It is difficult to put into words how heartbreaking it is hearing the news of the Humboldt, SK bus crash that took the lives of 15 young men and injured 14.
The bus, which was carrying the Humboldt Broncos to their SJHL hockey playoff game against the Nipawin Hawks, tragically collided with a semi-trailer Friday night leading to a weekend of sorrow for families, friends and the entire hockey world.
Tributes to the departed came in from all over the world, with hockey rinks paying their respects throughout the country to the young men who all loved lacing up their skates at 5 a.m. and dreamed of one day hoisting the Stanley Cup.
Words cannot put this into context.
Hockey is the beating heart of this country and for a moment, that heart stopped.
Scrolling through the list of those who lost their lives is a window into the love Canadians have for the game of hockey and gives you the feeling that this tragedy could have happened to any one of the thousands of busses that travel all over this country, bringing young men and women to arenas from coast-to-coast-to-coast.
A coach, a forward, a statistician, a defencemen, a play-by-play announcer, a goaltender, a bus driver — all young men who poured their passion into hockey and shared a brotherhood not only with the team on the ice, but everyone who has loved the game of hockey in this country.
The crash is also the second time a Saskatchewan team named the Broncos has been involved in a fatal collision, with the WHL’s 1986 Swift Current Broncos being the first where four lost their lives.
It’s hard to shake the hurt. It feels impossible to heal. The emptiness feels inescapable.
While these things may be true now, they don’t always have to be. We as a nation need to wrap our love around the families of the fallen and the community of Humboldt.
The loss these people feel will be ongoing and we need to be there as a country to support them — emotionally and financially.
We need to do everything we can to remember the young men who lost their lives on the way to play the sport they love.
It could have happened anywhere. It happened in Saskatchewan and we, as Canadians, need to band together to help those that need it.
Donate at
gofundme.com/funds-for-humboldt-broncos
if you can and send your love to the Broncos.
Parker Tobin, 18. Goaltender
Darcy Haugan, 42. Head Coach
Brody Hinz, 18. Statistician
Logan Schatz, 20. Captain
Jaxon Joseph, 20. Forward
Adam Herold, 16. Player
Mark Cross, 27. Assistant Coach
Tyler Bieber. Play-by-play Announcer
Stephen Wack, 21. Defenceman
Logan Hunter, 18. Player
Conner Lukan, 21. Forward
Glen Doerksen. Driver
Evan Thomas, 18. Forward
Jacob Leicht, 19. Forward
Logan Boulet, 21. Forward
