Hockey fans everywhere are mourning after an April 6 bus crash claimed the lives of 16 people associated with the Humboldt Broncos.
The team was travelling north to Nipawin to play game five of the SJHL semifinals against the Nipawin Hawks. The Broncos’ bus collided with a semi at around 5 pm at the intersection of Highway 35 and Highway 335.
Twenty-nine people, including players, coaches and other team personnel, were on the bus at the time.
An RCMP investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing. No charges have been laid against the driver of the semi, who was uninjured.
Groups of fans gathered at Humboldt’s Elgar Petersen Arena and the Centennial Arena in Nipawin, awaiting news of the accident. Instead of fierce playoff hockey, both rinks were full of grieving friends and family, each waiting to hear what had happened to their loved ones.
Condolences for the team, the community and for friends and family came in from across the globe, from world leaders including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Queen Elizabeth to NHL coaches Mike Babcock, Todd McLellan and Glen Gulutzan – all raised in Saskatchewan, and all experienced with the long bus rides of the junior hockey ranks.
A vigil was held at the Elgar Petersen Arena on April 8. The ceremony was televised nationally and attended by members of the community and Broncos alumni. Current Bronco and former Flin Flon Bomber Nick Shumlanski, who was on the bus during the crash and was released from hospital with minor injuries, attended the vigil.
“I don’t want to be here. I really don’t want to be here, but it’s good that we are,” said Humboldt Broncos team pastor Sean Brandow in a gut-wrenching speech at the vigil.
Reaction
In Flin Flon, reaction was swift and sombre.
In a statement made to The Reminder, Flin Flon Bombers team president Tanya Benoit relayed the feelings of the community at large.
“As a community and organization involved in the SJHL, we are deeply heartbroken to hear the tragedy involving the Humboldt Broncos,” she said.
A vigil was held at the Whitney Forum on April 9. About 800 hockey fans attended the ceremony, some decked out in Bombers or Broncos sweaters. On the way into the Forum, the line snaked through the parking lot.
For Kent McKee, the accident brought back bad memories of the past. McKee was part of the Creighton Bombers in October 1984 when the Bombers’ bus went off the road on the team’s way to Humboldt.
“It’s tragic,” he said.
“Hopefully we can learn from it and it never happens again. Lots of kids travel, people travel all the time by bus. Hopefully we don’t have to deal with this ever again.”
Colleen McKee, Flin Flon city councillor agreed the situation was tragic, but added that silver linings could be found in the hockey world’s response.
“If there’s one thing that can be said about it, it’s united an entire nation,” she said.
“Life is so fragile.”
Long-time Bomber volunteer Larry Feszczyn was at a loss for words. The current public address announcer and penalty box attendant knew and
spoke with many members of the Broncos.
“I was talking to the coach (Darcy Haugen), he showed me pictures of his kids and his wife the last time he was here,” he said.
“I still can’t believe it. It was nice to see the crowd here. It’s touching…”
“This one leaves a person speechless, doesn’t it?”
Feszczyn also heaped praise on Broncos team president Kevin Garinger, a former area resident and billet parent in Humboldt. One of the players Garinger billeted died in the crash.
“He kept it together. I don’t know how the hell he did it,” he said.
“I feel for these parents. Father Paul said, ‘You’re not supposed to bury your kids.’”
Bombers head coach and general manager Mike Reagan said the hockey world needs to come together to support the Broncos organization, the community of Humboldt and the people involved with the sport.
“We’ve got to be strong. That’s easier said than done. There’s moments where you break down, but you have to remind yourself that we have to be there to support them and to support the players,” he said.
“It really hits home. It’s gut-wrenching. It tears your heart out.”
Reagan said after hearing about the accident, he reached out to outgoing Bomber captain Ben Lanfermann, who broke the news to his now-former teammates.
“We wanted to see if they were okay and to reach out if they needed any support.”
“It’s a difficult time right now. There’s no template for handling something like this. Where you go from here, there’s no right answers and there’s no wrong answers. I think the most important thing for anybody who’s involved in this in some way is just to be supportive and to come together as a community.”
With files from Christopher Lee/Devan C. Tasa/Humboldt Journal
