HUMBOLDT — Community members throughout Humboldt gathered in-person at the Uniplex and online to pay tribute to the 2017-18 Humboldt Broncos during the fourth year anniversary of the tragedy.
As they sat and watched, a hybrid of videos played above on the jumbotron, including the one-year anniversary candle vigil and a short slideshow of pictures of each player. The song Humboldt Strong: Watch over Hockey Town by Graham Dyck played.
At around 4:50 p.m., the bells at St. Augustine Church tolled 29 times – one for each member who was on the bus when the tragedy occurred.
Coun. Rob Muench, former mayor during the tragedy and chair of the Humboldt Broncos Memorial Committee, said the service brought people back to where they were four years ago.
“We experienced a tragedy that I think the community will never be the same again, but we have come four years later and I think we’re seeing the community move on, and we’re seeing some good coming out of what happened, and I think that’s important,” Muench said.
“Things like tomorrow is Green Shirt Day… We’ve had a huge uptake of people who filled out their organ donor cards, things like scholarships…. Each of the players have some sort of a foundation or scholarship or hockey clinic that’s making the tragedy go forward, and doing good.”
Green Shirt Day, on April 7, was created to honour, remember, and recognize all the victims and families, as well as continue the legacy of one of the players, Logan Boulet by registering to be an organ donor. Boulet who is credited as inspiring almost 150,000 people registered to become organ donors in the days and weeks that followed his death on April 7.
Due to the pandemic, there hasn't been a tribute service that was open to the public since the one marking the first anniversary.
The video tribute was put together by Penny Lee, Humboldt’s communications manager. Lee said the video collection was to remind people of what took place on the first anniversary as well as lift them up with the music and unseen photos contributed by the families.
“[It was] just to put things into perspective and remind people of the feeling that was here when the choir sang for example, the feeling of when the candles were lit during the first anniversary,” she said.
“As I was creating one video it came into another video and another piece that I thought was good to share, and another one… and it evolved into what it was tonight.”
All the videos are published on the City of Humboldt’s as of April 6. Lee said they will also be posted on the city’s website on April 7, and will be used for future memorial tributes.
