Saskatoon StarPhoenix

‘Devastated’ Nipawin residents rally behind bus crash survivors

Tiny rural town bands together to produce inspiring show of support

- ROB VANSTONE rvanstone@postmedia.com twitter.com/robvanston­e

NIPAWIN Scott Anderson was in the spirit of ’76.

Anderson, vice-president of the Nipawin Hawks, wore a 1976-vintage Humboldt Broncos jersey to Saturday’s opening game of the SJHL’s championsh­ip series.

Underneath, Anderson sported a shirt bearing the logo of the Hawks, who played host to the Estevan Bruins in Game 1 of the best-of-seven Canalta Cup final.

Anderson’s choice of apparel reflected his ties to both teams.

In addition to being heavily involved in the Hawks, Anderson is a Broncos alumnus — having spent two seasons with Humboldt in the 1970s.

Given the twin affiliatio­ns, Anderson has a soft spot for the Broncos at all times. However, his thoughts are with Humboldt more than usual due to an April 6 bus tragedy involving the team.

“People felt devastated, just like if it had happened to our own team in Nipawin,” Anderson said before the Bruins defeated the Hawks 5-2 on Saturday.

“We’re trying to move forward. On Monday, everybody wore green to work. Thursday was Jersey Day. Everybody has put hockey sticks on the porch. Everybody’s doing what they can to move on.”

They are also doing whatever they can to help the Broncos and everyone involved in the accident.

On Saturday, the proceeds from the 50-50 draw went to Darcy Haugan’s wife and two children. Haugan, the Broncos’ head coach and general manager, was among the people who were killed when the team’s bus collided with a semi-trailer truck 28 kilometres south of Nipawin.

With Haugan’s family in their hearts and minds, Anderson and other Hawks volunteers pre-sold $2,100 worth of 50-50 tickets on Saturday afternoon. Such is the compassion of the people of Nipawin — population: 4,500.

“I think we’re recovering,” Anderson said. “I’ve never seen a community come together like this and so many people who are willing to help. Even on the night of the accident, there were people who didn’t know anybody (involved in the accident) but they wanted to help and see what they could do.”

That includes Anderson, who was born in Melfort but grew up on a farm located 13 kilometres away from the accident site — the junction of Highways 35 and 335.

“I’ve been through that intersecti­on thousands of times,” Anderson said. “I never thought anything of it.”

He revisited the intersecti­on where a Broncos memorial is located the other day and honoured the members of his former team.

Then it was back to the highway. Ten minutes into the drive, he became emotional.

“Even if you don’t have a close personal connection to any of the players, it’s just devastatin­g,” Anderson said.

The town’s response to the tragedy, however, has been inspiring.

“I don’t think there are words to say how proud I am of this community — not only the Nipawin community, but the hockey community, Canada …,” Hawks head coach and general manager Doug Johnson said. “I’ve received calls from all over the world. You can’t put into words what that has meant and what that is like.

“This town of Nipawin, this is my home. I always say that small towns in Saskatchew­an are the best, because everybody’s family and we all care for each other.”

 ?? BRANDON HARDER ?? A Nipawin Hawks fan shows her support for the Humboldt Broncos on Saturday, when the Hawks hosted the Estevan Bruins at Centennial Arena for Game 1 of the SJHL’s championsh­ip series.
BRANDON HARDER A Nipawin Hawks fan shows her support for the Humboldt Broncos on Saturday, when the Hawks hosted the Estevan Bruins at Centennial Arena for Game 1 of the SJHL’s championsh­ip series.

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