To the editor:
Last Saturday the Thunder Bay North Stars held a very moving ceremony at centre ice prior to their game against the Thief River Falls Norskies at the Fort William Gardens. Both teams stood side by side in a moments silence for the 16 fatalities in the Humboldt Broncos tragic bus crash.
The Broncos hockey team lost 10 players in this crash along with 2 coaches,an athletic therapist, a broadcaster and a volunteer statistician as well as the bus driver.
As the North Stars prepare for their upcoming SIJHL series with Dryden Ice Dogs after knocking off the Thief River Falls in five games it is difficult for players and fans here and across the country not to be thinking of the young players in Humboldt,Saskatchewan whose lives came to such an abrupt end.
The North Stars can relate to the Broncos hockey team as they too travel on a regular basis. The North Stars play 56 regular season games and half of those are on the road. They travel to Hout Lakes, Minnesota, Ear Falls, Thief River Falls , Dryden and Fort Frances on a regular basis. The North Stars are now preparing to travel to Dryden for the first two games in their best-of-seven series for the Bill Salonen Cup this weekend before returning to the friendly confines of the Fort William Gardens for Games 3 and 4 on Tuesday and Wednesday night.
Thunder Bay hockey fans will get a chance to add their name onto two huge cards that will be sent to the Humboldt Broncos hockey organization One card will be green and the other yellow as these are the colours of the Broncos.
These cards will be available at both games in the lobby of the Fort William Gardens Tuesday and Wednesday night. The goal is to get at least 3,700 signatures which is the capacity of the Gardens including standing room.
Game time is 7:30 p.m. both nights with doors opening at 6:30 p.m.
Ray Smith,
Thunder Bay
Ray Smith
