Sticks out for Broncos

Social media users are reaching out to the Saskatchewan town of Humboldt, sharing photos of hockey sticks left on front porches to pay tribute to the 15 lives lost after a bus carrying the Broncos junior hockey team collided with a semi truck.

The tragedy has captured the world’s attention and while millions of dollars have been raised for the victims’ families, some have looked for other ways to commemorate those affected.

Among the first to post about the #putyourstickout movement was Trevor Ollen.

The Calgary resident said he and his five-year-old son placed a hockey stick on their front porch on Saturday night, after the full extent of Friday’s crash had emerged. His boy, he said, made sure they left the porch light on all night in order to illuminate the piece of equipment.

“It was really a teaching moment for us to talk to our children about loss and how, when you’re in a moment like this, what can you really do? You can make donations for these families, but a kid doesn’t make a donation,” Ollen said.

“This is something that kids could do to feel like they’re making a difference and showing solidarity with the people of Humboldt.”

Ollen was inspired by a similar online campaign in Australia dating back to 2014, he said, when cricket player Phillip Hughes died after being struck on the back of the head with a ball. To pay tribute, Australians left their cricket bats outside.

The newer iteration of the movement resonated in Canada, and particularly in Humboldt, where hockey sticks were left by many front doors and in snowbanks.

The tribute gained traction on Sunday night when Winnipeg Jets broadcaster and Humboldt native Brian Munz shared a screenshot on Twitter of a text message he said he received from a high school friend in the town of 6,000 people.

“Leaving it out on the porch tonight. The boys might need it ... wherever they are,” the screenshot reads, along with a picture of a hockey stick.