There was a somber mood as the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League approached opening night.
Tragedy rocked the hockey community on April 6, 2018, when a bus carrying the Humboldt Broncos was involved in a fatal collision with a truck. That crash resulted in the deaths of 16 people involved in the organization, and left 13 others injured – their lives never the same.
After months of remembrances and tributes during the offseason, the Broncos organization rebuilt its team and got back to doing what it does best on Wednesday: playing hockey. In front of a sold-out crowd at Elgar Petersen Arena, Humboldt took on the reigning SJHL champion, the Nipawin Hawks, the same team the Broncos were traveling to play against when the crash occurred.
The game was broadcast live on TSN and had many memorable and wonderful moments.
Full ceremony
Before the game, Humboldt hosted an hour-long ceremony to give the community another chance to come together and grieve. Players’ families took the opportunity to give back some of the love that they had received in the months prior.
Scott Thomas, whose son, Evan, died in the crash, choked back tears as he made a brief but impactful speech at center ice.
“If you left a stick out, wrote a song, made a card, or signed a banner at school. If you created clothing, if you sat and prayed, or if you simply sat with us and cried, we say thank you,” Thomas said. “If you gave to the GoFundMe, or a scholarship fund, or if you sewed a quilt, sent a picture or a message, cooked a meal, signed a donor card, or were one of the brave souls helping our boys and Dayna at the accident site, we say thank you.”
That speech from Thomas came immediately following his son’s number, as well as the numbers of all of the players on the Humboldt bus, being retired.
In total, 29 banners were unveiled, representing those who were no longer with us, as well as the survivors of the crash.
A moment of silence was also shared amongst the community in attendance, and it was clear that no matter the outcome of the game, this was a chance for them all to pay their tributes as the current Broncos team bravely shouldered the organization and took a step forward.
A moment of silence in Humboldt. #HumboldtStrong pic.twitter.com/UHkHNr8bpw
— NHL on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) September 13, 2018
Some of the surviving members, including Tyler Smith, who collapsed to his knees, overcome with emotion, were in attendance for the entirety of the game. Layne Matechuk and Morgan Gobeil, who are still in the hospital with traumatic brain injuries, were represented by two children, wearing their jerseys and carrying Broncos flags.
On ice ceremony: Broncos receive Declaration of Principles Award from NHL and CJHL pic.twitter.com/DEvnLAtkJb
— Humboldt Broncos (@HumboldtBroncos) September 13, 2018
The Broncos were further honored by the NHL, and CJHL, with the Declaration of Principles Award. The Declaration of Principles were introduced in 2017, as a global pledge to develop, promote and support positive changes in the sport’s culture.
The returning Humboldt Broncos reunite to drop the puck on the 2018-19 home opener #HumboldtStrong pic.twitter.com/NPTIpHWhd8
— Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) September 13, 2018
Former goaltender Jacob Wassermann, Xavier Labelle, and Kaleb Dahlgren took part in a ceremonial face-off with Brayden Camrud and Derek Patter. Camrud and Patter are the only surviving players still with the team.
But perhaps nothing could quite match the response the team received when they scored their first goal. The Broncos would, ultimately, lose the game 2-1, but the result was far from the most important thing on the night.
Absolute chills.
The @HumboldtBroncos are on the board. 💚 #HumboldtStrong pic.twitter.com/ZsOBP0sVME— NHL on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) September 13, 2018
“Life is just a place where we spend time between games,” Thomas said, echoing Fred Shero, a Hockey Hall of Fame coach. “Hockey is where we live.”
What happened to Humboldt, and its community, will never leave them. But on their opening night, in the face of incredible grief, they proved once again that they were still, and always would be, Humboldt Strong.
Headline photo: CBC Sports
