Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
15 killed as truck slams into hockey team’s bus in Canada
NIPAWIN, Saskatchewan — Canadians were moved to tears Saturday after 15 people were killed and 14 others injured when a truck collided with a bus carrying a junior hockey team to a playoff game.
The bus driving the Humboldt Broncos had 29 passengers, including the driver, when it crashed at about 5 p.m. Friday on Highway 35 in Saskatchewan, Canadian police said.
Among the dead are Broncos head coach Darcy Haugan, team captain Logan Schatz and radio announcer Tyler Bieber.
“An entire country is in shock and mourning,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement. “Our national hockey family is a close one, with roots in almost every town — small and big — across Canada. Humboldt is no exception, and today the country and the entire hockey community stands with you.”
Darren Opp, president of the Nipawin Hawks, who the Broncos were set to play against, said a semi T-boned the players’ bus — an account police confirmed.
“It’s a horrible accident, my God,” Opp said.
The tragedy brought to mind an accident in 1986, when the Swift Current Broncos team bus slid off an icy highway and crashed in late December, killing four players.
The Broncos are a closeknit team from Humboldt, a small city with a population of 6,000.
The crash resonated across the hockey world.
“It’s got to rip the heart out of your chest,” said Toronto Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock, who grew up in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. “We pray for those families and think about them. Horrific, horrific accident.”
Added NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman: “The NHL mourns the passing of those who perished and offers strength and comfort to those injured while traveling to play and be part of a game they all love.”