Ranging in age from 16 to 21 years old, the Humboldt Broncos were a happy, tight-knit group of young men.
Half of them are now gone.
Fifteen lives ended in Friday’s deadly bus crash in Saskatchewan, and many others are in hospital recovering from their injuries.
As Saskatchewan mourns the tragedy, hockey communities in Quebec and across the country are also left reeling.
“Honestly, I’m talking now and I still have a lump because when I saw [the footage] yesterday – it could happen to anybody,” explained Robert Dubuc, coach of the Terrebonne Cobras.
The Cobras are around the same age as the Broncos. Players like Samuel Hould have spent a lot of time on the road.
“I don’t know how much time I spent in the bus and travelling,” Hould said. “When I was playing in Val d’Or, we did a lot of bus. And I can imagine all the families home right now thinking about their loss.”
Before today’s practice, Coach Dubuc talked to his players about what happened in Saskatchewan.
“It touched them too, because it’s sad. [They’re] 17, 18, 19, 20 years old. They’ve got life in front of them,” he said.
The loss of life is something the players are feeling, but it’s hard to put into words.
“It’s so sad. I can’t describe my feelings right now,” said Guillaume Beck, defense for the Terrebonne Cobras. “Like my mom said yesterday, in my family we are three guys. So for her it’s tough to know that some families lost their sons and that’s a terrible accident. We’re really sad for them.”
The connection between Saskatchewan and Quebec is closer for some.
Mathieu Boutin coaches hockey in Sherbrooke, and is a former player for the Humboldt Broncos.
“The community was really behind the team. The Broncos organization is just awesome,” Boutin told CTV Montreal in a phone call. “All the people there were really nice, it was a nice place to play and it was heartbreaking to see the news on Friday night.”
From Quebec City, Major Junior team Les Remparts offered their condolences.
“We are all shocked because, like all hockey organizations in Canada, season after season, our team travels thousands of kilometers to allow our players to perform,” the team wrote in a statement. “But also for one reason: the passion of hockey, who lives in us all.”
In the Major Leagues, every one of the Montreal Canadiens will be contributing to the GoFundme campaign set up for the survivors – the page has amassed over $3 million dollars to date.
Prior to the team’s face-off against the Maple Leafs in Toronto Saturday night, the team and crowd held a moment of silence in solidarity with those affected in Humboldt.
Across Canada, other hockey teams wore Humboldt Broncos stickers on their helmets. Some teams wore the Broncos name across their shoulders in a show of support.
Habs coach Claude Julien told reporters that the crash brought up jarring memories for all those who’ve been on the road in the name of the sport.
“We can certainly relate to the risk and the things that can happen,” Julien told reporters. “There’s a lot of good stories that have come out of these bus trips – talk about getting closer as a team – but there’s also been some close calls when you’re dealing with traffic, when you’re dealing with snowstorms. There’s that risk that exists.”
