Manitoba hockey teams coming to terms with deadly Sask. bus crash

More than two days after a deadly bus crash claimed 15 lives in Saskatchewan, hockey players in Manitoba are still coming to terms with the tragedy.

Deadly Sask. crash will be top of mind when MJHL finals resume, players say

Riley Laychuk · CBC News · Posted: Apr 09, 2018 6:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: April 9, 2018

Dylan Thiessen, co-captain of the Virden Oil Capitals, said the mood in the team's dressing room is still tense following the Humboldt Broncos tragedy. (Riley Laychuk/CBC )

More than two days after a deadly bus crash claimed 15 lives in Saskatchewan, hockey players in Manitoba are still coming to terms with the tragedy.

"Things are still tense in the [dressing] room," said Dylan Thiessen, co-captain of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League's Virden Oil Capitals. "People are kind of trying to keep their minds off of it but it's right on top of our heads."

Thiessen and the Oil Capitals were facing off against the Steinbach Pistons in game one of the MJHL finals in Steinbach on Friday night as news of the crash, which occurred near Tisdale, Sask., broke.

All 16 victims of Humboldt Broncos bus crash

He said many of the players on the Oil Capitals knew players on the team, including himself, knowing the only Manitoban, Matthieu Gomercic, involved in the crash.

"It was quiet. It was tense," he said. "It was tough to get on the bus."

Fifteen people died, including Broncos head coach Darcy Haugan, and 14 more were injured when the bus crashed with a semi-trailer Friday.

Fifteen people died when the bus carrying the Humboldt Broncos collided with a tractor trailer in Saskatchewan on Friday. (CBC)

Thiessen said it left him and his teammates devastated as updates came in.

"The bus is one of the best places in junior hockey," said Thiessen. "We have so much fun. We have so many great conversations."

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"It's tough to see something like that happen when it's such a great place to be," he added.

Gomercic, a 20-year-old forward, is in his second season with the Humboldt Broncos. Before the Broncos, he played two seasons with the Steinbach Pistons with the MJHL.

Teams gather to discuss tragedy

"We have two players who lost friends in the crash so it's very real for our room," Pistons coach Paul Dyck told CBC News. "In both cases it's probably the first time they've dealt with death of someone that they're close to or are good friends with."

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Dyck said the mood is sombre in the Pistons' dressing room as well.

Troy Leslie, head coach and general manager of the Oil Capitals, said the team has met to discuss the tragedy and supports are in place should players need. (Riley Laychuk/CBC )

"It's difficult for young guys to comprehend and sometimes express their feelings in these situations," he said, describing a team meeting on Saturday as emotional.

Players were given the weekend off and the team was expected to resume practise on Monday.

In Virden, team officials also gathered players to discuss the incident.

"We've had a couple of meetings," said Troy Leslie, Oil Capitals head coach and general manager. "We've had our team chaplain in. It's been a tough couple of days for everyone."

League finals on hold

Game two between the Steinbach Pistons and Virden Oil Capitals was scheduled to be played Sunday night in Virden, but the MJHL decided to postpone the game out of respect for the Broncos.

MJHL postpones league finals in wake of Humboldt Broncos crash

The league said the playoff series will resume, however a new date for game two has yet to be announced.

Officials with the Oil Capitals said the team is planning to honour the Broncos when the series resumes, however plans haven't been finalized.

Game two of the series between the Virden Oil Capitals and Steinbach Pistons was to be played Sunday in Virden, however the MJHL postponed the game. (Riley Laychuk/CBC )

Regardless of when that is, Thiessen said the tragedy will still be front and centre.

"I think everyone's going to be playing with those guys on their minds," he said. "We're lucky we get to play this game everyday and we can't take it for granted."