JAMESTOWN – Southern Tier Xpress General Manager Travis Sanders said the sport of hockey is in mourning this weekend following a bus accident that killed 15 members of a Canadian junior hockey team.
Police in Saskatchewan say 15 members of the Humboldt Broncos Junior Hockey Club were killed when a tractor trailer struck their team bus that bound for a playoff game.
“Although they are halfway across North America, this still hits close to home for every hockey community around the world,” said Sanders via text.
ESPN is reporting that the crash killed the team’s captain and the head coach.
“As a junior hockey program ourselves, it’s impossible to fathom what they are going through,” Sanders said.
“We travel as a team all over the country together by bus, as so many programs do, and it’s just heart breaking to hear of this tragedy,” he added.
“The worst nightmare has happened,” Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League president Bill Chow said at the news conference as he fought back tears.
“Junior Hockey is a unique environment
We wish for a healthy recovery for those injured, along with the strength to navigate through these difficult times with there teammates, families and community,” he added.
Xpress Forward, Joey Gerace, said his prayers are with the victims and their families tonight.
“The entire hockey community is beyond heartbroken,” said Gerace.”It doesn’t matter what league, team, or logo you play for.”
All of the coaches, parents, players and spectators are all there for the love of the game,” he said.
“This horrific incident truly makes you cherish every moment of life, which is so fragile. My thoughts and prayers are with the victims,” added Gerace.
Aerial footage showed the bus on its side, its roof peeled back and its front end destroyed. The trailer of the truck lay nearby in a shattered mess, with bags of its peat moss cargo scattered all around. The tractor part of the truck was intact, lying on its passenger side.
