Canadian town mourns fallen
HUMBOLDT, Saskatchewan — A hockey arena became the epicenter of grief for a small Canadian town Sunday as friends, relatives and those who housed members of a youth hockey team gathered to mourn 15 people killed when a semi-trailer slammed into the team’s bus.
Fourteen were also injured, some critically, in a collision that left the country, its national sport and the hockey-obsessed town of Humboldt, Saskatchewan, reeling.
The bus had 29 passengers, including the driver, when it crashed at about 5 p.m. Friday on Highway 35, police said. Among the dead are Broncos head coach Darcy Haugan, team captain Logan Schatz and radio announcer Tyler Bieber.
Residents of this town of less than 6,000 people have been leaving flowers, team jerseys and personal tributes on the steps of the arena’s entrance, forming a makeshift memorial. One tribute included a Kraft macaroni and cheese dinner box, which was a favorite meal of deceased forward Evan Thomas. A bouquet of pink roses adorned the box, which read: “to Evan, game day special, love your billet brother and sister Colten and Shelby.”
