Prospect proud of Humboldt president
Canucks defenceman says his uncle, Kevin Garinger, did great job in tragic situation
It has been a summer like no other for Ashton Sautner.
There have been good times — including his sister’s wedding — but also difficult times for the Vancouver Canucks prospect. The defenceman had close ties to the horrific Humboldt Broncos bus collision April 6 that claimed 16 lives, injured 13 and resulted in 29 charges against a tractor-trailer driver.
When the Broncos open their Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League training camp Friday, they’ll do it with heavy hearts and without team president Kevin Garinger, who is Sautner’s uncle.
Garinger is stepping away to spend more time with family after four-plus agonizing months of being the public face of the tragedy, trying to heal a community and keep its hockey franchise intact. He was not on the struck bus.
“It’s been a tough summer,” the 24-year-old Sautner said Thursday. “People have needed a lot of time to regroup and as a team and community, this is going to be an important weekend.
“I don’t think there will be a time where you get full closure on it because when something happens like that, it’s on such a big scale.”
Chandler Stephenson of the Washington Capitals is bringing the Stanley Cup to Humboldt on Friday and that will help ease some of the community’s pain.
It weighed on Garinger despite the professional manner in which the volunteer vowed to complete his oneyear commitment.
Garinger is also chief executive and director of education with Saskatchewan’s Horizon School Division and is pursuing a doctorate in educational leadership.
“Honestly, right from the time it (collision) happened, he was such a strong person through it all,” Sautner said.
“There were a lot of the things that went on behind the scenes for him that people don’t realize. It took such a toll on him.
“He had to face a lot of questions as the leader through the whole process. I told him I’m very proud of him and all the work he has done because a lot of people had a lot of questions and he had to answer them all. He made a decision that’s best for him and the timing was right.
“I know everyone in Saskatchewan and around the world is proud of him.
“He needs time to gather his thoughts because it wasn’t an easy decision. It’s going to take time for him like everybody else.”
Saunter resides in tiny Flaxcombe, Sask. — population 111 — and trains in nearby Kindersley. He played midget hockey in the province and travelled those icy Prairie roads to further his career.
He didn’t know any of the Humboldt players who perished, but knew assistant coach Mark Cross, who died. And he knows the Humboldt arena where his father Blaine coached in the SJHL. The tragedy has given Sautner a different perspective on life. The undrafted 6-1, 200-pound defenceman signed a two-year extension in March and brought a physical element to the Canucks in five games during his late-season recall.
But he sees a bigger picture. “We always talked about what that feeling is like when you’re on the bus,” he said. “It’s a time to sleep or put your mind at ease, watch movies or play cards. This (tragedy) has really made me realize that you can’t take anything for granted.
“It’s important for every- body to take care of each other and be good teammates and enjoy every moment.”
There were a lot of the things that went on behind the scenes for him that people don’t realize.” Ashton Sautner