The hockey community throughout Canada and the U.S. was rocked by news of a bus accident involving the Humboldt Broncos, a Saskatchewan junior hockey team.
A semi-truck slammed into the charter bus carrying the team to the Game 5 playoff game against Nipawin in the SJHL semifinals. Of the 29 people on the bus, 15 have died and the other 14 are injured. Head coach Darcy Haugan,Broncos captain Logan Schatz, 20, and teammates Adam Herold, 16, Jaxon Joseph, 20, Xavier Labelle, 18, Logan Hunter, 18, and Stephen Wack, 21, along with Tyler Bieber, a play-by-play announcer, were among the known victims to have passed.
The Humboldt Broncos hockey team. Photo credit: Humboldt Broncos/Twitter
There were 24 players on the Broncos, between the ages of 16-21.
Curt Giles, the former North Star great, and current Edina High School coach, played for Humboldt back in 1973-1975. “It’s a great little farming town of around 6,000, and that hockey team is everything to the people,’’ Giles said. “It’s small town Canada at its best. I can only imagine the broken hearts in Humboldt this morning. Terrible. The hockey team is the anchor of that town. All the players live with a host family. I lived with the Grunskys for two years. Great people.”*
A Gofundme page has been started for the Broncos players and families. Within 18 hours, it has raised over $1 million of the $2 million goal.
Quote by Curt Giles was given to Patrick Ruesse
