Latest news with #Abrutyn
Winnipeg Free Press
30-04-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
Collective trauma after festival attack could ripple for months, experts say
VANCOUVER – Communal grief following the ramming attack at a Filipino festival in Vancouver that killed 11 people last weekend will likely persist for months, mental health experts in British Columbia warn. 'Traumatic events, grief, is not something that is resolved in a week or two weeks, or a couple of months,' said Heather Mohan, a clinical counsellor and executive director of the charity Lumara Grief and Bereavement Care Society. Eleven people were killed and dozens more were injured when a vehicle sped through a crowded street lined with food trucks at the Lupa Lupa Day festival, sending victims flying through the air. The 30-year-old suspect faces eight counts of second-degree murder so far and police have said more charges are expected. Such an attack, along with environmental disasters, suicide clusters and mass shootings, can trigger collective trauma, University of British Columbia sociology professor Seth Abrutyn said. Collective trauma is the 'sudden, acute destruction of social infrastructure,' including social bonds and community relationships, he explained. The concept, Abrutyn said, was identified by a sociologist more than half a century ago, who was studying the impacts of a flood that ravaged a town in the 1970s. Abrutyn said research has shown the impacts of such an event can spread beyond those who were injured or were witnesses to the larger cultural community, some of whom may live across the country or world. 'Vicarious trauma can spread, and even more so with social media because we're exposed to so much of it,' Abrutyn said. But the processing of grief can also be a collective experience, and Arbutyn said communities can do this by honouring and remembering those who died, either by acknowledging them at future culture events or by creating respectful shrines or memorials. Flowers began piling up on Sunday morning around the police perimeter at the attack scene in South Vancouver, and vigils have also been held to support the local Filipino community. Fundraising campaigns have been set up to help the families of those killed and the Philippine Consulate General in Vancouver began offering support through a national hotline. Abrutyn said collective trauma may lead to anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder and worries about another imminent threat, no matter how unlikely. If unaddressed, grief may have more devastating consequences, Mohan said. 'When people do not have the support that they need around a death, it can turn inward and become a much more serious mental health problem than it ever needs to be,' she said. That, she said, could include depression, suicide or substance misuse. It can also cause physical ailments or exacerbate chronic illnesses or pain, she added. Leigh McCarley, a professor at Vancouver Island University and a member of the Centre for Trauma and Mental Health Research, highlighted the need for community support, emotional expression and maintaining cultural practices in recovery of communal tragedies. 'Resilience doesn't mean not feeling or not reacting, but it's really about finding pathways through these terrible events,' she said. That, she said, could be through support groups, faith groups, sports or activities or volunteering. Open communication is essential, she added. During Elections Get campaign news, insight, analysis and commentary delivered to your inbox during Canada's 2025 election. 'It's important to acknowledge the grief and trauma and horror from this event, and to remember that there may be some pathways through this over the next while that will help people not come to terms with, not get over, but to find a new reality and a new normal.' Mohan said cases like the Lapu Lapu attack emphasize a need for plans to address long-term impacts of grief and trauma. 'We need to support people in the aftermath of these tragedies,' she said. 'We need governments to respond and to create national and provincial bereavement strategies so that when these tragedies happen, resources are in place and people don't have to go scrambling around to look for them, and (to ensure) resources are in place beyond that immediate week or two weeks around the event.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 30, 2025.
Forbes
13-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Alex Ovechkin Aims To Add To Business Portfolio After Breaking NHL Goal-Scoring Record
Alex Ovechkin's chase to become hockey's all-time greatest goal-scorer may have ended last Sunday with career tally No. 895, but the effects for the Russian superstar's marketing and business portfolio will likely continue for the foreseeable future. 'The reality of it, the enormity of the historic moment, will probably take some time to sink in for everybody, not only myself, but him and his family, the Leonsis family, the Capitals organization and the league as a whole,' said David Abrutyn, who has served as Ovechkin's marketing agent for 17 seasons. 'The excitement and energy that you've seen around this chase as it neared its conclusion was reflective of the magnitude of the moment.' The financial impact of 'The GR8 Chase' — an official moniker developed and trademarked by Ovechkin and Abrutyn around the quest to break Wayne Gretzky's all-time goal mark of 894 — is worth several millions of dollars in additional revenue for the Capitals. That's according to an estimate provided by Jim Van Stone, president of business operations and chief commercial officer for Monumental Sports & Entertainment, to Sports Business Journal in March (Abrutyn declined to discuss with me the financial implications of The GR8 Chase for Ovechkin). In Oct. 2024, Forbes estimated that Ovechkin earned $5 million in off-ice monies, already making him one of the league's highest-paid players away from the ice rink. 'We're excited about the universe of opportunities that will be presented to him in all forms of marketing and partnerships, business ventures, licensing opportunities, and we'll evaluate those on a case-by-case basis,' Abrutyn said. 'To break a Wayne Gretzky record is even more meaningful because I don't think there's a sports fan in the world who doesn't know who Wayne Gretzky is. I think that is now true of Alex Ovechkin — that there aren't too many sports fans in the world who don't know he's now the all-time NHL leading goal-scorer.' Abrutyn, who is the global chief business officer for Creative Artists Agency Hockey, couldn't share specifics with me on potential new deals for Ovechkin or other prospective business opportunities. Still, the long-time sports business executive pointed to some of Ovechkin's current licensing and marketing partners who have already taken advantage of the milestone. Nike immediately recognized the 39-year-old Russian superstar on social media, while Upper Deck released a collection of GR8 Moments trading cards on its online platform. Fanatics unveiled special event merchandise and commemorative products to celebrate the milestone. Last Sunday, Ovechkin set the record for the most merchandise sales revenue by an NHLer in a single day across Fanatics' e-commerce network. A week ago, the Capitals also had a special Ovechkin-centric shop at Capital One Arena tied to The GR8 Chase. ESPN released a creative video on social media, produced by independent agency Arts & Letters Creative Co., after Ovechkin set the goal-scoring record. Meanwhile, Ovechkin's current portfolio includes the likes of the aforementioned Nike, Upper Deck and Fanatics, along with Papa John's and Venture Global, both of which are local to Washington, D.C., according to Abrutyn. There's also several licensing partners of The GR8 Chase, he said. Ovechkin's newly-announced partnership with the Capitals, V Foundation for Cancer Research and Hockey Fights Cancer, which raises awareness and money for pediatric cancer research, will continue throughout the rest of his NHL career. Most recently, the Capitals — together with startup collectibles company cllct — launched Capitals Authentics. The debut artifacts included the two nets from Ovechkin's record-tying and recording-setting goals. 'Alex has always been methodical with his approach to his business partners, and the same thing is going to be true here,' Abrutyn said. 'The aperture widens. Even though there was anticipation for it, there's a difference from could be, might be, to he now is. … What you need to do is methodically think about other global, iconic athletes who have had a lifetime and beyond of business ventures born out of being the all-time greatest in your sport. Alex is now in that position.'
