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The names of the 16 people killed in the Humboldt Broncos bus crash will live on in the night sky, thanks to a trucker’s stellar tribute.
Blaine Davies, a trucker and former hockey commentator from Estevan, joined 650 CKOM’s David Kirton Thursday to share details of his out-of-this-world memorial. Like so many in Saskatchewan and around the world, Davies said he was deeply affected by the April 6 crash and wanted to support the victims’ grieving relatives.
“It really bothered me that a truck had hit them,” he said. “I was trying to think of what I could do to help bring some comfort to the families.”
After spending hours on the road considering a fitting tribute, Davies contacted the International Star Registry, an agency that names stars as gifts or memorials. Davies named a star for each of the 16 people who died in the April 6 crash, including the team’s coach, assistant coach, athletic therapist, statistician, play-by-play announcer and bus driver.
In addition to naming the stars in the night sky overhead, Davies also had the memorial constellation tattooed onto his upper arm along with the Broncos’ logo. The truck driver said the tribute is tattooed on his “window arm,” so it will be visible while he’s on the road.
Davies said he’s heading to Humboldt Friday, where a celebration is planned with the Stanley Cup and the Washington Capitals’ Chandler Stephenson. Davies said he’s planning to present each family with a package containing coordinates of the individual stars, certificates of authenticity, and a personal message he’s included.
“They can see them for the majority of the year,” Davies said.
“I might even start up a Facebook page so they can see where their stars are at any given time.”
Although the stars named for the crash victims will be published by the International Star Registry, the names are not formally recognized by astronomers or the scientific community. The International Astronomical Union is responsible for the official names of celestial bodies, which are typically alphanumeric designations.
