Canadian town mourns: 15 die when truck, bus collide

HUMBOLDT, Saskatchewan (AP) — A hockey arena became the epicenter of grief for a small Canadian town on Sunday, as friends and relatives gathered to mourn 15 people killed after a semi-trailer slammed into a bus carrying a youth hockey team in western Canada.

Fourteen were also injured, some critically, in a collision that left a country, its national sport and the hockey-obsessed town of Humboldt, Saskatchewan reeling.

The bus had 29 passengers, including the driver, when it crashed at about 5 p.m. Friday on Highway 35, police said. Among the dead are Broncos head coach Darcy Haugan, team captain Logan Schatz and radio announcer Tyler Bieber.

Residents of this town of less than 6,000 have been leaving flowers, team jerseys and personal tributes on the steps of the arena's entrance, forming a makeshift memorial. One tribute included a Kraft macaroni and cheese dinner box, which was a favorite meal of deceased forward Evan Thomas. A bouquet of pink roses adorned the box, which read "to Evan, game day special, love your billet brother and sister Colten and Shelby."

Canadians have become mourners as they have learned more about the identities of the deceased on the bus that was driving the Humboldt Broncos hockey team to a crucial playoff game Friday against the Nipawin Hawks.

Forward Jaxon Joseph, who is the son of former NHL player Chris Joseph, along with forward Logan Hunter and defensemen Stephen Wack, Adam Herold and Xavier Labelle were among the dead, according to family members and others. Bus driver Glen Doerksen and stats keeper Brody Hinz, who was 18, were also killed.

Herold, who would have turned 17 on Thursday, played for the Regina Pat Canadians hockey team until just weeks ago, but was sent to join the Broncos for their playoff round when the Pat Canadians' season wrapped up, said John Smith, the Pat Canadians' manager.

The names of all the dead and injured have not been released by police.

"It's small town anywhere. We're devastated," said hockey club Vice President Randolph MacLEAN. "At the center of this, we have 15 souls who'll never go home again. We have 29 lives that will never be the same."

Canadian police said the truck driver, who was not hurt, was initially detained but has since been released and provided with mental health assistance. Royal Canadian Mounted Police Assistant Commissioner Curtis Zablocki said it's too early to state a cause for the crash.

Photographs of the wreckage showed the twisted trailer with most of its wheels in the air and the bus on its side with its back portion destroyed. The force of the crash sent both vehicles into the ditch at the northwest corner of the intersection.

A memorial at the stairs that lead to Elgar Petersen Arena is shown in Humboldt, Saskatchewan, on Saturday, April 7, 2018. Royal Canadian Mounted Police say 14 people are dead and others injured Friday after a truck collided with a bus carrying a junior hockey team to a playoff game in northeastern Saskatchewan. Police say there were 28 people including the driver on board the Humboldt Broncos bus when the crash occurred at around 5 p.m. on Highway 35 north of Tisdale. (Liam Richards/The Canadian Press via AP)

The tractor-trailer would have had to yield to a stop sign before crossing over the highway that the hockey bus was travelling on. There is a stand of trees on the southeast corner of the intersection, limiting visibility of the approach on both roads.

Police said a lot of issues have to be investigated, including weather conditions at the time and any mechanical issues with the vehicles.

The tragedy brought to mind an accident in 1986, when the Swift Current Broncos team bus slid off an icy highway and crashed in late December, killing four players.

It also brought Canadians to tears in a country where hockey is a way of life.

The Broncos are a close-knit team who dyed their hair blond for the playoffs. While most of the players were from elsewhere in western Canada, they were put up by families in the small town of Humboldt.

A vigil will be held on the hockey team's home ice on Sunday night, and a makeshift stage and hundreds of chairs sit ready for the memorial.

"We're all hurting," said hockey arena cook Diane Sawatzky. "We've become like a family and try to help each other."

MacLEAN said the community comes together at the arena on game nights that draw 800 to 1,000 people to the stands.

"It's an energy that spreads through the town with road signs saying 'game tonight,' tickets for sale everywhere," he said.

As is the case with small town hockey across Canada, he said, the arena is not just a recreation facility, but a focus of community life with the hockey team at its center.

A truck drives by the welcome sign honoring the members of the Humboldt Broncos hockey team in Humboldt, Saskatchewan, Canada, Saturday, April 7, 2018. Canadian police said early Saturday that several people were killed and others injured after a truck collided with a bus carrying the junior hockey team to a playoff game in Western Canada. Police say there were 28 people, including the driver, on board the bus of the Humboldt Broncos team when the crash occurred around 5 p.m. Friday on Highway 35 in Saskatchewan. (Liam Richards/The Canadian Press via AP)

With players who billet by local families, work in city businesses and attend local schools, MacLEAN said the tragedy touches every corner of Humboldt.

Norman Mattock, a longtime season ticket holder, said his neighbor housed player Morgan Gobeil.

The defenseman was severely injured and remains in serious but stable condition, Mattock said.

Billeting families are a large part of junior hockey, with players spending years with host families.

He said players become part of the community fabric, doing volunteer work or serving in restaurants. Three players who billeted by the same family all died in the crash, he added.

"They lost them all," Mattock said.

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Gillies reported from Toronto.