“This is good, hey,” Shaun Wagstaff said, pointing to the writing on a blade of a hockey stick. “See how it says, ‘Prayers for Humboldt.’”
Wagstaff was holding one of 150 sticks donated at a vigil held Friday, April 13 in Airdrie to show support for people impacted by the Humboldt Broncos bus crash, especially hometown player Ryan Straschnitzki.
Sixteen people died after the Broncos bus collided with a semi on a highway near Tisdale, Saskatchewan on April 6. The crash left the 18-year-old defenceman paralyzed from the chest down and 13 others injured.
Organizers of the vigil asked people attending to bring sticks for Wagstaff, who’d offered to turn them into two benches to help Straschnitzki and his family.
One will go to the Straschnitzkis, while the other will be put up for auction at a fundraising event being planned for Airdrie in late May.
The money will go toward the specialized medical equipment and other items Straschnitzki might need as he recovers.
Wagstaff has been making time to build the benches while running his Peace of Mind Contracting business.
“We’ve been here till midnight the last two nights in a row,” Wagstaff said. “It’s just been nice to come together and do this for everybody.”
Wagstaff’s been getting help on the project from his family, including his mother-in-law Laurie Brigan.
“I’ve got two boys that played hockey, and so it really touches home when something like this happens,” Brigan said. “It was just really important to do something to help out.”
Watch from April 10: The parents of 18-year-old Ryan Straschnitzki, a survivor of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash, say despite their son’s paralysis, he is already eager to take up sledge hockey. Blake Lough reports.
Wagstaff agreed, adding that he wanted to “give back to the families that are suffering right now.”
They’re hoping people might see the benches as a symbol of community strength.
“How everybody has come together to help out in a bad situation,” Brigan said. “Everyone has been touched by this.”