Mourners gather over horrible hockey tragedy, but small silver lining emerges
The Canadian town of Humboldt, Saskatchewan, came together Sunday to mourn the loss of the 15 people killed when a semi-trailer slammed into a junior hockey team’s bus late Friday afternoon.
Among the dead were Humboldt Broncos coach Darcy Haugan, team captain Logan Schatz and radio announcer Tyler Bieber, according to The Associated Press.
The victims also included Jaxon Joseph, the son of former NHL player Chris Joseph, forwards Logan Hunter and Evan Thomas, and defensemen Stephen Wack, Adam Herold and Parker Tobin.
Team statistician Brody Hinz and assistant Mark Cross lost their lives as well, as did Glen Doerksen, who drove the bus.
A vigil on the team’s home ice was scheduled to take place Sunday night to memorialize the lives that were taken far too soon.
Though the town has less than 6,000 residents, there are routinely between 800 and 1,000 fans at the arena on game nights. For comparison, imagine a crowd of half a million people at a Chicago Blackhawks game. Needless to say, these townspeople love their hockey.
“An entire country is in shock and mourning,” said Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. “To the entire Humboldt community: We are here for you. As neighbors, as friends and as Canadians, we grieve alongside you.”
But there is one silver lining amidst this devastating tragedy.
If this were just a story about a tragic crash in a small Canadian town, it might be in and out of the headlines — a passing story soon to be eclipsed by the next news cycle.
But people from all around the world have come together to show support for the families of the crash victims.
A GoFundMe campaign has raised nearly $3.7 million for funeral expenses and to help families with whatever they need as they mourn.
What’s more, airline company WestJet has offered its help for those impacted by the tragedy who need to reach Saskatoon by plane. The airline is using larger planes to fly into the city, in addition to doing what it can to help family members get to Humboldt for the memorial service.
Winnipeg Jets forward Adam Lowry, an alumni of the Swift Current Broncos — who lost four players in a 1986 bus crash — took note of the magnitude of the tragedy.
“It’s huge. You look at all the small towns across Saskatchewan, everyone knows everybody, everyone comes to the games. You look at the support the community has to make sure those teams survive. You’re impacted by some of those victims, whether you billeted them, served them at the restaurants, coached them,” he said. “Everything is so interconnected there. It’s crazy. It’s a huge loss to the community.”
The hockey world came together Saturday to honor the victims in its own way.
At the Jets’ game against the Chicago Blackhawks in Winnipeg, players wore jerseys that said “Broncos” on the back, according to NBC Sports. Both teams also observed a moment of silence for the lost.
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