The Humboldt Broncos logo at centre ice at the Elgar Petersen Arena in Humboldt Saskatchewan, Canada April 7, 2018. REUTERS/Matt Smith
April 7, 2018
(Reuters) – Ice hockey teams around the world expressed shock and paid tribute on Saturday to the Canadian junior team whose bus was involved in a crash that killed at least 15 people.
The Humboldt Broncos were on their way to compete in a playoff game against the Nipawin Hawks when their bus collided with a tractor trailer about 185 miles (300 km) north of Regina in Saskatchewan.
Toronto Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock, who grew up nearby in Saskatoon and went on to steer the Canadian ice hockey team to back-to-back Olympic gold medals in 2010 and 2014, began a pre-game press conference fighting back tears.
“I can’t even imagine being a parent, or the wife, or the kids at home, going through something like this,” he said.
“The hockey world is an unbelievable world. You can’t make up for loss, you just can’t. It’s going to rip the heart out of your chest. We pray for those families and think about them.”
Sorrow was felt far beyond hockey-loving Canada: the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) carried the Humboldt Broncos logo on its website’s homepage and said a moment of silence was scheduled ahead of Saturday’s game between Poland and Estonia in Tallinn, Estonia’s capital.
Another moment of silence will be observed before Sunday’s matchup between Latvia and Kazakhstan in Riga.
“The international ice hockey community extends its sincerest condolences to the families and friends of those involved,” IIHF president Rene Fasel said in a statement.
National Hockey League coaches and players also expressed their condolences. The Calgary Flames had a Broncos team photo up in their locker room. The Philadelphia Flyers held a moment of silence before their game against the New York Rangers.
Babcock addressed the press conference in front of a backdrop that carried both the Maple Leafs and Broncos logos.
“It just goes to show you’ve got to embrace each and every day, and each and every day, you’re with your family,” he said. “You better enjoy it.”
(Additional reporting by Gene Cherry; writing by Daniel Wallis, editing by G Crosse)
