Five years have passed since the tragic Humboldt Broncos bus crash that claimed the lives of 16 members of the junior A hockey team.
As a way to honour the legacies of those who were affected by the incident, and also promote organ and tissue donor awareness, the SLS Centre in Cochrane plans to host their second annual Green Shirt Day event on April 7.
From 1 to 5 p.m., families are invited to the multi-sport rec centre with their sticks and road hockey gear for free drop-in road hockey in the venue’s parking lot. Additionally, the SLS Centre will host a more competitive indoor ball hockey tournament on the rink surface inside. Teams can register for $5 by visiting bit.ly/3G7gTDF.
The proceedings will also include a special visit from former Calgary Flame and NHL player Mason Raymond (a Cochrane minor hockey alumnus who now owns a local dealership in town), as well as members of the Cochrane Chaos and Generals junior teams.
In addition, the Calgary Flames, Calgary Wranglers, and the GlenEagles Golf Course are supporting the event with free door prizes, including an autographed hockey sweater.
Green Shirt Day is a campaign that was inspired by Lethbridge native and Humboldt Broncos player Logan Boulet and his family following the junior A team’s bus crash on April 6, 2018. Boulet, who was among those who passed as a result of the accident, had only recently become an organ donor beforehand.
Thus, the Green Shirt Day initiative carries on Boulet’s legacy every April, and intends to inspire more Canadians to register as organ and tissue donors.
Catriona Hill, director of experience with the SLS Centre, said she hopes to see plenty of Cochranites enjoy the ball hockey event this Friday, but that they also learn and understand the message behind Green Shirt Day.
“A lot of people don’t know about organ donation, and it sounds scary, but we want people to know that it is not,” Hill said. “It’s very valuable, and it’s very easy to be an organ donor.”
The SLS Centre event will also allow members of the community to discuss the organ donation registry and provide support to those who wish to navigate the electronic sign-up.
In the evening, the Jack Tennant Bridge will be lit up in green lights to recognize Green Shirt Day and the "Logan Boulet Effect."
Greg Hnatuk, an organizer for Green Shirt Day and an organ donor recipient, said he looks forward to seeing Cochranites support the event. He added it has been a great experience working with the SLS Centre to organize the ball hockey tourney this year.
“They’ve just been wonderful, just wonderful people to work with, and we are really going to see how the event will grow this year,” Hnatuk said.
As a way to honour the lives that were lost on April 6, 2018 and Boulet’s ensuing legacy, Hnatuk said he is humbled to represent their cause through Green Shirt Day, and to celebrate the life-saving gift that Boulet was able to make.
“There were 29 people on that bus. Every single person on that bus was affected by that crash,” Hnatuk said.
For Cochranites who may not be able to make it to the SLS Centre in person on April 7, Hnatuk said there are various other ways people can still get involved.
“Put a [hockey] stick on your doorstep, wear green, light up your house green, and even just talking to somebody else about Green Shirt Day,” Hnatuk said. “Many people haven’t heard about it, so it’s all about passing along the word.”
For Hnatuk, he said the most emotional part of hosting Green Shirt Day is seeing families able to have fun playing Canada’s national pastime for a good cause.
“It’s not just about organ and tissue donation,” Hnatuk said. “It’s about having fun and doing it for a purpose.”
