'Hockey is the fabric of our country': former Humboldt Broncos player shaken by bus crash

Jeff Wiest may no longer play hockey competitively, but his time playing for the Humboldt Broncos in the '80s has made a lasting impression on him.

That's why he called during Cross Country Checkup's show on the Humboldt Broncos bus crash. Although he is now based in Nova Scotia, the fatal accident that killed 15 people and left 14 injured in Saskatchewan has hit close to home.

During his time playing for the Broncos, Wiest shared the ice with players who'd later become NHL stars and formed a lasting bond with the family that billeted him.

He spoke with Checkup host Duncan McCue about his memories of playing junior hockey in Humboldt, the town's unrivalled passion for the sport and how he is feeling for the victims and their extended Broncos family today.

Jeff Wiest:  I had the honour and the pleasure of finishing up part of my last year of junior playing with Bernie Lynch, Donnie Clark, Billy McDougall — some pretty fine hockey players, guys that saw the NHL. I got to be blessed enough to be in that community. I had some pretty amazing billets, the Moisan family. Like everyone across the country and in so many other places, I think it's heartbreaking what families, friends and billets in that community are going through.

Duncan McCue: Tell me what it's like to be to be a junior hockey player in Humboldt. What's the feeling like?

JW: I played against them the year before with Lloydminster and they swept us in four games in a league final. The next year, I had the good fortune of having that organization want to trade for me and bring me into Humboldt. It was playing from both sides that I felt the energy and passion that was in that hockey town. There are honestly a lot of hockey towns in Saskatchewan, but at that point in the '80s, shortly after them hosting the Royal Bank Cup, Humboldt was an amazing place to play hockey with amazing fans that were passionate, but they were never fanatical. They were just good hearted, down-to-earth hockey people.

...hockey is the fabric of our country and I think how Canada feels right now and how people feel right now is the very reason why we put our kids in sports.- Jeff Wiest, former Humboldt Broncos player

DM: Can you tell me what it's like to be a hockey player and being billeted in a small town? How tight do you get with those families?

JW: I played junior hockey in the early '80s and for the most part, I have tried the best I can, as I grew and raised my own family and developed my own life, to stay in touch with those billets. When the Moisans were still around in Humboldt, I would stop in and say hi. You bond with their kids. The Norquist family that I bonded with when I was in Lloydminster, I still stay in touch with them. Tim, their oldest son, and I became great friends.

They become surrogate parents in a lot of respects because you go through some of the hardest battles of your young developing life. That happens in their home, in their presence. And you reach out to your actual family, but a lot of times the environment that you're in is the one that nurtures you the most. It's a heck of a bond. And I fully understand that there are some surrogate mothers and fathers who are grieving tonight and will continue to grieve for some time.

DM: Given the fact that you played some junior hockey in Humboldt, Jeff, this must have hit you particularly hard. Have you reached out to people in Humboldt and what are you hearing from them?

JW: I tried to stay in touch with some, but it's difficult. For me, the time has flown by. It's been 30 years. I've tried to reach out to teammates. I played with Trent Kresse, who was in the Swift Current accident, I played against Chris Mantyka and Scott Kruger. It's so, I don't want to say brutal, but in some ways it is. So many people are tied together by all these events. But at the end of the day, hockey is the fabric of our country and I think how Canada feels right now and how people feel right now is the very reason why we put our kids in sports. It's why we put our kids in hockey. It is that team spirit that builds kids. It gives them so much and I think that right now we're seeing both the worst part of it, the most traumatic and sad part of it. But I think we're also seeing what makes hockey so phenomenal.

Jeff Wiest's comments have been edited and condensed. To listen to the full interview, click on the audio link above. This online segment was prepared by Samraweet Yohannes.