New role, new beginning for bus-crash survivor
Humboldt Broncos’ Labelle will stay in game as Blades coaching assistant
SASKATOON When Colin Priestner put his ipod on random play Thursday, it was quite fitting that the first song he heard was Courage by the Tragically Hip.
“That’s the word I think of today,” the Saskatoon Blades general manager shared during a media conference at Merlin Motors.
“Xavier Labelle is a young man who exemplifies courage.”
Labelle, who survived the horrific Humboldt Broncos bus crash on April 6, is the newest member of the Saskatoon Blades. That was made official Thursday morning when Labelle, whom Priester wanted to sign to a WHL contract a few years ago, signed his name on the dotted line.
Labelle will turn 19 in November and won’t be playing this season. He has joined the Blades as a hockey operations assistant.
Labelle, who has been helping the Blades out over the past couple of weeks as well as his former midget AAA team, the Saskatoon Contacts, is helping out the coaching staff and Priestner as well as equipment manager Chad Scharff and athletic therapist Brenden Hope in various capacities.
“It’s the perfect fit for us,” noted Priestner.
Labelle, a gifted multi-sport athlete, academic and musician who graduated from Ecole Canadienn- Francaise in Saskatoon, was born in 1999 and is the same age as eight current Blades.
“He’s very mature, very smart,” stressed Priestner. “For us, it’s two-fold: we wanted him to have something to belong to and believe in. He’s never gone into a season over the last 15 years without having to play hockey. He’s supposed to be on the ice right now and it’s an absolute shame that he isn’t. We thought of what we could do for this kid.
“There’s a lot he’s bringing to us too. We’ve got a really capable young man, really intelligent person here. He knows the game. He’s going to be a big help to us.”
Labelle will likely spend much of his time with the coaches, helping them with a new computer system and video. He’ll also help with prescouting and coding games.
“We want him to get involved in everything,” Priestner said. “If we can provide some hope and some semblance of a routine for him over the winter, it’s going to be huge for him.”
Labelle, along with his brother Isaac and sister Viviana, have all played their minor hockey in Saskatoon with the Bobcats and Red Wing zones. The two brothers both went on to play for the Saskatoon Contacts and the Broncos.
Their father, Paul Labelle, said he and his wife, Tanya, and family are grateful for this opportunity for Xavier to be involved in hockey at home.
“This fall, when (the Blades) asked Xavier to come and help out with the operations side of the camp, there was no hesitation from Xavier, nor on our behalf,” said Paul Labelle. “He’s going to have a great experience with the team and maybe help contribute in ways that maybe he didn’t think he would have a few months ago.
“We’re excited to see where this goes. We’re very, very proud of Xavier. He’s worked very, very hard recovering from his injuries and doing this over the winter will give him more time to continue recovering, especially with support from the organization and communities around us.”