I like the idea of retiring his jersey and think his death is definitely a part of it. It recognizes where he started his NHL career, his achievements, his contributions to the community, the person he was, and also the fact that we will never know what else he would have gone on to achieve if his life wasn't tragically cut short.
But I think the season opener this year is too soon, for a couple reasons:
1) Logistically, getting it together in a month would be very difficult. If we're going to do this, let's do it right, not throw something together in a rush.
2) Whether his family ultimately participates or not, I think they definitely need to be a part of the discussion. And it's way too soon to do that. Maybe the Columbus game? But I also like the idea of doing it in the future, when his children are old enough to be part of an event that honours the father they will, sadly, only remember from other people's stories.
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