cut by the UofL following provincial budget cuts. Tenelle is currently pursuing studies at Lethbridge College in Business Administration with a major in Management and future hopes of pivoting her career towards a role in HR. Regarding her own time with the Eagles, Tenelle shares that, “I love this team. I came to Lethbridge to play Pronghorns. When that didn’t work out I came to the Eagles. I can for sure say it’s the best team I’ve ever played on. We all click so well. There’s not one person I don’t want to play hockey with every day.” Tenelle echoes a sentiment we’ve heard from the other Eagles players we’ve interviewed this season regarding the special culture in the team.
Tenelle met Emily through the Eagles, and knew her better than many of her teammates. “I met Emily for the first time at Eagles tryouts. I knew who she was but hadn’t talked to her before. We clicked really good and one night she came over. We got talking and two days later she moved in. We lived together about five months and I got to know her pretty well. For the first bit Emily was pretty quiet and to herself. Her dog River was a way for us to bond and when they both came out of their shells, we had so much fun every day. She would always be out on the couch, never spent time in her room, she honestly just did the weirdest stuff too so it was always a good laugh with her.”
Though she and Emily shared many great moments together in the half a year they lived together, Tenelle looks back on that first night fondly. “My favorite memory is the night she came over before she moved in. We sat down and it was one of our first long conversations. We just chatted four or five hours and opened up to each other completely. I’ve never had that with another friend before.” Among the things that Emily opened up to Tenelle about was her long running struggle with depression. “She struggled with depression for a while.” Tenelle says. “River was her companion dog and he helped with that. She played NCAA and came home because of COVID, then she came to Lethbridge. With COVID we never really knew with Em how bad everything was. She was very open with me about her struggle and I knew the help she was receiving. I thought she was taking all the right steps, but it just shows you never know what’s going on behind a closed door.”
The news that Emily lost her life to her battle with depression shook Tenelle deeply. “I was in shock for three months from everything.” She says. “I couldn’t believe what happened. I went to BC for three months to get my mind off everything, but when I got back it hit me. Even now I keep thinking “oh I should send this picture to Em” or things like that, but it really hasn’t click she isn’t here anymore.”
It was important that the Eagles honor her memory and come together as a team to recognize the impact losing Em had on their club. We asked Tenelle what she felt Emily would think about the team coming together around her to raise money and awareness for mental health challenges. “I think she’d be so happy. She’d love every second of it. She wasn’t a loud person, didn’t like attention, but she would want to know her life gave us reason to support great organizations in her honor.”
Although the memorial game has passed, the Eagles have dedicated their 2021-22 season to Em and have been hanging her #14 jersey behind the bench since the first game of the season. We asked Tenelle what she sees in the future as the Eagles look to finish out Emily’s season this year. “It’s going to keep going up from here. We’ve had the best season the Eagles have ever had. It’ll keep going up from here. Every game I play for Em. I feel like we’re going to win every game, and I know Em’s support up there is pushing us.”
And from the memorial game itself, Tenelle hopes that the awareness raised will keep the conversations open around mental health and depression. “Regarding mental health, get the help you need.” Tenelle urges, “You never know what’s going on behind a closed door and even a simple ‘how’s it going’ can make someone’s day.”