Dallas Stars, Hockey Community Come Together in Humboldt Tragedy

There’s nothing quite like hockey — or the community. When tragedy strikes, it doesn’t matter what jersey they wear because hockey is a family first and foremost. This has been evident in the days following the tragic Humboldt Broncos bus crash that saw 15 lives lost. The Dallas Stars and hockey world, however, has come together to show support.

Playing hockey is a dream for many. It’s worth traveling the world, moving away from home as a teenager and sacrificing in almost any other aspect of life to achieve. It’s all for the love of the sport, and it’s no wonder the community is so tightly knit.

Even though the game is important — who doesn’t want their team to hoist the Stanley Cup — there are bigger things at stake. The people are what make hockey the game it is, and when lives are lost, not scoring that goal or making the playoffs easily fades to the background.

“I just want to open this up with thoughts and prayers to everyone in Saskatchewan,” said Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill at exit interview day on Monday. “It’s been a tough three or four days for this group. I just want to send my love, prayers, and thoughts to everyone up there.”

“I go back to 1986” said Stars head coach Ken Hitchcock. “We went to the memorial in Swift Current for the Broncos and it brings up terrible memories in what we all went through. We all went in to Swift Current for the four boys there and it’s flooded memories back from that. At least five or six times a year for 30 years, you think about that bus crash.

More from Editorials

• Dallas Stars hockey is about to be the main attraction in Dallas this year
• Age Before Beauty: The impact of Benn’s new role on his Dallas legacy
• Dallas Stars hockey is the light at the end of the tunnel
• Dallas Stars coverage is lacking and it’s very concerning to be honest
• Sit back, relax and watch Jim Nill and the Dallas Stars draft scouts cook

“To go through this now is heartbreaking. To see those cars there that will never be driven again is heartbreaking. To see what billets and families and parents are going to have to go through. In Canada, this will stay with people forever. It’s been very emotional for a lot of us. It’s tough.”

“It’s so tragic,” said Dallas Stars forward Tyler Seguin. “I’ve been on those buses for all those long road trips, and it’s tragic.”

To commemorate the lives lost in the Humboldt Broncos’ crash there have been a number of initiatives. The Dallas Stars wore stickers on their helmets in the final games of the regular season:

Jamie Benn — and a number of other Stars players as well as players around the league — expressed their condolences to the families and community affected through social media:

The #SticksOutForHumboldt effort has swept social media as a way for people across the world to acknowledge the team. Mike Modano expressed his support by posting this photo:

While these things are small tokens of remembrance, they’re a great example of the right way to remember people and come together as a community after a tragic loss.

The GoFundMe page that was started to help assist the families involved set out with a $4 million goal when it was created a few hours after the crash. As of Tuesday afternoon, it had over $8 million donated. If that’s not community, nothing is.

The Humboldt Broncos help give us a painful reminder that life is unexpected and can be much too short. But when a tragedy like this strikes, it’s nice to have people around to help lend a hand. That’s exactly what the hockey community is doing for Humboldt, and it’s a reason to be thankful for the great people involved.

Next: Nill Calls For Heavy Assessment To Close Year

Here’s to all those affected. You will never be forgotten in the hockey world and the hockey community is here for you every step of the way.