Throughout his three seasons with the Moose Jaw Warriors, forward Calder Anderson was always considered a class act and team leader, to the point he was one of the team’s assistant captains in the Regina Hub.
On Tuesday night in Brandon, that leadership on the ice translated into real life.
Anderson, 20, was among four Wheat Kings who stepped up to help a distressed man contemplating suicide on a bridge, as reported by Perry Bergson of the Brandon Sun.
Anderson -- who played with Moose Jaw from 2019-20 to 2021-22 and was traded to his hometown by the Warriors this off-season -- had a leading role in helping the man until police could arrive.
Shortly after one of the team’s regular charity stops on Tuesday night, Anderson, Nolan Ritchie, Jake Chiasson and Ben Thornton were driving home when Ritchie spotted a man standing on the bridge. They turned around to see what was up, with Anderson checking to see if everything was okay.
“He informed me that things weren’t great for him and he was having some pretty bad thoughts, so I asked him if we could get some help and he agreed,” Anderson told Bergson.
“I think the biggest thing in that situation is just to ask the person if they need help, and as soon as I asked, you could see the relief on his face knowing he had someone to care for him.”
Anderson tried to get the man to move to the outer edge of the bridge, but he was scared he would fall and stayed where he was.
“It was scary, some moments,” Anderson said. “He would get up and that’s when your heart starts to beat a little faster and things get a little scarier. I didn’t get too close to him. I didn’t want him to feel any more pressure or anxiety than he was already feeling.”
Members of the Brandon Police Service arrived soon after and helped the man to safety and get the care he needed.
The police commended the four players for their actions, and Anderson felt it was simply a matter of doing the right things at the right time -- especially in light of the recent reputation hits junior hockey players have taken in recent months.
“There is a bit of a stereotype of junior hockey players not being the best guys,” Anderson said. “I’ve known these guys for a while and everyone is kind and a great person. A lot of people don’t get to see us off the ice.
“It sucks that something like this has to happen for people to realize that we are better people than a lot of people think. We’re just like everyone else, and we’re going to look out for each other.”
The Wheat Kings are next in Moose Jaw to face the Warriors on Friday, Dec. 30.
You can read Bergon’s full story by clicking right here.
