Ten members of the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team will reunite for the first time at the NHL Awards in Las Vegas on Wednesday.
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“It means so much to me because we haven’t all been able to meet in person at the same time,” Broncos player Kaleb Dahlgren told ESPN.com. “Sure, you can talk over text, FaceTime, or call, but it’s not the same as talking face to face and giving your brother a hug. I’m very thankful to be able to be with my brothers and honor those 29 people who were in the accident. The support we have received from the world has been amazing and it sure does help.”
On April 6, 14 were killed in Saskatchewan, Canada, after a tractor-trailer hit the bus carrying the Broncos. However, the death toll rose to 16 after two others succumbed to their injuries. The team’s coach and 10 players were among those who died, while 13 other players were injured.
More than $15 million was raised for the team on GoFundMe in the weeks after the tragedy, making it the second-largest campaign in GoFundMe history.
Three surviving members of the team are unable to make the trip to Las Vegas, according to ESPN.
There is no playbook for this. No guide for how the surviving members of the Humboldt Broncos should pick up and carry on and start living lives that are suddenly being played out in the public eye.
But there was clearly some comfort here as 10 of the 13 players who survived the April 6 bus crash gathered ahead of the NHL awards show. It was the first time they’d all been together since their lives were changed forever. They shared hugs and tears and handshakes with Connor McDavid.
So, it was not just any other day.
“It’s the best thing ever. We all wish that we lived in the same neighbourhood,” said Tyler Smith, who has been recovering back home in Leduc, Alta., since being released from hospital. “It’s pretty important to try and get together as much as we can just to heal. I think just being together and sharing stories and kind of just being a team [as much] as we can again is important.
“A lot of guys we can cry together, we can laugh together, we can do everything together and just kind of heal in our own way. It’s a blessing to be able to be here together.”
