It's been a sad week

[Pepprr]

Some of you have probably heard about this already...

On Friday evening, a bus carrying one of our SJHL hockey teams, the Humboldt Broncos, collided with a semi truck. As a result, 15 of the 29 on board were killed. Most of the other boys are still in hospital, some clinging to life, some paralyzed. I'm asking for your prayers for the boys, their families and all others affected by this tragedy.
No I don't live in Humboldt but the Broncos have still been a big part of my life and my home town Flin Flon's life. Our Flin Flon Bombers are a part of the SJHL who play against the Broncos. This year we got beat out of the first round of the playoffs by the Nipawin Hawks, the team that Humboldt was on the way to play game 5 of the second round with. We are all small towns, most around 6000 people, and hockey is a big part of out lives. You get to know the boys from all the teams well, along with some of the family members as lots of them make the trek from town to town to watch the games. Just like our team, family members, friends and fans made the drive to Nipawin just two weeks ago on the same road as this horrible tragedy.
My parents were both born and raised in Tisdale, about a fifteen minute drive from the crash site. They moved here before I was born and moved back to just outside Tisdale after my dad retired from work. My dad and I were season ticket holders to the Flin Flon Bombers for the 30 years that he lived here. After he moved back, he makes as many trips to these towns to see as many games as he can or listens to them on the radio. Especially the Bomber games and the Humboldt games since the president of the Humboldt Broncos, Kevin Garinger, was born and raised in Flin Flon and played hockey with my brother. Hockey is a big part of a lot of people's lives in all our towns. It is heartbreaking to see so many bright and talented young men gone or hurting in just an instant, as well as the bus driver and coach that died and the young woman that helps them train that is in critical condition. Half a hockey team, gone. I couldn't imagine the pain of the parents waiting to hear if their boy was ok or not. At first all we knew here was that there were multiple fatalities and we prayed there wasn't too many and prayed for the players we knew and didn't know. This didn't happen in our town and these weren't "our" boys but they are still our boys.
Please pray for the ones still in hospital and the families and friends of everyone involved. They have a long, hard road ahead of them.
Thanks
~Pep

[Pepprr]

As I was writing this I was told that the athletic therapist Dayna Brons passed away this afternoon. She was 25 and the only woman on the bus.
There is still 3 more players in critical condition. 

[Violator]

Wow that is incredibly sad to hear. I wish the best for all of you in this dark time.

[Pepprr]

Thank you Vi. 
It is really sad to see so many young lives taken all at once. I know
Jo plays hockey and knows the bonds that are formed, as well as in 
other sports, they become family. I went to a memorial here the other night
that the Bombers and town put on. So sad 
Sorry for rambling on guys. I just kind of needed to 

[Bear]

I followed the story. Such a tragedy and devastating for family, friends, and fans. Thoughts and prayers go out to all having to endure the pain and loss.

[Pepprr]

Yes, the stories that have been on tv here are so sad too. About what some of the survivors went through and about parents and fans driving about a half hour behind the bus and coming upon the accident before they heard about it. The one family in Humboldt is a billet family and had three players living with them from out of town and all three were killed. They had two of the boys there for two seasons 

Im so glad that they are going to restart our playoffs. They were talking about cancelling them altogether this year but I think it's best to help move forward.