Blades have Humboldt in their hearts
Team to wear Broncos-themed jerseys, raise funds for hospital in home opener
The Saskatoon Blades will be “Saskatchewan Together Stronger” when they face off against the Swift Current Broncos in their homeopener next week.
The Blades will sport special Humboldt-inspired jerseys on Sept. 22 in honour of the Humboldt Broncos, who are rebuilding after the team bus crush on April 6 that claimed 16 lives.
“The Humboldt Broncos shook us to the core,” admitted Blades president Steve Hogle, adding that his WHL team wanted to “help them then, help them now and help them moving forward.” They wanted to do something “over and above” a financial contribution to the Gofundme page, said Hogle, who watched his team improve to 6-0 in pre-season with a 3-2 win Thursday over the Regina Pats.
The Blades have teamed up with the Humboldt Broncos, Synergy 8 builders and Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital to raise money for the Humboldt District Hospital and “create what we think will be a fantastic evening and something that will be of monumental help to the people of Humboldt,” noted Hogle.
Team jerseys — featuring the names of all 29 Broncos bus passengers around the waistband — will be auctioned off, along with a Humboldt-themed goalie mask worn by Nolan Maier.
Proceeds from the 50/50 and chuck-a-puck contest will also go to the Humboldt cause.
Money raised will go toward a new isolate machine for the Humboldt hospital. The machine helps stabilize premature babies before they’re moved to hospitals in Saskatoon. Money previously earmarked for the machine was lost as it was redirected in response to the April 6 tragedy.
Also on hand for the news conference were Andrew Williamson, a Synergy 8 board member and Medavie Health Services deputy chief of operations; Brynn Bobacklane, president and CEO of the Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital Foundation; and Lorrie Bunko, executive director of the Humboldt District Hospital Foundation.
“That night has forever changed the lives of so many people in this province of Saskatchewan, Canada and the world,” said Williamson, a member of the Royal University Hospital operations centre on April 6.
“I can’t say enough, truly, about first responders who responded to the call . ... (They) did amazing jobs of dealing with the situation that night and now we can use this as an opportunity to move past that event — not forget about it, but to stand on it and move past it.”
Bunko said they saw a need for a new incubator, as the one at the hospital is more than 25 years old and no longer meets modern standards.
“This gift is going to enable us to sustain our obstetrics program in Humboldt,” she said. “Without an incubator, we cannot sustain that program for rural health care for over 36,000 people in the Humboldt district.”
Said Boback-lane: “(Wednesday) night was about remembrance, honour and paying tribute to a team that represented our province, our country and our global hockey community, the Humboldt Broncos. Today is about hope.”