Rivalry replaced by unity to honour Broncos
Moose Jaw, Swift Current players show ‘what the hockey community is all about’
There were three guys on our team who lost best friends ... They came out (a day later) and had the games of their lives.
Two fierce WHL rivals MOOSE JAW joined forces in support of the Humboldt Broncos.
Before Saturday’s playoff game at Mosaic Place, allegiances were temporarily suspended as members of the Moose Jaw Warriors and Swift Current Broncos formed a circle at centre ice to demonstrate they stand behind the SJHL club at a time of tragedy.
“That’s just what the hockey community is all about,” Warriors head coach Tim Hunter said Saturday after the Broncos won 4-0 to even a best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal at 1-1.
“We’re in this together with those people, giving them support and hope.”
The Humboldt Broncos’ bus collided with a semi-trailer truck Friday while the team was on its way to Nipawin for a playoff game against the Hawks.
As of early Sunday evening, 15 of the 29 people on the Broncos’ bus had died. and the 14 others were injured, some seriously.
The tragic news resonated with players throughout the WHL.
“It was definitely something nobody has ever gone through before,” Broncos defenceman Colby Sissons said on Saturday. “There were three guys on our team who lost best friends yesterday. For them to be out here playing with us today, all we want to do is support them. They came out and had the games of their lives.”
Swift Current’s Stuart Skinner made 20 saves for the shutout against a Warriors team that led the WHL in regular-season goals, with 326.
“I just don’t think our players were ready to play,” Hunter said.
“I don’t know what the reason was for that — whether it was tough from the (Humboldt) circumstances or not — but (the Swift Current Broncos) were able to play and we just weren’t able to play along with them.”
Glenn Gawdin, Giorgio Estephan, Tyler Steenbergen and Kaden Elder (with an empty-netter) were the goal scorers. Sissons had three assists.
The game proceeded, as planned, after some discussions about whether it should be postponed because of the tragedy.
“Obviously, the first thing is to make sure that the players are feeling well enough to play the game,” WHL commissioner Ron Robison said an hour before faceoff.
“In discussion with the professional support that we have surrounding the players — professional counsellors and other support we have — we felt that it’s important to maintain your regular routine as much as possible.
“So we felt we should continue with the regular schedule and play the game.”
A moment of silence for the Humboldt Broncos was held in all WHL centres Saturday. Players across the league will wear helmet decals that honour the Broncos and their players.