A bus carrying a team of teenage hockey players from north of Edmonton lost control on an icy highway and crashed into a heavily-treed area, leaving all on board with various injuries including some that required hospitalization.
The Athabasca Rivermen Junior A Hockey Club was on its way to southern Alberta to play against fellow National Junior Hockey League team Crowsnest Crush when the bus went off the road.
The single-vehicle collision occurred on Highway 2, south of Athabasca — which is about 140 kilometres north of Edmonton — early Friday morning.
RCMP said the coach bus transporting the local hockey team was headed south on the highway when it lost control and entered the west ditch, crashing through several trees.
There were 17 people on the bus, according to police: the driver and 16 passengers — most of whom were youths between the ages of 15 and 19.
All of the occupants sustained injuries of various severity as a result of the collision, police said.
Two of those teenagers were taken by EMS to hospital in Edmonton with non-life-threatening but serious injuries.
Randi Pouliot, whose 18-year-old son, Dominic Schell, is the starting goalie for the Athabasca Rivermen, said her son phoned from hospital.
“He just told me that they were going around a corner and the bus driver hit some black ice … and they ended up going straight into the ditch,” said Pouliot, speaking from Red Deer, Alta.
“I was worried. I started crying. I was not in the best of shape myself.”
Police said most of the other injuries were fairly minor, with everyone on board complaining of soreness or bruising after the bus crashed into the woods.
No one died.
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Athabasca Mayor Robert Balay said town officials have yet to hear directly from parents as almost all of the players are from out of town.
“I’m just really happy that no one was seriously hurt. You can fix a bus and everything else,” he said in an interview.
Balay said the bus involved is used for other community services and is owned by Lincoln County Oilfield Services. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“The health and wellbeing of everyone involved remains our highest priority,” the National Junior Hockey League said in a statement Friday afternoon.
“We are ensuring that all necessary supports are made available to the Athabasca Rivermen Junior A Hockey organization, including medical and mental-health resources.”
The Crowsnest Crush posted on Facebook that its weekend games against the Athabasca Rivermen were cancelled because of the crash.
“Our hearts are heavy this morning as we extended all of our prayers, thoughts and best wishes to the Athabasca Rivermen Junior A Hockey Club and their families. This morning the team was involved in a bus accident with some serious injuries,” the team’s post said.
“As a hockey community, we are all thinking of you and encourage all our Crush fans from near and far to light up the Pass in support and have those sticks out.”
The National Junior Hockey League is an independent organization not affiliated with Hockey Canada.
Road conditions are believed to have been a contributing factor in the crash.
At the time the bus lost control, highways north of Edmonton were partially snow-covered with icy conditions, and temperatures were approximately -37 C.
RCMP said Mounties from the local detachment were aided on scene by firefighters and peace officers from Athabasca County, as well as emergency medical services from AHS.
Athabasca RCMP reminded drivers to adjust their behaviour behind the wheel to winter road conditions and to be extra cautious during extreme cold and adverse weather.
The NJHL said it extended its sincere appreciation to the first responders and medical personnel “whose swift and professional actions ensure the safety of those on board.
“Their dedication and service are invaluable to our communities and to our league.”
The crash evoked memories of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash.
That junior hockey team was on its way to a game in Saskatchewan in 2018 when its bus struck a semi-truck that had barreled through a stop sign at a rural intersection. Sixteen were killed and 13 were injured.
Thoughts of the Broncos crash came to mind for Balay.
“Any time there’s a hockey team that’s in an accident with a bus, we all remember what happened in Saskatchewan.”
— With files from Rob Drinkwater and Brittany Hobson, The Canadian Press
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