Toronto pays tribute to Humboldt victims with #PutYourStickOut displays
CBC News | Posted: April 9, 2018 6:37 PM | Last Updated: April 9, 2018
Milton, Ont., hockey dad plans to keep his sticks out for 15 days — to mark 15 killed
Torontonians are paying tribute to victims of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash by leaving hockey sticks out in front of their homes.
Sticks have popped up on porches all over the city and around the country as part of the #PutYourStickOut campaign to show support for the Saskatchewan hockey team.
Paul Bradshaw put three sticks out in front of his Milton, Ont., home Sunday night and left his porch lights on. The tragedy struck close for him — he has two sons in minor hockey.
"It's the only thing that we can do," he told CBC Toronto.
"It's just very symbolic."
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Bradshaw plans to keep his sticks out for 15 days, to mark the 15 killed in the crash. He thinks the gesture shows the community of Humboldt that they have support across the country.
"I'm hoping that this evening I'll see a lot more."
Faisal Anwar and his 10-year-old son, Aurick, also put a hockey stick out before bed Sunday night, paired with a candle out in front of their North York home.
Aurick said he wanted to honour the victims of the crash and express how he felt after hearing the news.
"I'm really hurt because these innocent people just died.They should've had a big future, maybe in the NHL and now they can't," he said.
Anwar said his son is a big hockey fan and they plan to continue paying their respects to the Broncos in the coming weeks.
"I'm going to do it until the families of these victims feel a lot better and know that we are here to help them," said Aurick.
Toronto's tributes
The stick gesture is the latest way Toronto is paying tribute to the Broncos.
Both the CN Tower and Toronto sign in front of City Hall were lit in the team's green and yellow over the weekend. The Maple Leafs wore Broncos stickers on their helmets during Saturday's home game and announced they would be making a donation to Humboldt.
The team also had a moment of silence before their game started, flashing the Broncos logo on the ice and showing a photo of the team on the big screen. A similar moment of silence was held ahead of Sunday's Brampton Beast game.
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Meanwhile, Blue Jays pitcher Marcus Stroman wore a hat with a message for Humboldt during Saturday's baseball game and says he will be auctioning it off to raise money for the victims and their families.
"Prayers still with #HumboldtBroncos and everyone involved," he tweeted over the weekend. "Stay strong!"