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Brayden Camrud (left) hugs Christina Haugen as Derek Patter (centre), former Broncos assistant coach Chris Beaudry and the Haugen family look on during the team's tribute banner ceremony on Sept. 12, 2018. (Chris Vandenbreekel/650 CKOM)

‘A new chapter:’ Humboldt moves forward with first game

By Keenan Sorokan Sep 13, 2018 | 1:43 AM

One hundred fifty-nine days since a tragic bus crash killed 16 people and injured 13 others aboard the Humboldt Broncos team bus, hockey returned Wednesday night to the Elgar Petersen Arena.

The Broncos opened the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) season with a home game against the Nipawin Hawks.

The team had been on its way to Nipawin for a playoff game on April 6, the day of the crash.

“Sept. 12 was circled on our calendar right from the get-go as one of these hurdles and big steps of healing to move forward,” Broncos president Jamie Brockman said before the game. “I think the community is feeling that too.”

Wednesday saw the community, the province and the country gather to cheer on the new squad.

Scott Thomas, who lost his son Evan in the Broncos bus crash spoke after the game to a packed arena Sept. 12, 2018. (Chris Vandenbreekel/650 CKOM)

Former Bronco Kaleb Dahlgren was waiting for this day. Rather than walking through a side entrance reserved for players, Dahlgren entered through the front doors ready to stand and cheer with all of his surviving teammates as a fan.

With his own journey having taken him to continue his hockey career at York University in Ontario, Dahlgren said Wednesday felt like a fresh start.

“It’s a new chapter for me and a new chapter for this team.”

That new chapter started with a tentative crowd that got more into the game with each shift, hard hit and swift shot. Brockman said it was exactly what the people of Humboldt desperately need.

“It’s a sense of relief almost,” Brockman said. “Hockey is back in Humboldt.”

He said it felt good to see the arena full of fans again.

“We can start cheering or come to the rink to have fun memories, because we’ve had a lot of sadness here the last few months.”

As the third period ended with a dramatic save to preserve a 2-1 victory for the Nipawin Hawks, the loud cheers quickly turned to solemn silence as a banner ceremony to honour each of the 29 people on that bus began at centre ice.

Teammates and family of the former Broncos held each other and cried as each name was read by the public announcer.

The Humboldt Broncos’ “Core Covenant” was coined by former head coach Darcy Haugan and printed on a wall in the Elgar Petersen Arena. (submitted photo)

As the tributes ended with one final rally call of the ‘Humboldt Strong’ mantra, the beginning of Humboldt’s new chapter was ushered in.

Stories were told about the camaraderie  of the team, the countless heroic acts in the hours and days following the crash and about the “Core Covenant” instilled by former coach Darcy Haugan and inscribed on a wall at the arena.

All of it was part of getting back to a new normal for the community and the team.

“I think a lot of people in the community are ready to move on to the next phase after the season starts and get back to some normal, everyday stuff,” Humboldt mayor Rob Muench said prior to the game.

Dahlgren’s father Mark said Wednesday was a vital part of the recovery.

“I keep seeing ‘hockey heals’ and it is so true,” he said. “Healing is moving on, healing is not staying where you are today, it’s moving forward.”

 

— With files from 650 CKOM’s The Green Zone 

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