The seats of the Elgar Petersen Arena will be filled Wednesday night with hockey fans ready to honour the past and move forward with the future of the storied Humboldt Broncos hockey club.
The Broncos will take on the Nipawin Hawks in front of a sold out crowd for their first regular season game since the devastating bus crash on April 6 which killed 16 people and injured 13 others.
Two of the crash survivors will wear a Broncos jersey this year - Brayden Camrud and Derek Patter will both be alternate captains for this year’s team.
“I kind of owe it to these guys this year to step up and be a leader and make sure that they all feel comfortable being in the room too,” Camrud said.
Newcomer Michael Clarke will round out the leadership group, also stepping up as an alternate captain.
The team will not have a captain this season to honour Logan Schatz, who was killed in the crash.
Broncos coach Nathan Oystrick said the team heading out on the ice on Wednesday night isn’t trying to replace the players and staff who lost their lives in April. Oystrick took over from Darcy Haugan, who was also killed.
“I’m trying to bring my own elements here, my own thoughts and ideas,” Oystrick told reporters after the team’s final practice on Tuesday.
“I’m just trying to be myself and coach the way I coach and do the best I can.”
Oystrick is leading a new team and coaching staff onto the ice on Wednesday — a team he expects will be competitive in this year’s Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League season.
“They’re a good group of kids and they’re ready to compete and ready to work,” he said.
On Wednesday, the nation will be watching Humboldt - but Oystrick said he’s doing his best to treat it like any other hockey game.
“It’s just another game,” he said. “At the end of the day, it’s a game. It’s supposed to be fun. We all want to win. I hate losing, and I know the players in the dressing room hate losing also.”
There will be a moment of silence before the game begins to honour the crash victims.
A full tribute is scheduled after the final buzzer. Camrud said the team talked to the players to decide the best time for the tribute.
“As soon as the third period ends, I can just let loose and whatever emotions I have I can just take over me, or I can just be overwhelmed,” he said
“I don’t know how our players are going to react,” Oystrick said. “Obviously for the returning players, it’s going to be very emotional for them. Either way, it’s going to be an emotional game. I’m hoping that once the puck drops, our guys are focused and ready to play hockey.”
The game will be broadcast on CTV Saskatchewan and TSN. CTV Saskatchewan will begin pre-game coverage at 6 p.m.
