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Surviving members of Humboldt Broncos to reunite at NHL awards

Kyle Cantlon
Writer

Several surviving members of the Humboldt Broncos will be reunited for the first time since the tragic accident in Saskatchewan as the team will be honoured at the NHL Awards on Wednesday night.

Commemorations of the tragedies in Parkland, Fla., and Las Vegas will also take place, with members of the Stoneman Douglas hockey team and survivors — as well as first responders — from the Mandalay Bay shooting receiving recognition.

The NHL released a statement on Monday which read, in part:

This year, NHL players, coaches and general managers will anchor the program, which will feature special commemorations of three tragedies that touched the hockey world and garnered immense support from the entire NHL community. Survivors and first responders from last October’s Las Vegas shooting; members of the hockey team from Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.; and surviving members of the Humboldt Broncos junior team will be recognized and honored at the event. In the aftermath of each tragedy, NHL teams, current and former NHL players, coaches and fans rallied to provide emotional and monetary support to survivors and first responders.

Broncos late head coach Darcy Haugan was one of the 16 killed en route to an April 6 SJHL playoff game when the team’s bus collided with a transport truck on Saskatchewan Highway 35, two hours northeast of Saskatoon.

Since the accident, many of those that knew him best praised Haugan’s leadership, his character, his big heart and his selfless nature. He’ll be up for some hardware of his own in Vegas on Wednesday night.

This is not the first time Vegas has been there for the late coach’s family, as the Golden Knights hosted Haugan’s widow, Christina, and their two sons for Game 3 of the Western Conference finals. Golden Knights goalie Marc-Andre Fleury even spent time with Jackson and Carson in the locker room after the game.

The survivors have been released from various hospitals over the past couple of months, with most returning to their respective hometowns. It’s the first time since the tragedy that 10 of the survivors will see each other, but three won’t be able to travel to Las Vegas due to their ongoing recovery.

Washington Capitals forward Chandler Stephenson, a native of Saskatoon, announced he will be spending his day with the Stanley Cup in Humboldt.

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