Logan Hunter is being remembered by family and friends as a passionate hockey player with a sharp sense of humour who was also an incredibly kind young man.
Logan was one of the 15 people killed in a horrific crash involving a semi-truck and the Humboldt Broncos team bus on Friday. He was just 18.
READ MORE: ‘Heartbroken and completely devastated’: 15 dead in Humboldt Broncos bus crash
“Sports was his life,” his mother Shauna Nordstrom told Global News. “He not only played — his dream and goal was to play Junior A hockey; that was his ultimate dream and he did it. I’m so proud of him — he loved every game, every shift and his teammates.
“He just loved hockey, breathed hockey and he was living his dream,” she said.
The St. Albert teen spent several years playing for the Raiders before joining the Broncos.
READ MORE: Humboldt Broncos bus crash: Several Alberta hockey players killed
“I want people to know that he was such a kind, young man,” Nordstrom shared. “He just showed kindness in all sorts of ways. He loved animals. He’d walk into the house and the first thing he’d do was definitely check for Charlie our dog and give him some love and attention.
“He was a very patient young man too. He grew up with two older sisters … He always had that gentle demeanour.”
Nordstrom said he loved the community of Humboldt and quickly became close with his billet family there.
“He lived with an amazing family,” she said. “He went from two older sisters to two younger sisters and he just adored them like they were his.”
Hunter also lived with a teammate who Nordstrom said was like a brother to him. As they became “super close,” so did Nordstrom with his parents.
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“I became very close with that family as well. They live in Saskatoon and we’re going through the same … most difficult time of our lives. To lose our young men like this is the worst tragedy. I can’t even put it into words, truly.”
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On Friday afternoon, Nordstrom got a call from her son’s billet mom, saying the team’s bus had been in a crash. Nordstrom started calling hospitals, hoping for word on her son. At around 10:30 p.m., she started driving to Saskatchewan. On the way, she took a call from an RCMP officer. He told her to go to the Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon.
“I had a bad feeling at that time that my boy not might be with me. I received the news … from the Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon that he didn’t make it … Worst day of my life.”
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Nordstrom said she’s finding comfort in the way Logan lived his life and all that he accomplished.
“He loved day-to-day life, every part of it. Eighteen years was way too young to leave but I take comfort in knowing that he lived a very full life and he’s smiling at me and everyone else right now and he’s saying, ‘I’m OK’ … and that will help me get through this.”
“I got to see him yesterday,” she said. “I got to hold his beautiful hand and I got to kiss his face.”
Nordstrom said the family and community will lean on each other.
“We will be together getting through this unimaginable challenge. We need to find comfort with each other.”
Christian Foote grew up with Logan. They lived down the street from each other and played hockey together.
In fact, on Friday afternoon, about an hour before the crash, they were sending messages back and forth about the Broncos’ games.
“He was on the bus,” Foote said. “I was like asking him about the series. He said they were down but they were outplaying them and thought they were going to come back. I just wished him luck. That was at around 3 o’clock. Then I sent him a SnapChat at around 4 o’clock and he never opened it.”
Foote started hearing news about the team’s bus being involved in a crash.
READ MORE: Here are the victims of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash
“I just thought, ‘There’s accidents all the time. It’s a big bus.’ I thought they would be OK, a minor hiccup. I started to get more details, it started to really scare me … Texting and trying to hear back from him and never did … found out later that he didn’t make it.
“I wish I could have said more. If I would have known, but I couldn’t. I just said good luck and said I’d see him this week. The season would be over. I didn’t think that I’d be not seeing him ever again.
“You never know when it’s going to be your last time talking to someone,” Foote said. “I don’t know what to say.”
He said he’ll remember Logan as a fantastic hockey player with a quick wit.
“He loved the game so much. He was the funniest guy ever. He was the light of the dressing room. He was a great guy. Everyone liked him and loved him,” Foote said.
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“His hands were unreal. He could just shoot the puck so hard. He was very talented. Just a play-maker too — such a good hockey player.”
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Since hearing about the crash and Logan’s death, Foote has been surrounding himself with friends who understand the loss.
“We haven’t left each other’s sides. We’re sticking together through this. We’re going down to Humboldt today and we’re just going to get through this together.”
And together, they’re sharing their best memories of their friend Logan.
“He was one of the most sarcastic guys ever,” Foote said. “His smile was just unforgettable … He’ll be missed by a lot of people.”
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