It’s been almost a week now that the fatal accident happened in Canada, but the tragic loss of lives on a junior hockey road trip is still echoing through hockey fans’ minds and hearts.
Today, thanks to a Facebook campaign started by hockey parents in British Columbia, we’re wearing hockey jerseys to show that they’re not forgotten, even if the families affected are a long way away in Saskatchewan.
In case you missed it, on April 6, the Humboldt Broncos were headed north to Nipawin, Sask., for a playoff game when their bus collided with a semi-truck at a remote intersection near Tisdale, Sask. Dayna Brons, the team’s athletic therapist, died yesterday, running the death toll to 16, with 13 others injured. Update HERE from espn.com
I was a good enough youth hockey player to play in the travel leagues of metro Detroit growing up, but our trips were of the day-trip variety. Our parents would drive us usually. When we did travel the Midwest or to Ontario on weekends, it wasn’t in buses like the junior league (ages 16-21) teams in the United States and Canada use. I opted for football my senior year in high school and never played in juniors.
The closest I came to having a hockey accident was when I was early in my radio career, working in Houghton Lake, MI, and commuting to Traverse City, MI, (jersey above) to play in their men’s “A” league, about a 90-minute trip one way. One very snowy night traveling on a 2-laner, I was running late for a game and decided to pass an EMT vehicle driving slowly on the snow-covered road. It’s lights weren’t on, but the road was hilly and curvy and it was a dumb idea that I fortunately executed. However, a few days later I received a ticket in the mail for that stunt.
Today, when you get home and if you have one, throw on a hockey jersey and say a prayer for those affected by the tragic crash that took the lives of so many so early in their lives.
Doc Watson
