Coach, player didn’t get on bus
Chris Beaudry rarely boarded the Humboldt Broncos bus for the shorter road trips around central Saskatchewan. The assistant coach would often drive alone in his own vehicle.
Friday was one of those days.
When the Humboldt Broncos’ team bus collided with a semi- trailer truck in an intersection while the team was on its way to Nipawin, Beaudry was not there. Neither was Broncos player Mitchell Garolami, who stayed back home due to illness.
Today, Beaudry remains as the lone member on the Broncos’ coaching staff following the deaths of head coach Darcy Haugan and assistant Mark Cross.
“For me not being on there, I don’t know what to think,” admitted Beaudry. “My mind is a blur. I’m just trying to focus on trying to stay strong for the families. They need support right now and then there’ll be a time.”
He and assistant general manager Jason Neville, who was also not on the bus, are all that’s left of the team’s personnel.
“My mind is blank now, but the hockey community has been great,” said Beaudry.
“We’ve seen a tremendous amount of support. I’ve had players texting me, pro play- ers that I don’t know. I’ve had coaches I know and that I’ve worked with before getting a hold of me. We’ve seen the support from the NHL, even the European level — our team Facebook page is getting messages. It’s unbelievable and so tragic at the same time.”
Beaudry does not live in Humboldt. His home is in Saint-Front, which is located between Spalding and Rose Valley, so his travel route was based on logistics.
“Because of where I live, every game that we go north or east, I drove myself,” he explained. “It just didn’t make sense to drive to Humboldt to then go right past my home again.”
Beaudry had nothing but good things to say about his mentor, Haugan.
“He’s a salt- of- the- earth guy,” said Beaudry. “He’d do anything for you. You’d go into an overtime game and the first thing he would be worried about was the players: ‘Are they hungry? Do they need this or do they need that?’
“Earlier in the year, I hit the ditch outside of town, just lightly slid into the edge of the ditch, and I got a tow- truck out and when I told him the next day, he gives me heck, ‘what are you doing spending money on that? I’ll come anywhere, anywhere to get you?’
“He really cared about everybody.”
One of those was Garolami, an affiliated player and one of four hometown Humboldt products on the roster. The 18- year- old forward/defenceman played Bantam AA and Midget AA in Humboldt before spending two seasons with the Prince Albert Mintos and Beardy’s Blackhawks, respectively, in the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League.
The 6- foot ,176- pound Garolami was called up for the Broncos from the midget AAA ranks, playing six games during the regular season and two more in the SJHL playoffs.
When contacted Sunday, Garolami was not ready to talk. His family expressed their condolences and shared a written statement.
“Darcy wanted him to practice and get some experience in the league ,” mother Kim wrote. “The players welcomed him with open arms. They treated him like a teammate. He was invited to team functions and they even made him dye his hair. Know that these were amazing young men.
“As parents, our only focus is for our children and the people affected by this horrific event. No words can describe how thankful we are that Mitch is here safe with us, yet how devastated we are for the players, people and families of people on the bus.”