First, Canadians shared their shock and sympathy for the victims of the horrific Humboldt Bronco’s bus crash Friday evening. Now, they’re sharing their jerseys and hockey sticks.

Across social media, hundreds of photos have appeared, all with the same haunting image: a hockey stick, or several, leaned up against the front door. In some, the porch light is on, in others, candles flicker, illuminating a touching tribute to 15 lost lives.

TSN broadcaster Brian Munz, himself a Humboldt native, first tweeted about the tribute Sunday evening. He included a text message from a friend. “Leaving it out on the porch tonight,” the message reads. It follows a photo of a lone hockey stick, which rests against a door frame.

“The boys might need it ... wherever they are.”

A massive response has followed, with social media users posting their tributes under the hashtag #PutYourStickOut and #HumboldtStrong.

On Friday the Broncos were on their way to a playoff game when their bus and a tractor-trailer collided, leaving 15 dead. On Monday the Saskatchewan Health Authority provided an update that 12 patients remained in hospital: four in critical condition, four in serious condition and four in stable condition.





Mark Wahba, a physcian that was on call during the crash, told reporters that the Saskatchewan Health Authority worked collaboratively and as hard as they could “despite the scope and emotional impact of this tragedy.”

“It was truly a team effort, it was a province-wide team effort. I want to say that my heart it with the patients and families affected by this tragedy,” said Wahba as he choked back tears.

As people across the country come to grips with the tragic accident, several online movements have sprung up in support of the team and their grieving families. A GoFundMe page dedicated to the victims has surpassed its goal several times, raising more than $6 million as of Monday evening, with donations from more than 76,000 people worldwide.

For many, the crash hits close to home. What started as a support group on Facebook has now turned into an international movement, with a group of B.C. hockey moms asking supporters to wear a sports jersey in a coordinated an effort to show the parents of the Broncos that their pain is felt worldwide.

“At first we were just going to do local, with our own hockey team, and then we decided to B.C., and then Canada,” said Jennifer Pinch, mother to a 16-year-old hockey player with the Langley Minor Hockey Association. “We are reaching China, Australia, New Zealand, all over the States, Mexico. People from different jurisdictions have contacted us, and certainly all across Canada.”

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Pinch and other mothers with the LMHA, who all have children between the ages of 5 and 19, started a Facebook group so they could sort through their feelings about the crash. She and others felt the need to reach out to the Bronco’s mothers.

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“I can’t imagine as a mom, it’s so relatable. We’ve all put our kids on the buses, we’ve all had a hockey tournament — it’s just what hockey moms do in life,” Pinch said.

Regardless of whether or not you’re an avid hockey fan, the sport is undeniably Canadian, she said. “You know these boys dreamed to be on this bus and to go and play hockey, and I just see in Canada from people that don’t even know the sport can somehow relate to the immense sadness that’s involved.”

Jersey Day will be honoured on April 12. Supporters are asked to hashtag their photos on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter with #JerseysForHumboldt.

In Toronto, flags were lowered to half-mast on Monday at Crescent School, an all-boys private school near Bayview Ave. and Lawrence Ave. E. Staff and 750 students from grades 3 to 12 held a moment of silence during their athletics assembly.

Crescent School’s head boy Max Bennett, said the students will be taking part in Jersey Day and there will be a fundraiser to help support the victims’ families.

Bennett, 17, said he and his fellow students were touched by the fatal crash since Crescent School is a tight-knit community of hockey lovers and the school has multiple hockey teams.

“It’s just tragic and mindblowing. This has really affected us, so hopefully we can help anyway we can by showing support and raising some money.”

With files from Alanna Rizza