A Hay River couple with close ties to the Humboldt Broncos has launched a fundraising campaign to help the team in the wake of the tragic bus accident in April.
People across Canada were shocked and saddened by the April 6 accident that killed 16 people and injured 13, but the tragedy in Saskatchewan hit close to home for Brian and Cheryl Stewart.
Cheryl is from Humboldt, while Brian travelled from his hometown of Hay River to play with the Saskatchewan junior hockey team in the late 1970s.
They both knew they had to help the team the moment they heard about the accident.
"I phoned my old manager in Humboldt to see what we could do to help the team out, because we knew they were going to be helping the players from what we heard, and we wanted to help the team out, if we could," said Brian.
His former manager noted Humboldt's Elgar Petersen Arena was built in 1982 and the Broncos' dressing room is in dire need of renovation.
"So I said let's see if we can raise some money to help out with this reno," said Brian. "And that's how we got started. We started up a bank account very quickly, the three of us, to raise some funds. And we got a hold of some alumni, family, friends, and got this thing rolling."
They formed a new group – the Humboldt Broncos Alumni, which is also the name of the fundraising campaign – and, as of the middle of last week, the initiative had raised about $30,000.
Both Cheryl and Brian Stewart use the word 'devastating' to describe the accident.
"It's devastating because you just feel really bad for the families because everybody is intertwined somewhere or another," said Cheryl of the impact on Humboldt. "Everybody knows somebody or is related. It's a small community. Everybody knows everybody."
While many of the players came from outside Humboldt, including from Alberta, they were billeted with families in the community.
The Stewarts made a trip to Humboldt in the first week of May to meet with team officials about the fundraising effort and the idea of renovating the dressing room.
"They were onside and very happy about it," said Brian.
Cheryl described it as a more personal way to help.
"I'm born and raised in Humboldt, Saskatchewan," she said. "My Mom still lives there. So we still have a lot of personal ties there, like family, good friends."
Plus, she noted she also met her future husband there when he was playing for the Humboldt Broncos.
Brian still has a leather team coat with the Broncos' logo on it, and he also has a team jacket, which Cheryl recalled she used to borrow when they were dating.
Returning to Humboldt earlier this month, the Stewarts found it to be community still struggling to cope with the bus tragedy.
"There were green and yellow ribbons on every tree," said Cheryl. "There's signs on every store. Hockey sticks on every store, every house."
And she found the main street was very quiet.
"Not at all like it normally is because it's usually a little buzzing German community," she said, adding it was really sad to see the change.
Brian played right wing with the Broncos in the 1976-1977 and 1977-1978 seasons, along with his twin brother Barry.
As a player, Brian recalled the many bus rides the team would take to games.
Those rides involved lots of cards, reading books, and getting to know teammates, he said. "I mean it's a team bonding time, actually."
It was also a time of experiencing winter roads on the Prairies.
"We got stuck a couple of times," said Brian. "We never hit anything, but I remember slippery roads, and one time actually – twice, I think – we were in the ditch a bit and we all got out and pushed the bus out of the ditch."
At that time, the town of Nipawin did not have a team in the Saskatchewan junior hockey league, so he never took a bus ride along the route on which last month's accident occurred.
Brian has an idea of what the renovations to the arena dressing room might involve, including the Humboldt Broncos logo on the floor and a memory wall for everyone who was on the bus at the time of the accident.
His goal is that the renovations will be completed before the next hockey season.
Speaking in the middle of last week, Cheryl said she was 100 per cent certain that the Humboldt Broncos will continue as a team.
"They are hell-bent on bringing that team back and keeping that town alive," she said, noting the team has always been hugely important for Humboldt.
Later last week, the team announced it would return to play for the 2018-2019 season.