Five years have elapsed in what seems like five minutes for Craig Reynolds, given the vivid recollections of April 6, 2018.
While in Arizona for a family vacation, the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ President and CEO was informed via text message that the Humboldt Broncos’ bus had crashed on a highway near Tisdale.
With each succeeding notification, the news got worse. Ultimately, 16 of the 29 people who were travelling to Nipawin for a Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League playoff game lost their lives. The other 13 passengers were injured.
“It’s one of those moments where you know exactly where you were when you first heard the news,” Reynolds reflects. “It’s one of those things, much like 9/11, where the emotions instantly come back.
“The emotions were so wide-ranging. You just felt so much compassion for the team, the community, and obviously the loved ones who were impacted by it.”
Very quickly, Reynolds touched base with colleagues in the Roughriders’ organization and in the Canadian Football League and discussed ways in which assistance could be provided to the Broncos — also a community-owned team — and the people of Humboldt.
“We were trying to figure out what would be appropriate,” Reynolds says. “The conclusion was, ‘Let’s ask the Broncos directly how we could help.’ ”
Accordingly Reynolds reached out to Kevin Garinger, who was then the Broncos’ President.
“Kevin and another director came to Regina about three weeks after the accident,” Reynolds says. “They outlined what they thought would be most helpful.
“One of the things they mentioned was for us to be present in the Humboldt community during training camp, so that’s what we did. We took the entire team out there and we had a practice there.
“They thought that bringing the community together for something positive would be something that would help.”
So it came to be that the Roughriders made the one-hour drive from Saskatoon, where training camp was being held, to Humboldt on June 3, 2018.
“It was almost sombre going out there, because it wasn’t that far removed from the tragedy,” Reynolds says. “You’re going out there to practise football, but you’re on a bus.
“One of the reasons why the tragedy was so impactful is that everyone has done that. You’ve travelled on buses to sporting events so many times. My daughter went to Banff on a bus just recently for a school trip.
“Everybody has likely, at some point in their lives, been on a bus going somewhere for sports or a cultural event or a school trip or whatever.
“So it was sombre for our guys, because they know what a tragic event that was and they knew why we were going out there — to try to help the community heal.
“But once we got there and we got into it, we realized that the community was certainly rallying around us being out there and our guys were trying to be as engaging as possible.”
The Roughriders’ players spent upwards of 90 minutes interacting with fans during a barbecue and autograph session that followed a walk-through at Glenn Hall Park.
It was familiar territory for Reynolds, who grew up in Foam Lake — 145 kilometres east of Humboldt.
In fact, Reynolds played high school basketball for the Foam Lake Panthers when their principal rival was the Humboldt Mohawks.
And there was a time when Reynolds’ dentist was based in Humboldt, so the events of April 2018 hit especially close to home — as did the visit in early June of that year.
“It was good for our players to go out there and be part of the community and see the community,” Reynolds says. “We had some engaging players that year, too, and I remember Duron Carter being very engaging with kids.
“I remember Kevin talking about the importance of having the community smile again and seeing kids smile again and having people enjoy something that is an important part of our culture.”
The gathering was also highlighted by the announcement that the Roughriders’ June 30, 2018 regular-season meeting with the Montreal Alouettes would have the “Humboldt Strong” theme.
“One of the things (the Broncos) suggested was to bring the families together and let them spend time together at one of our games,” Reynolds notes. “It was important for us to see what was best for them rather than assume what was best for them.
“At our home opener, we hosted 200 of the survivors’ families, the billets’ families and the victims’ families. We recognized the survivors before the game and brought them out on to the field.”
As part of a pre-game tribute to the Broncos and the Humboldt community, a video was shown on the MaxTron.
A Broncos puck, as opposed to a piece of currency, was used for the pre-game coin flip.
The Roughriders also invited first responders to the game, during which Gainer the Gopher wore a Broncos jersey. A Humboldt team sweater also adorned the 13th-man statue outside Mosaic Stadium.
As well, the Roughriders distributed yellow and green ribbons — honouring the Broncos and the SJHL team’s colours — to the 33,350 fans who attended the sold-out game.
Prominently displayed at the stadium, as usual, were the names and numbers of former Roughriders players Mel Becket (No. 40), Mario DeMarco (55), Ray Syrnyk (56) and Gordon Sturtridge (73).
They were among the 62 people who died in a Dec. 9, 1956 plane crash. Becket, DeMarco, Syrnyk and Sturtridge were returning to Regina from the East-West Shrine All-Star Game in Vancouver
when Trans-Canada Air Lines Flight 810-9 slammed into Mount Slesse, near Chilliwack, B.C.
“You see those players’ names and you understand the tragedy that also led to their names being up there (in the stadium),” Reynolds reflects.
“It does hit home, because the organization has felt a tragedy. It’s a different scenario, because the Roughriders weren’t travelling as a team, but to lose members of your organization is incredibly difficult.”
Faced with their own tragedy more than 60 years later, the Broncos and the people of Humboldt carried themselves with courage and compassion, as they still do five years later while a sad, yet inspiring, five-year milestone is observed near and far.
“We certainly haven’t forgotten about the tragedy and what they had to endure and the resiliency of the organization and that community,” Reynolds says.
“They were able to manage through an unimaginable tragedy with class and the utmost professionalism. We’re blessed and lucky that they allowed us to help in just some small way, because that is ultimately what we wanted to do.
“You continue to feel for the people whose lives were forever changed as a result of that tragedy. It’s one of those days that you’ll never forget.”
