Families of those killed and injured in the Humboldt Broncos bus crash are urging people not to buy a book that’s been written about the Broncos, saying they did not agree to the book’s publication.
The book titled “Humble Beginnings of the Humboldt Broncos: And the 2017-2018 Team” was written by Barry Heath – despite being told not to write it.
“It’s just too soon,” Scott Thomas, whose son Evan died in the crash that killed 16 and injured 13, said. “I think what really upset a lot of people, and it upset me too, was that there’s something written about my son that I didn't consent to.”
Thomas told CTV News that the author contacted him about a month after the crash. Thomas said he’d share Evan’s story, but told Heath he needs to get the OK from all 29 families if he wanted to do “something bigger.”
Heath contacted other families and the consensus was that it was too soon and they weren’t ready, Thomas said, adding he was surprised when he learned a book was for sale.
“He needed to have everybody’s consent and he didn’t and he just went ahead and wrote the book anyway,” Thomas said.
Other families including Ryan Straschnitzki’s – who survived the crash – took to social media to urge people not to buy the book saying it's not Heath's story to tell.
“I think that whole reason and rationale behind the book is remarkable exploitive,” Michelle Straschnitzki, Ryan’s mom, said. “I think he did it for his own gain, his own reasons.”
Straschnitzki said she doesn’t want the public to be misled about the book thinking the families were involved.
“It’s not his story to tell and it’s not from us,” she said. “We’re urging people to please not buy the book thinking that you’re helping out the families and the Broncos.”
Author considers pulling books
Heath, a former veterinarian and coroner, told CTV News he’s considering recalling the books. He said part of the book’s sales are going to bursaries for young hockey players and that the book was his way of contributing.
Part of a statement from Heath reads: “I am sorry some of the families, including the billet families who have been affected in the same way, believed they had to give permission for me to celebrate their loved ones as I have done. I relied solely on their interviews with media in order to capture and retell the beautiful memories of lives lost and changed.”
The 178-page book is being sold on consignment and is being independently distributed by Heath. It’s sold at some Chapters and Indigo stores. Heath has written three other books.
In the statement, Heath said he’s been thanked for writing the book, which is about the players, emergency response to the crash and the team’s origin.
“I wove a story where the fabric itself intertwines in so many ways, one cannot help but treasure the team’s history and its promise for the future,” the statement reads.
Families want future consultation
Thomas said if people are going to buy the book he wants them to know it was written without the families consent, collaboration or knowledge.
He said he understands there is a story to be told and more situations like this may come up, but he wants all families to be consulted first.
“In a lot of ways we’ve had no control over a lot of things that have happened to us in the last six months and this is just another one that pushed people too far,” he said.
Full statement from author Barry Heath
I am sorry some of the families, including the billet families who have been affected in the same way, believed they had to give permission for me to celebrate their loved ones as I have done. I relied solely on their interviews with media in order to capture and retell the beautiful memories of lives lost and changed.
Those who know me, including those who don’t but have read the book, thank me for writing an honourable and respectful tribute to the Broncos players, the emergency response, the team’s origin, the citizens of Humboldt, and how the 1973 Broncos’ forfeit of a championship resulted in a safer hockey environment. They have given positive feedback on a story they thought they knew, but learned more about the backgrounds and accomplishments of the people affected they would not have otherwise known without their own extensive probing of various media outlets.
The Greek philosopher, Pericles, said 2500 years ago that “what you leave behind is not what is engraved on stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.”
Throughout the Broncos story, people talked about the team being part of the fabric of the city of Humboldt. I wove a story where the fabric itself intertwines in so many ways, one cannot help but treasure the team’s history and its promise for the future.
