Quebec hockey community offers 'prayers, condolences' after deadly Humboldt crash
The RCMP confirmed 15 dead, 14 injured from collision involving junior hockey team's bus in Sask.
Quebecers are offering their compassion to the community of Humboldt and the Broncos, a Saskatchewan junior hockey team that was on a bus involved in a fatal crash Friday that left 15 people dead.
Twenty-nine people were aboard the bus at the time of the crash, which also left 14 injured.
The NHL's Montreal Canadiens and the QMJHL's Quebec Remparts sent out tweets expressing support.
The Habs also confirmed that every player on the team will be contributing money to the Broncos' GoFundMe campaign.
Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard also expressed his condolences.
Terrible accident survenu hier en <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Saskatchewan?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Saskatchewan</a>. Je ne peux imaginer la douleur que vivent les parents et les proches des victimes aujourd’hui. Mes pensées sont avec eux dans ces moments difficiles. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/humboltstrong?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#humboltstrong</a> <a href="https://t.co/urpv3JBuov">https://t.co/urpv3JBuov</a> <a href="https://t.co/Y8hI2sgUas">pic.twitter.com/Y8hI2sgUas</a>
—@phcouillardJacques Laporte, head of Quebec's AAA Junior Hockey League, said injuries on the ice often grab attention, but players travelling on long hockey trips in all sorts of weather face a risk, too.
"It can happen in a moment of inattention, a moment when the road is bad."
He said his teams try to take measures to prevent such tragedies.
"But apart from that, we are not safe from a tragedy like this."
Former Broncos players offer support
For Quebecer Mathieu Boutin, who played with the Broncos in 2007 and is now head coach at Hockey Sherbrooke, such events shake up the hockey world.
"As a player who's lived through all the hours on a bus going through different cities, I can imagine this must be an unfathomable time for the community," Boutin said.
Our thoughts, prayers, and condolences go out to the Humboldt Broncos and the families of those affected at this difficult time. The Canadiens and the entire hockey community grieves with you.
—@CanadiensMTLHe said the rest of the teams in a league and the entire hockey world are also affected.
When he was billeting in Humboldt, Boutin knew a seven-year-old boy who now plays with the Broncos.
He said he contacted the player's family and they had confirmed he had not died in the crash.
"I was relieved to hear that."
L’organisation des Remparts offre ses plus sincères condoléances aux familles touchées par la tragédie survenue en Saskatchewan plus tôt ce soir. <br><br>La grande famille du hockey junior est en deuil<br><br>Nous sommes avec l’organisation des <a href="https://twitter.com/HumboldtBroncos?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HumboldtBroncos</a> de tout coeur
—@quebec_rempartsMontreal firefighter Jonathan Parisien, who also played for the Broncos at one time, has fond memories of living in billets in the small community of nearly 6,000.
"We only stayed there for six month, and for them, we were already part of the community, part of the family, and everybody knew us over there."
Though he said he doesn't know any of the current players, he knows the Broncos organization well.
"We had a hell of a run," he said of his time playing with the Broncos.
He offered a message of hope to the families, telling them to stay strong and hope for the best for the individuals in critical condition.
With files from Radio-Canada