Before Saskatoon's Blood Service Clinic opened on Saturday, people were lined up outside ready to give.
“We saw 150 come in today. Normally we'd see about 80, so there's been a huge response today of people coming out wanting to help,” Mike Fisher, Canadian Blood Services Saskatoon manager, said.
Lane Hodnefield and Patrick Janex, both first-time blood donors, said those involved in the Humboldt Broncos bus crash inspired their donations.
“I grew up playing hockey in Saskatchewan, so just do what you can to help out the hockey community. It's terrible what happened, so I'm just trying to help out in any way that I can,” Hodnefield said.
“I just felt like I had to go donate. April 6, 2018 is going to be a dark day in Saskatchewan for a long time,” Janex said.
After a few hours of the clinic’s opening, people saw wait times of up to three hours.
On Monday, there will be a blood drive in Tisdale, near where the crash happened.
“Tisdale, like most of our small towns, are always are pretty much at capacity anyway. So with this in light, it's going to be well over-capacity,” Fisher said.
Despite the large donor turnout, the clinic is not extending its hours to open on Sunday and Monday.
