Four of the young hockey players killed in the Humboldt Broncos bus crash on Friday night all previously played hockey in St. Albert: forwards Conner Lukan, Jaxon Joseph, and Logan Hunter and defencemen Stephen Wack.
READ MORE: Here are the victims of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash
The St. Albert Raiders play at Akinsdale Arena in St. Albert, a suburban community north of Edmonton, where on Sunday dozens of people gathered commemorate the boys.
St. Albert Midget AAA Raiders head coach Jack Redlick said he organized the gathering as soon as he found out about the tragedy.
“Just threw it out there to past players and anyone that wanted to come by to share some of the good times, see some past teammates and share some stories in regards to the players,” Redlick said.
On Sunday, one by one, players past and present, along with friends and coaches, arrived at the arena. A wall in the locker room was adorned with the four jerseys of the young men, and about 40 members of the St. Albert Raiders community gathered to share memories of the athletes.
“Everyone’s going to deal with it in their own way. Some, it will come out later on. The worst thing you can try and do is ball it up inside,” Redlick said, adding he wanted to create an avenue for teammates to lean on each other.
Watch below: Riding the bus to and from games is a nearly daily trip for many hockey players. Kim Smith went on a ride-a-long with a group of young Edmonton-area hockey players, many of whom aspire to play hockey at a high level.
Lukan, 21, of Slave Lake played with the midget St. Albert Raiders and Spruce Grove Saints of the Alberta Junior Hockey League before joining the Broncos last year.
Fellow player Luc Smith shared a lot of ice time with Lukan found it difficult to describe the loss.
“We shared a lot of laughs in this rink, it’s just something that … I don’t even have the words. Hockey’s more than just a game — it’s our life,” Smith said.
“It’s definitely not easy. It’s going to get better as time passes, but right now it stings. It hurts. It’s affecting more than the community — it’s affecting the whole country.”
READ MORE: Powerful photos show a grieving Humboldt as a nation mourns horrific tragedy
Edmonton’s Jaxon Joseph, the 20-year-old son of former Edmonton Oilers defenceman Chris Joseph, was among the leading scorers in the SJHL playoffs.
“Jaxon was a good buddy of mine,” his friend Jake Kohlhauser said. “He’d always make people laugh. He’d walk into a room and light up the room. He was a great hockey player.”
Stephen Wack, 21, who was from St. Albert, played for the Broncos for two seasons after moving over from the AJHL.
Kohlhauser said Wack wasn’t just a talented athlete and “the nicest guy you could meet,” but also a creative videographer.
“He loved hockey, but I think a big thing — just on his Instagram, he made those videos and I think he was very talented at that. I’m lost for words, it’s just brutal what’s going on here right now.”
St. Albert native Logan Hunter, 18, spent several years playing for the Raiders before joining the Broncos.
“I just couldn’t believe it was true, someone so young getting taken from us so soon,” friend Josh Porter said, adding Hunter was like most teens: he enjoyed sports, being active, hanging out with friends and going to movies.
Watch below: Counsellors have been brought in to schools in St. Albert, as the community continues to grieve following the Humboldt Broncos bus crash on Friday. Green and yellow ribbons, the colours of the Broncos, also line the streets of the community. Vinesh Pratap reports.
Both the Catholic and public school districts in St. Albert are making sure extra counsellors are at the high schools the boys attended, for students who need help coping with the tragedy.
“When something like this happens we kind of play it by ear, we do what the kids need us to do,” St. Alberta Public Schools communications manager Paula Power said.
“Some times it’s a matter of days and some times it is longer. And sometimes we’ll help the families with resources in the community if they need long term support. Really we just go with what the needs are.”