Hockey Community Unites After Tragedy

By LAUREN KASZUBA Staff Writer

After a devastating incident involving the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team, the hockey community is still coming together.

On April 8, 2018, a bus carrying the Broncos hockey team collided with a semitruck on Highway 35 in Saskatchewan. 15 were killed and 13 were injured in the crash.

The death toll unfortunately recently rose to 16, as athletic therapist Dayna Brons passed away last Wednesday due to her inju- ries.

Since the incident, the hockey community, the NHL, and the AHL have taken a great amount of action.

During the NHL’s fi nal weekend of the regular season, many teams honored the families and victims by taking a moment of silence.

The NHL also passed out Humboldt Broncos decals for players to wear on their helmets.

The Chicago Blackhawks and the Winnipeg Jets wore jerseys with “Broncos” stitched on the back and joined in a circle at center ice during a moment of silence and the national anthem.

Many AHL teams have also raised money for the team through fundraising efforts.

These were just some of the many heartwarming acts carried out by the community, the NHL, and the AHL in honor of the Broncos.

#JerseysForHumboldt involved thousands honoring the crash victims by wearing a sports jersey on “Jersey Day,” which was on April 6.

Organized by Jennifer Pinch, she wanted everyone to know that Humboldt was not alone.

She urged anyone who wore a jersey to post it on social media with the hashtag “#jerseysforhumboldt.”

Avid hockey fan, 20-yearold Holly O’Shea participated in Jersey Day.

She emphasized how the hockey community is always ready to be there for whoever needs support.

“Jersey Day was my way of trying to give back that love and support that I've always received from the hockey community to a group of people who could really use some support right now,” said O’Shea.

One movement that really stuck to me personally was

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#PutYourSticksOut.

Many members of the hockey community had placed their hockey sticks outside the front doors of their homes.

Some were even putting helmets and pucks to go with the sticks, all in honor of the lives lost.

I also noticed that popular Canadian coffee and donut chain Tim Hortons was selling Broncos-themed donuts, with all proceeds going to the team. It is truly incredible and powerful how the hockey community has been able to come together during a tragedy.

I recently wrote an article for the sports section about how my favorite thing about the hockey community was all of us being united. This is exactly what I meant.

We are all #HumboldtStrong.