National Champion Saves Piece of His Heart For Humboldt

'(Bus Is) Where You Form Memories'

by Mike McMahon/Staff Writer (@MikeMcMahonCHN)

ST. PAUL, Minn.  Blake Young is from Battleford, Saskatchewan. That's roughly three hours from the horrific accident that happened on Friday night, when a bus carrying the Humboldt Broncos of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League was struck by a tractor trailer en route to a playoff game in Nipawin.

As of this writing, 15 members of the Broncos organization died in the accident. Many more are in the hospital, some still in critical condition.

Young won a national championship on Saturday night here at the Xcel Center in Minnesota, but his heart was back home. Young said after the game — one of the best nights of his hockey career — that he played with a few members of the Broncos growing up. The news shook him to his core.

"I was really close with one member of the team," he said. "He's in critical condition right now. We're all just hoping for the best for him and praying for everyone. It's so tragic. You stop and think, and it can really happen to anyone. I don't know how to react.

"It's tough because Saskatchewan is such a tight knit group of people. Your heart aches when you hear news like that. I was fortunate enough to play with some of those guys on that team. So just not knowing was a struggle. It was definitely on my mind all of last night and all of today.

"I just told myself to go out there and lay it on the line for those guys who can't anymore."

Saskatchewan is a big province, located just above the midwest of the United States. But, it's a province built up of tiny communities. Hockey is at the center of those towns. It's Canada, after all, it's a way of life.

The rink in Humboldt is where the community flocked to on Friday. It's the same ice Young played on when the Battleford North Stars, his SJHL team, would visit the Broncos. Young played 107 games for the North Stars primarily from 2012-14.

"Everyone knows everyone," Young said. "You build real friendships with guys. There are no big cities like St. Paul. It's all small towns and a lot of times you're playing for your town. You build really strong friendships with guys who might be three hours away. The league is so tight and it's so many Saskatchewan kids that you're playing against your buddies every night. You don't find that anywhere else."

Young found out about the tragedy Friday night, as he was visiting family before the championship game on Saturday. The news was stunning. Young sat in disbelief.

"I was trying to find updates with my mom in the hotel," he said. "We were following as close as we could. Knowing some of the guys on that team I was trying to find out anything I could and just praying for the best. I can't imagine what the families are going through. Our whole team, our thoughts and prayers were with them today. It's just horrible."

The bus is more than just transportation for hockey teams. At the junior and even collegiate level, these players spend hours upon hours traveling highways and bonding as teammates.

The bus is where memories are formed. It's where teams come together. It's where a group of players come together as brothers, not just as teammates.

"With tonight (winning a national championship) as probably the only exception, four out of my top-five moments as a hockey player have been stories from the bus," Young said. "That's where you form memories. You form friendships. You're just so close for hours and hours. That's where you celebrate big wins and it's where you come together after tough losses.

"It's supposed to be a safe place."