SHOW OF SUPPORT
Defensive tackle EDDIE Steele was touched By the strength of the Humboldt Community following the Devastating Broncos Bus Crash on April 6 AND is proud of the Roughriders’ ongoing support of the City. The Riders will travel to Humboldt on Sunday.
The “Humboldt Strong” slogan on the back of the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ helmets is close to Eddie Steele’s heart.
The Riders’ veteran defensive tackle became familiar with the SJHL’S Humboldt Broncos prior to the April 6 bus crash that left 16 people dead and 13 others dealing with various injuries.
Those ties have made the slogan all the more meaningful for Steele.
“Having ‘Humboldt Strong ’ on our helmets is a pretty special thing,’’ Steele said during a break at the Riders’ training camp.
“When you brought it up, it brought chills through my body. It’s pretty important that it can be seen on one of the biggest pieces of Saskatchewan with the Rider Nation and the helmet. We know that everyone in the province is looking at us and the fact we have that commemorative piece on our helmets is special.’’
On Feb. 16, Steele met with Humboldt’s coaches and was also scheduled to address the players after a 4-3 loss to the host Nipawin Hawks.
Steele, who was in the area as part of a weeklong faith tour with Riders chaplain Jared Lacoste, changed his plans after the defeat.
“It was a bad loss, so I didn’t go into the locker-room because I get that and I knew the guys didn’t what to hear about that,” Steele said. “I did speak with the coach (Darcy Haugan) for about 20 minutes.”
The Broncos’ head coach and general manager, who died in the crash, impressed Steele.
“He was a good, God-fearing man,” said Steele, a 29-year-old native of Winnipeg. “We talked about him, his coaching style, and how he communicates with his boys, because I do some coaching back in Winnipeg.
“It was good to see how he approached a tough loss. He let the team marinate and he didn’t bring up the tough stuff. He was a really good man and seemed like a guy that I would have liked to have played for if I was an athlete.”
Steele recently attended a prayer breakfast at which Leroy Haugan, Darcy ’s father, was one of the speakers. Once again, a member of the Haugan family impressed Steele.
“He talked about his kids, their faith, and Darcy’s son saying he wasn’t going to give up on God because of this situation,” Steele said. “Just hearing that from a grandparent and from Darcy’s dad … I broke down because it was tough to hear.
“I don’t know if it’s me being a new parent or whatever, but it has definitely affected me and hit me pretty hard.”
Steele’s connection to Humboldt extends beyond the rink. Two weeks after the hockey game, he addressed the students at Humboldt Collegiate Institute as part of the Red Cross’s anti-bullying campaign.
“I actually took pictures with a couple of the people who passed away on the bus,” recalled Steele, who’s in his second season with the Riders.
Steele and the team will be travelling to Humboldt on Sunday for a noon-hour walk-through and barbecue lunch at Glenn Hall Park. Players will also be available for autographs and photos after the one-hour event.
Chris Jones, the Riders’ head coach and general manager, suggested making the trip as a sign of the team’s support for Humboldt.
“It will be special to go there and to be part of the community and to interact with the community,” said Steele, who has been blown away by the support that has poured in for the Broncos and those associated with the team.
“It not only draws from Canada, but North America and the world together. You have people from all over reaching out and people tweeting.”
Steele has been unimpressed with one thing that has taken place since the crash.
“There is some stuff that I’m not the biggest fan of and it has happened for the marketability aspect of it, like people wearing jerseys to work and then taking a selfie, smiling,” Steele said.
“It’s cool that you’re wearing a jersey to work, but what is the real purpose behind it and why are we really doing this? Are we doing this to get recognized or are we doing this because we really do care what happened and to show our support?”
Regardless, Humboldt is moving forward. The Broncos recently conducted a training camp in Saskatoon to help restock the team for the 2018-19 SJHL season. The club is also conducting a search for a new head coach and general manager.
“I was speaking to the Humboldt mayor (Rob Muench) when I was in Nipawin and I said, ‘It’s starting already,’ ” Steele noted. “He said that it has to move on, as painful as the process is, and that they have to move forward as a team and as a community.
“You can’t just stop, because the team has to move on. It has to start rebuilding and doing all of the little things in order to have a team next year. I couldn’t even imagine how that would be. If you’re a person in the organization, it has to be very difficult.
“At the same time, it’s pretty amazing to see how much they care about getting things moving forward and playing hockey next year. That’s huge for some of the boys and (the) community,” he continued.