Humboldt’s progress encourages Steele
“Humboldt Strong” is more than a slogan for Saskatchewan Roughriders defensive tackle Eddie Steele.
For him, those words describe the response of the Humboldt community to the April 6 crash between the Humboldt Broncos’ team bus and a semi-trailer. Sixteen of the 29 people aboard the bus were killed.
On Wednesday in Humboldt, the Broncos and the Nipawin Hawks were to play in the SJHL’S first regular-season game since the crash. The Broncos were on their way to a playoff game against the Hawks when the collision took place between Tisdale and Nipawin.
“It’s encouraging to see how fast (the Broncos) were able to bounce back and get right back into the season without missing a beat,” Steele said after Wednesday’s closed practice at Mosaic Stadium.
“It’s a testament to the community and to the organization. It will be a good night for healing. It’s a big part of the healing process for what the community needs in order to move forward.”
Steele became familiar with the Broncos before the bus crash. On Feb. 16, he met with Humboldt’s coaches and was also scheduled to address the players after a game in Nipawin. Steele, who was in the area as part of a weeklong faith tour with Riders chaplain Jared Lacoste, changed his plans after the Broncos lost 4-3.
Two weeks after the bus crash, Steele addressed the students at Humboldt Collegiate Institute as part of the Red Cross’s anti-bullying campaign.
Prior to the Riders’ training camp in Saskatoon, Steele and Riders defensive tackle Zack Evans attended a barbecue in Nipawin for the nearly 80 first responders who were at the scene of the crash.
On June 3, thousands of people turned out in Humboldt as the Riders participated in a community barbecue, at which players interacted with fans, signed autographs and posed for pictures.
The Riders played host to the “Humboldt Strong” game on June 30. More than 200 surviving players, their immediate and extended families, billet families, members of the community and first responders were on hand for the Riders’ 23-17 loss to the Montreal Alouettes.
The pre-game ceremony included Steele leading the Riders onto the field while waving a “Humboldt Strong ” flag.
“Every time I’ve been around the community it has surprised me how positive the people really are,” Steele said. “Personally, I don’t know if I could have gotten through the tragedy the way those people have. Every encounter is more positive.”
Elgar Petersen Arena, the 1,874seat home of the Broncos, has been sold out since shortly after tickets went on sale for Wednesday’s game. The contest was also to be televised live on TSN.
A previous engagement kept Steele from watching the game live. He was going to watch it on his PVR.
“It will be emotional to see them out there representing Humboldt, wearing those jerseys and sporting those colours,” he said.
Steele felt it was time for the Broncos to move on from what took place.
“It’s not something that we should ever put to bed,” he said. “It’s all part of the healing process in talking about it and moving forward, especially the community. It’s a good thing to bring it up constantly.”
Having said that, Steele sees some challenging times ahead for the Broncos.
“It will be a heavy season because it has only been a few months since it happened,” Steele said. “For the whole season there will be the weight of the tragedy.
“It will also be a good thing because it will rally a lot of people around the team. I hope the team can have one of those storybooktype seasons.”