Broncos take fans along for an exciting ride

Editor:

Thank you Swift Current Broncos for the obvious reason of winning the WHL Championship Sunday night!

That rink was absolutely deafening! Everyone was on their feet cheering, ringing their cowbells, blowing their horns, stamping their feet and clapping their hands. It was incredible to see and to participate in.

This is truly an amazing accomplishment and really a testament to their conductor at the helm, Manny Viveiros and his coaching staff. Now I am no expert, not by a long shot, but from listening to people who know a bit more than I do, he had a vision for this club from the day he got here, He has made this team fun and exciting to watch, and above all else, really, really good (you know WHL Champs and all!) But there are many more amazing reasons to be thankful for this team and this club.

It’s actually kind of funny that I am even writing this, as I would consider myself a hockey liker, not even really a fan per say. I was someone who would go to the odd game, but pay to stream an away game? Never!

I have also never owned any merchandise with a team logo on it, nor would I have ever considered buying a noise maker/ cowbell to actually cheer with! But this playoff run this year with the Broncos has changed me and made me realize that this game is about way more than the 60 minutes out there on the ice. The picture is way bigger than that, and how lucky we are Swift Current that we got to be a part of that this year!

We became a billet family two years ago, not because we are huge hockey fans, but because I knew we could be a good, safe home for someone who has to be away from their family. I was/still am the checklist billet mom. Making sure the fridge and the pantry are stocked. Making sure of meals and laundry and all that other “mom” stuff. Being a stay at home mom of three, it was not a far stretch from what I was already doing. I would always say “good luck” or “good game” or “congratulations.” But I left the “hockey talk” up to my husband. Not my wheelhouse! My hockey conversations are pretty short.

But, something happened to me as this season progressed and this team made it to series after series. I found myself being excited about going to games. I would check the Bronco schedule before making plans and I started to feel the excitement and the energy building amongst people and businesses in our city.

The city right now is a sea of green and blue and we are all riding this wave of energy and excitement. People are excited! And this team has given us something tangible to be excited about.

So thank you Swift Current Broncos for your amazing performance and for showing me that this is about way more than hockey. That this game is about community and togetherness and support and excitement and the coming together of a city. It has made me comprehend the tragedy of the Humboldt crash even further. And to the people in Swift Current, your participation in the fundraiser held on Friday night while the Broncos played their last game in Everett, showed again how the hockey community is standing together in triumph and tragedy. The Swift Current Broncos did that for us.

I feel joy and pride for this team and what they have accomplished. Every night when those boys leave it all out there on the ice, it gives us the opportunity to have a fraction of that win, or to help shoulder some of the losses. It gives us a chance to be a part of something amazing and to make it better than we even dreamed it could be.

They get on that ice and skate and check and score and we scream and cheer and rejoice, as a collective. As a group, as a rink of 2800 people and a city of 18,000, we are behind you and we thank you for bringing our city together and Congratulations on becoming the WHL Champs!

You made us all lose our voices from cheering so loud, and gave us all callouses from ringing our darn cow bells. But you know what, we ring them for you, Our Team! We ring them for us, we ring them for our community, we ring them for our city and we ring them loud!

Memorial Cup, here we come!

Shauna Cuthbert - Swift Current

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