Sports World Unites with Powerful Tributes to Victims of Humboldt Bus Tragedy

An unthinkable tragedy involving the team bus of the SJHL’s Humboldt Broncos has so far left 15 dead, 14 injured, and an entire country mourning the loss of its sons, brothers, fathers, teammates, and friends.

En Route to Nipawin for a junior hockey playoff game in their semifinal series, the Broncos' bus was involved in a collision with a tractor trailer on a rural Saskatchewan highway Northeast of Saskatoon on Friday afternoon that caused mass casualties. The identities of a few of the fallen have been released, and included among them are the team's head coach, an assistant coach, the bus driver, a volunteer statistician, the team's radio broadcaster, and several players between the ages of 16 and 21.

A hockey community, province, and country has been left in shambles after the heartbreaking events—with a universal outpouring of grief, sadness, and shock throughout Canada as those in the sports world, particularly the hockey one, try their best to pick up the pieces of a shattered nation.

With Hockey Night In Canada on the horizon and a slate of NHL games with playoff implications scheduled for Saturday, those in charge of bringing the game to living rooms across the country did everything they could to honour the victims and make sense of a senseless, horrific tragedy.

Hockey Night kicked off its Saturday coverage with a tribute montage for the fallen set to the Tragically Hip's "Wheat Kings."

Former NHLer Sheldon Kennedy, who survived the infamous 1986 Swift Current bus disaster, joined several networks, including CBC, to speak on the emotional and psychological toll an event like this will have on all involved.

Player-turned-analyst and Lloydminster, Saskatchewan, native Colby Armstrong was brought to tears as he shared memories and spoke on his vivid experiences riding the bus in the WHL and beyond.

Saskatoon's Mike Babcock took the podium to express his grief and disbelief for a devastating tragedy hitting way too close to home for the Maple Leafs coach. "It's got to rip the heart out of your chest."

St. Louis Blues coach Ken Hitchcock, who rode the busses in Western Canada for six seasons with the Kamloops Blazers, opened his postgame scrum with a message for Humboldt, while Melville, Saskatchewan, native and Oilers coach Todd McLellan was distraught as he put forth a message of support for the victims and their families.

The Winnipeg Jets and Chicago Blackhawks held a long moment of silence united at centre ice before their game, while replacing the name bars on the back of each sweater with one that read 'Broncos.’'

Several of the other games played on Saturday featured moments of silence, video board tributes, and teams wearing Humboldt Broncos helmet decals in honour of the victims.

The shockwaves of the tragedy were felt far beyond the borders of the hockey community, as two prominent Major League Baseball players with Canadian connections in Toronto native Joey Votto and Blue Jays pitcher Marcus Stroman playing their respective games with Humboldt in their hearts.

The National Lacrosse League's Saskatchewan Rush, meanwhile, saw a deafening, chill-inducing "Let's Go Humboldt" chant breakout during the middle of Saturday's game.

Obviously devastated by the loss of three of their adopted sons, billet parents Rene and Devin Cannon sent out heartbreaking messages on Twitter—shedding light on the vast web of people this tragedy is impacting.

Another gut-wrenching post came from an on-the-scene doctor who tried to put into words the devastation and carnage he witnessed while heaping praise on the brave first responders who helped prevent an even larger loss of life.

A community vigil is being held in Humboldt on Sunday night to honour the fallen. You can donate to the GoFundMe campaign, which has raised over $3 million as of early Sunday morning, that's been set up to support the survivors and families of the victims involved in the tragic accident.