When a U.S. marine received a Tampa Bay Lightning jersey as a gift, he never expected it to become a tribute to the Humboldt Broncos.
Dan Gitzler’s wife gave him the camouflage jersey when the couple went to the team’s military appreciation game in Tampa, Fla.
When he learned of the April 6 bus crash that killed 16 members of the Broncos organization, Gitzler added name bar reading “Humboldt” and the number 16.
“It’s not just the 16 people who are affected. There are literally thousands of people that are touched in one way or another by this tragedy,” said Gitzler, a fan of the Lightning since their inception in 1992.
He started collecting signatures on the jersey from Lightning players as they left the team parking lot.
“The jersey itself isn’t really that special. What’s special is the effort that has gone behind the jersey to get it where it’s got to go,” Gitzler said.
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Fans wore the jersey and took pictures at games one and two of the Stanley Cup playoffs in Tampa. After an overnight drive to New Jersey, a friend wore it for games three and four in Newark.
Instead of returning to Tampa for game five, the jersey was shipped to Regina and driven to Estevan for game six of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) final, where junior players signed it.
FULL COVERAGE: Humboldt Broncos bus crash
The Broncos were competing in the SJHL playoffs when the team bus collided with a semi-truck north of Tisdale, Sask.
SJHL president Bill Chow said both teams recognized the Broncos in their own ways through the series and were respectful of the decision to carry on with the playoffs.
“People have circled themselves around this incident and have shown their compassion for everything that’s gone on,” Chow said.
Support has poured in from around the globe, Chow said, noting cards from California and Angola’s ambassador to Canada.
“The reach is spell-binding,” he said.
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WATCH ABOVE: Coverage of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash
Lightning defenceman Braydon Coburn is from Shaunavon, Sask., and hopes people recognize the way everyone are coming together to show support.
“Even something happening up in Saskatchewan, people down here in Florida are definitely thinking of them and pulling for them,” Coburn told Global News.
Gitzler now plans to get the Lightning jersey to as many remaining Stanley Cup playoff games as possible and is looking for someone to wear it during the second-round matchup with the Boston Bruins.
The jersey has around 70 signatures and counting.
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