“Hug your kids every chance you get,” said Cochrane Minor Hockey coach Mike Krooshoop at a vigil held in honour of the 16 lives lost, 13 severely injured and countless families affected in the April 6 bus crash carrying the Humboldt, Sask. junior hockey team.
It was the takeaway message from the April 15 vigil held at the Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre in honour of the tragedy that shook the nation.
Fellow coach Barkley Sauter, Aaron Todd – whose brother used to play for the Broncos - and vigil organizer Kyla Gibson, joined Krooshoop. More than 80 people filled the room to pay their respects.
Each Cochranite spoke to the impact of the tragedy on the greater hockey family and the ripple effect the accident has had around the world.
Toward the end of the vigil, Cathy Reid, sporting a bright green Roughriders sweatshirt, took the mic and thanked the room for their support of her hometown.
Reid, who has lived in Cochrane for more than 20 years, is a hockey mom who well knows that her small town of 6,000 is feeling the devastation.
“It won’t forget. It will never forget,” said a tearful Reid, who brought a banner to the vigil for all to sign and will be hand delivering it when she returns to Humboldt to visit her mother, to let the surviving family members know that Cochrane cares.
Gibson, as mom of three who has been active in the Cochrane hockey community as a parent, decided to organize the vigil – something official to provide a gathering space for those who wished to pay their respects to the Humboldt Broncos.
“I have never met them. I do not know their families or anyone who was touched by their lives directly, but somehow I feel like we all know them,” said Gibson in her speech.
“We all remember that first time getting on a bus for that tournament … We all love this game because of our kids. There is something about a hockey team that pulls at our heartstrings.”
Gibson’s speech touched on the life lessons from the bus, the ice and the dressing room. She noted the camaraderie among families who spend their weekends over steaming cups of coffees and early mornings in small towns.
Gibson and the other guest speakers speak of the helplessness felt in the face of small gestures such as sticks on doorsteps, donations (the GoFundMe page capped off last night at a record-breaking nearly $13 million) and social media messages.
“ … we know it will not bring them back. For this we are sorry. We will carry on their memories as a hockey family. We will lace up our skates, get on those buses and play in the Humboldt Broncos’ honour,” said Gibson.
