Humboldt Broncos – One Year Later

The Humboldt Broncos suffered a tragedy like nothing we’ve ever seen. A year later, we look back to when the entire hockey world came to pick them back up.

One Friday in April

I’m on twitter a lot, more than the average person, unfortunately. That being said, I come across bad news almost daily. So one fateful Friday night last April, scrolling through twitter moments, it was no surprise to see there was a major bus accident trending. Nonetheless, I looked into a few articles. It was in the next 30 seconds that the wind was knocked out of me, my hands went numb, and my eyes began to water.

With each click, I made discovery after gut-wrenching discovery. Oh wow, it was in Canada, good lord those are just kids, Jesus Christ it was a junior hockey team. Then, my phone silently crashed onto the carpet beneath me, hands over my head, thinking, selfishly, how many times I’d been on a bus identical to the one the Humboldt Broncos were on that night. The night that ended 15 innocent lives. The same night that parents, waiting for their sons to show up to their playoff game, found out they’d never cheer them on from the stands again. And I cried.

A Community Heals Together

I never knew any of those young men, never met the coach, and never shared a beer with the team announcer. Frankly, I didn’t have to.  I had only ever heard of the Humboldt Broncos a handful of times. I know their drive, their passion, and their goals. You bet I know coaching, grew up with some amazing coaches myself, and man do I love commentating games. We’ve all, as sports fans, been through tough times. We deal with a macho narrative and people tell us not to miss a beat. That’s just not how this works. Frankly, it’s not healthy. We see devastating news and play it off like it’s part of the game like we’re not fully invested in it, or “I never knew him so I won’t or don’t have the right to cry.

I’ll tell you right now, that’s bullshit. The sporting community or sports-focused audience should feel gratified, and given the right to reach out, to shed a tear. To be bothered by losing someone they may not know but have a connection with through something they both love. Tragedies deserve to be mourned, without feeling guilty, or accused of taking advantage of a solemn scenario.

The Emotional Toll of Sports

I cried for those boys. Grieved with those parents, siblings, and friends. No, not with my arm around them, but you can just feel it. It’s almost like your heartbeat slows down, and the spirit of those who shared the love for your sport fills your body with a rejuvenated appreciation for all that sport has given you. There’s an echo with each stick tap, which breaks open your imagination. Wanting to watch those we’ve lost, lace em up one last time. It’s not just hockey, that’s just my community. Steve McNair, Sean Taylor, NFL fans felt that pain alongside the families. Roy “Doc” Halladay, Jose Fernandez, changed baseball and it’s fans forever before they passed.

I want you, NEED you, as a sports fan, to know it’s okay to be hurt, even devastated. You don’t have to have lunch every day with your heroes to know them. I didn’t have to play with the Broncos to understand who they were. Kids, pursuing a dream, riding a team bus, arguably the time a player feels the most secure, and they were loved. Loved by family and friends, and this unyielding support from the hockey world would have brought them to their knees. Because that’s what it’s done for all of us.

Outreach from Around the World

After speaking to a handful of high school and amateur athletes, I realized just how sacred that bus ride is. No matter the sport, you felt safe traveling from home ice to enemy territory. “I don’t know how to exactly say what I want to say. All I know is my bus rides with a team were some of the best times of my life. The songs we sang together, the dingers we threw. The overall mental connection of when to turn it on before we got to the field.” Matt Wasnich is a former high school and college baseball player, he told me all about the bus rides he took for the better part of a decade.

He then spoke about the Humboldt Broncos and what it was like to be with your closest friends, brothers really, on a team bus. “I couldn’t imagine losing a brother right next to me during those moments. It was devastating to see what those young men had to go through” he continued. These conversations just solidified what everyone already new. None of their bonds were broken by death. In fact, it was strengthened by their memory.

Beyond the Crash

Other former hockey players had more to say in the aftermath of that weekend. While social media movements and hashtags took the hockey world by storm, everyone was finding a way to honor the Humboldt Broncos. “My main takeaway from the post-incident hysteria was the hockey sticks people had left outside. The tragedy transcended a team, a city, even a country. It went worldwide and humanity was united in the hope and faith that these boys were still playing puck up in the clouds. It’s almost like everyone was on the same brainwave when you saw a stick on someone’s front porch” Zach MacLachlan, talking about the #SticksOutForHumboldt movement after the accident.

Hockey Heals

The point of this is not to harp on tragedy, but to find a better way to deal with the visceral reaction we all have to news like this. Love your sport, love the athletes you watch every day. Understand how lucky you are, or were, to have played the game on any level. Because for each sports fan, there’s a time to cheer for some, and time to grieve with all. It’s been a year since Humboldt County lost so many sons.

A year of mourning, of rebuilding. The Humboldt Broncos made the playoffs this year. Think about that. Not only did they ice a team, but made the playoffs and lost a game-7 heartbreaker. Just two players from the accident returned to the ice, Brayden Camrud and Derek Patter. Two players who had the weight of a community on their shoulders, and thrived in the opportunity to honor their lost teammates, coach, and friends.

Hockey heals, and we’re watching that within a small Saskatchewan town. It’s been humbling to see how so many rallied around the families who suffered. A lot will be talked about this weekend as we acknowledge the anniversary of the crash and everything that has changed since. Now, my hope is that we are all reminded that the hockey community is one that comes together in the midst of inconceivable heartbreak. Fans, players, writers, and so many more, our hearts are still with Humboldt. We are forever Humboldt Strong.

What do you think? Let me know on twitter – @Gehrholz_K . Then make sure you go check out the rest of our awesome hockey content here on the site.