Humboldt Broncos Tragedy: Sundown In The Paris Of The Prairies

We had a chance to discuss the devastating tragedy that rocked the Humboldt Broncos hockey team this morning on Barstool Breakfast. Their community, the province of Saskatchewan, and to a greater extent the entire hockey world will never be the same again, and to fully understand the breadth of this story, you have to understand junior hockey. The kids are between 16-21 and live with billet families. They’re entrenched in another family as someone’s brother, son, and friend, babysitting a family’s kids, going to local events and being a huge part of a community outside of the hockey rink. Junior hockey is to most Canadians what college football is to many Americans. Which is why the Canadian band “The Hip” so perfectly captures the innocent essence of such a tragedy, the song Hockey Night In Canada used this Saturday to commemorate the team, and one we used to start off this segment. I knew when I teased the story before break it was going to be difficult for me to explain and get through – as a Canadian, as someone who rode the bus, someone who lived in Saskatchewan, and someone who has been around this team. I felt my heart rate increase as I was reading the details, overcome with images of these young kids – their hair died blonde for playoff hockey, their parents and friends crying in distress at Sunday’s Humboldt Strong Vigil. So young and innocent, living simple, good-hearted lives in a small town chasing their big dreams.

It’s something none of us can truly understand, but it’s something we can help support the families of those affected by raising money through “Saturday’s Are For The Broncos” shirts that you can purchase online, and donate through the cities’ go fund me account.

Update: A Canadian coroner misidentified two young victims of a bus crash that killed 15 people in the province of Saskatchewan at the weekend. A day after releasing the official list of the deceased, the Saskatchewan justice ministry admitted mixing up two players’ identities. Xavier Labelle, 18, was said to have died, but he is among the injured. Parker Tobin, 18 – originally listed among the injured – was confirmed on Monday to have died in the crash, and he was removed from the list of survivors.