The venue used to say goodbye to bus crash victim Evan Thomas on Monday will now host one of the biggest tributes yet in honour of the Humboldt Broncos.
On Wednesday, a star studded line-up was announced for a tribute concert to take place on April 27 at SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon.
Some of the biggest names in Canadian country music have signed on to take the stage, providing a glimmer of light during our darkest days.
Juno-award winners Dallas Smith, Brett Kissel, Jess Moskaluke and Gord Bamford are among the feature performers.
Also taking part are Chad Brownlee and the Hunter Brothers, along with former NHL hockey players and special guests from Humboldt and the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.
“All of these artists are donating their time to be here and they want to be here,” said Gerry Krochak, with Country Thunder Music Festivals.
“It wasn’t long after that the NHL stepped up and it came together pretty quickly so we’re very grateful to everyone who did the Saskatchewan thing and stepped up and said we’re in – we’re all in.”
The CEO of Country Thunder Music Festivals, Troy Vollhoffer, has a connection with Saskatchewan and the hockey community.
Vollhoffer grew up in Regina and played for a number of junior and professional hockey teams between 1982 and 1992.
He said hockey and music have the power to bring people together during both the best of times and at times of despair.
“Hockey is in the DNA of this province and music is the fabric of our lives,” Vollhoffer said.
“Being from Saskatchewan, and with strong roots in the hockey community, we wanted to help and be there in any way possible.”
“We’re donating the building, we’re providing all of the chattels to set up for the event and we’re going to do everything we can to make this a fantastic event and raise lots of money for the 29 families of the Humboldt Broncos,” SaskTel Centre executive director Scott Ford said.
All proceeds will go directly to the 29 families and when tickets went on sale at noon on Wednesday through Ticketmaster, approximately 4,400 were sold within the first five minutes.
There is also an online hockey jersey auction, where the successful bidder will get to meet a professional hockey player after the concert.
“The hockey fraternity is a brotherhood,” former NHL Player Clarke Wilm said.
“We could have all been on that bus. We all rode the bus for numerous hours and we like to take care of our own guys – it’s an honour and privilege to play the game and it’s a huge honour to come back and help out and support any way we can.”
Capacity of the event will be just over 13,000 concert goers and will start at 7 p.m.