Broncos numbers whiz Brody Hinz leaves his mark on Humboldt

Whenever she would visit her family in Humboldt, Sask., Sharon Strueby would see her nephew Brody Hinz at the front door, wearing a big smile and greeting her with those familiar words, "Hi aunty."

It's hard now to accept that she won't hear those words again.

"It's just so tragic that's taken away,"  she said of her nephew, one of 16 people killed in last week's crash involving the Broncos junior hockey team's bus and a semi-trailer.

"We're going to remember how wonderful he was. He was just a wonderful human being."

Hinz, 18, had faced countless challenges throughout his young life, but met each one and grew from them, she said.

"What more could you ask, other than he could have kept growing?"

A head for numbers

Hinz had Asperger syndrome, a high-functioning form of autism, but had a mind like a steel trap for numbers, with his family suspecting he had savant abilities. Strueby recalled her nephew, at a young age, could count into the thousands and as he grew older, he could toss out sport statistics dating back to the 1940s.

"It was just like a natural ability. He did not have to work at it," she said about the soon-to-be high school graduate, who was interested in a career in sports management. 

Given that talent and a love for Humboldt's No. 1 hockey team, it was a natural fit for him to become the Broncos' statistician, and to join the team on its journeys. So it was that Hinz was on the bus last Friday, as the team made its way to Nipawin for Game 5 in its semifinal series against the Hawks.   

The worst call

Last Friday evening, Strueby had just returned to her Edmonton home from work when her daughter called and asked if she had seen the news about the Broncos' bus.

"I think Brody was on the bus," her daughter said.

You hope and pray that somehow by a miracle, he's running out on a field somewhere or someone's picked him up and he's fine.- Sharon Strueby, aunt to Brody Hinz

Strueby felt stunned. She began making calls to her family and found out there was a list available of people on the bus. Her nephew was not on the list, but she was asked to call back.

"I just remembered I called every hour."

She questions why she didn't realize that as the time stretched on, the news was more likely to be bad.

"You hope and pray that somehow by a miracle, he's running out on a field somewhere or someone's picked him up and he's fine."

That sliver of hope was shattered when, finally, at 3 a.m. CST, she got the call her nephew was not among those who had survived the crash, which also injured others — including players and team personnel.

Strueby's heart ached for the loss of her nephew and also for her sister, Darlene —​ Brody's mother. Darlene's mother died at a young age; her husband also died after a battle with cancer when Brody and his sister Kendall were young.

"It makes you question a lot of things, why one person has to live with so much hardship and heartache," said Strueby.

Community rallies around Hinz family

But if there was one source of light amid the darkness for Strueby, it was to see members of the Humboldt community and family surround her sister with love and care.  

"It's been wonderful in that respect, just knowing there are people here for her."

As Strueby spoke, her sister held her hand, crying at times, while at others, comforted by other family members that have come to be by her side, as well as others from Humboldt who are feeling the hole left by Hinz's death. His funeral takes place Saturday, with Strueby noting there was hardly a single place in Humboldt that could hold all the people who wanted to attend.

In the last week, people have been sharing anecdotes about the boy who grew up volunteering for his church and teaching Sunday school, who would dress up as Santa Claus for the community soup kitchen's Christmas, and who was both a role model and friend to young children.

"And it's so heartwarming, touching, all of it," said Strueby of all the stories she has heard about him.

A locker full of hope

When she visited his school to gather his belongings, Strueby could see just how much of an impact her nephew had made.

As she and her brother prepared to leave, the principal stopped them and asked, "Hey, would you like to come and see something pretty special?"

He led them down the hallway to Hinz's locker, filled with names, messages and cards, and a bouquet of flowers for the boy who was one of Humboldt's very own.

Strueby had to reach out and touch the tribute, feeling a connection with her nephew and the person he was.

"You just touch it because it feels like so much him."

At the centre was a beautifully coloured piece of artwork, with a single word — "Hope." It's a message Strueby took to heart, as a reminder to hope for better days ahead. 

"It is more than special. It is something you will take with you forever."