The hockey community all followed along in angst while waiting for more information to be released last Friday night after everyone had heard there was a bus, carrying a Canadian junior hockey team, that had collided with a semi-trailer.
This tragedy is one of the most horrific events in the hockey community, if not the worst. But the Bronco's tragedy has honestly set out to be the example as to why the hockey culture in North America is potentially the most supportive, graceful, and loving community to grace the face of the planet.
That's a bold statement, I know. However, understand the circumstances surrounding this tragedy and what the response was by any hockey parent, player, or coach all over the world. The accident happened on Friday, the gory details of the deceased and injured players and coaches were announced on Saturday and into Sunday.
By Tuesday, a GoFundMe page had reached over eight million dollars to donate to the victims and their families, and multiple different businesses' had started their own charity fund to give to the families and the victims in the bus crash.
Barstool Sports' hockey specific social media branch "Spittin' Chiclets" has started making t-shirts to sell in order to donate 100% of the proceeds to the victims and their families. From my understanding, the sale has been doing very well.
Not even to mention all of the moral and honorable support that the Humboldt community has received from all those who love hockey.
Those part of the hockey community have been propping their hockey sticks up, outside their homes, to pay tribute to the Humboldt Broncos and their direct community. Soldiers stationed in Iraq are even taking part in #SticksOutForHumboldt.
People that don't understand why there is such a massive support for this hockey team don't really understand the culture surrounded by hockey. Yeah, we beat our opponents', and sometimes teammates', faces in on the ice, but there's a comradery unlike any other that follows with hockey everywhere you go.
If you're part of a hockey team in a community that embraces the hockey culture, you're part of a massive family.
Hockey families help other hockey families. That's just how the culture is. If one family in the hockey community is affected by a tragedy, the entire hockey culture is affected. The entire culture will show support in one way or another.
Every parent of any player that has ever set a blade on the ice, knows that this tragedy could have happened anywhere, to anyone. They'll actually go out of their way to show as much support as possible to the directly affected families the way they would like others to show if this tragedy happened to their community.
It's not even just Canada that's being so supportive, either. It's Americans, it's Danish hockey teams, it's teams, families, and coaches all around the world that are doing what they can to show support, whether it be financial, emotional, or symbolic.
The hockey community stands together unlike any other community. Humboldt, we are all standing with you.