As many of you are aware, there was a horrific accident in Saskatchewan Friday evening when a semi and a bus collided on a highway in the northern part of the province near Tisdale. The bus was carrying 29 members of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League Humboldt Bronco's to a playoff game in Nipawin. 15 people, including players, coaching staff, broadcast team and the bus driver all died. 14 other people were injured and, at the time of this writing, 12 remain in hospital. 4 are in critical condition. The driver of the semi was not physically injured. RCMP continue to investigate, but any final report could be months away.
Saskatchewan has a small population, just over 1.1 million, and just over half live in small cities, towns and communities across the province. There is a real sense of community here, and not just the smaller centres, but the 2 big cities as well. And it extends well past the hockey community, which is very large, to society as a whole. That's why vigils held in rinks and arena's Sunday were so well attended. The sense of community, and the sense of a community wide grief. A go-fund-me page has already received 6.4 million dollars.
Condolences and tributes poured in from far and wide. Prime Minister Trudeau and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe were both at the vigil in Humboldt, and even the Queen and Prince Phillip offered condolences.
In the hockey community, even among casual players, hockey sticks have been left outside people's doors in tribute. The NHL Winnipeg Jets and Chicago Blackhawks paid tribute by wearing the word BRONCO'S where their nameplates would normally be. Both teams also stood surrounding centre ice for a minute silence.
It's said time is the best healer, and the hockey team, league and community will, in time, get back to normal. The scars will, however, be felt for years to come.
TTFN
