Tears flow as hundreds gather to remember Broncos players, coaches
HUMBOLDT, Sask. — There were tears and hugs as hundreds gathered to remember 15 people who died when the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team bus crashed with a tractor trailer late last week.
People laid flowers in a circle around centre ice in the Saskatchewan town’s rink as family and friends of players listened to prayers and hymns.
Pictures of the dead and injured were placed on stands at one end of the arena.
Nick Shumlanski, the only one of the 14 injured in the crash to be released from hospital, attended the vigil wearing his white, green and yellow team jersey, an obvious bruise under his left eye.
Team president Kevin Garinger acknowledged the shock and heartache in the room.
“I want to say to all the Humboldt Broncos families, billets, coaching staff, teammates, classmates, teachers, friends, community members: Not one of us is alone in our grief,” he said. “Continue to reach out.
“Reach out to one another for help and support.”
Garinger then read off a list of the injured and dead, his voice breaking toward the end.
“Today and for every day forward we are all Humboldt Broncos and we will be forever Humboldt Broncos strong.”
The vigil took place the same night as Game 6 was scheduled to be played with the Nipawin Hawks in the Humboldt arena.
There was a moment of silence at the time the game was supposed to start.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attended the vigil along with Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe. Trudeau visited survivors of the crash in a Saskatoon hospital earlier in the day.
Family and friends also shared more stories Sunday of their memories of those lost and unbreakable bonds forged by a love of the hockey.
More names were confirmed of those killed early Friday evening at an east-central Saskatchewan highway intersection
Assistant coach Chris Beaudry was driving his own vehicle to the game the night of the crash.
In an interview, he described his colleague, Mark Cross, as one of the happiest people he had ever met. Cross was from Strasbourg, Sask., where he played hockey before joining the Broncos’ coaching staff.
“His first game, we found a tin of mints and ever since then it’s been alternating back and forth, buying mints for each other and sharing it as a joke. We’d end up going through a whole tin every game,” said Beaudry.
The intersection in east-central Saskatchewan where the crash happened reopened to traffic shortly before noon on Sunday.
RCMP officers from Nipawin, Sask., stopped to lay flowers there on behalf of the detachment.
The Broncos had been heading to Nipawin for a playoff game when the crash happened. While the wreckage had been removed, there were still plying cards and a broken DVD of the movie “Slap Shot” scattered in the ditch.
Team president Kevin Garinger acknowledged the shock and heartache at the arena during vigil.
“I want to say to all the Humboldt Broncos families, billets, coaching staff, teammates, classmates, teachers, friends, community members — not one of us is alone in our grief,” he said.
Garinger then read off a list of the injured and dead, his voice breaking toward the end.
“Today and for every day forward we are all Humboldt Broncos.”
The Hanson brothers, popular characters in the “Slap Shot” movie, tweeted condolences to the Broncos on the weekend, as did other celebrities. The Queen also issued a statement. “Prince Philip and I were saddened to hear word of the crash,” she said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with those who have lost so much, with their families and with all Canadians who grieve with them at this difficult time.”