In the wake of tragedy our nation is showing its true colours.
As prayers, thoughts, and donations flooded social media after the Humboldt Broncos Junior A hockey team bus crash last Friday, I sat at a table with a colleague in shock and disbelief.
I thought of the families of the victims and the community of Humboldt, Sask. Mothers and fathers without sons, aunts and uncles without nephews and grandparents without their grandchildren. I thought about how the memory of the accident would create an overwhelming impact on the community of almost 6,000 people for years to come.
I thought of my friends in Ontario. How many of them have travelled on buses, hundreds of kilometres, to compete in junior hockey games. How I could not have come to terms with reality if some of my best friends saw the same fate as the Broncos, preparing to play the most important game of the season.
And selfishly, I thought of myself. How I have made some of my favourite memories as an amateur athlete, travelling to and from games.
On the bus.
The ride on the way to a football, basketball, or baseball game is filled with emotions. One instance I could be seen hanging my head while whimpering. Mentally remembering the moment where I let the team down. How I vowed to myself that on the next bus ride I would be better prepared.
The next moment I could be laughing with my teammates. Joyfully singing victory songs and trying to piece together who was going to throw the after-party that night.
While trying to suppress my emotions with conversation after hearing of the crash, I thought about how I never once asked the question “will I make it home safe.”
Still – like many Canadians – days later, I'm left reflecting.
As of press time, 15 people are dead, including the head coach, team captain, and Tyler Bieber, a reporter from Humboldt, Sask. Fourteen others were injured, some left in critical condition.
My heart is filled with sadness as I cherish the relationships and memories I made while riding the bus.
Unfortunately the living victims of Friday's crash will never feel the same about reminiscing of the joys of the team bus ride. They will never get to remember singing Happy Birthday to the head coach after the victory of a big game. The look of elation and pride he showed while sarcastically telling us to “shut up.”
They will never remember the end of season tears. Rows of seats mirroring each other as though the person across from you was a reflection of your own sadness.
They will never remember that anticipation, the feeling of the pre-game jitters. A deafening silence coming over the bus for 45 minutes. No coaches giving instruction and no jokes. In that moment, the silence is tense, yet comforting.
I hold these cherished moments near to my heart. My heart breaks knowing these young men, some of whom were a year or two younger than I, would never get to feel the competitive hurt, the joy or sportsmanship again.
Weeks prior to the horrific tragedy suffered by the Humboldt Broncos Jr. A hockey team they had won a playoff series against their provincial rival, Meltford Mustangs. On the way to the following series in Nipawin, Sask. the team bus collided with a semi-truck. 15 people are dead. Others sustaining serious injuries.
Somehow, as the days pass, a light is beginning to shine on the horrific tragedy.
A vigil at the Elgar Peterson arena in Humboldt on Sunday mourned the lives of the players: Parker Tobin, Logan Shatz, Jaxon Joseph, Adam Herold, Stephen Wack, Logan Hunter, Conner Lukan, Evan Thomas, Jacob Leicht, Logan Boulet; coaches Mark Cross and Darcy Haugan. We also mourn the loss of team statistician Brody Hinz, play-by-play man Tyler Bieber, and bus driver Glen Doerksen.
Through the vigil the light has come in the form of unity. As Canadians band together, we realize that during tragedies there is nothing that will be more important than togetherness.
When one Canadian is hurt, we are all hurt and when one mourns, the rest comfort. A GoFundMe page was launched hours after the accident. In the span of 48 hours it has gained over $5 million from tens of thousands of donations. The Yellowknife Minor Hockey Association is also doing their part by holding a fundraiser on Sunday at the Multiplex, the proceeds of which will be given to the GoFundMe campaign. And Yellowknife residents are even heeding the call of a nation, putting hockey sticks outside of their doors in memory of the departed.
For now, the emotional wounds left by those individuals hurts. We have all been affected by it. Eventually, the wounds will heal over, leaving behind the scarred-over memories of the 15 lives lost in this accident, the injured and the families and friends of everyone affected. It will take time to get over.
But after it all, we should always remember to be #HumboldtStrong in the face of tragedy.