Kevin Matechuk of Colonsay, Sask., wasn’t prepared for the emotions that hit him when he visited the site of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash.
His son, Layne, who is now 19, had been in a coma and was learning to talk and walk again due to a severe brain injury. Matechuk’s wife, Shelley, was too afraid to travel.
While in the area for his job as a manager at an agricultural company, he stopped at the site north of Tisdale, Sask., with another Broncos parent.
“The emotion, it put me down on my knees and I couldn’t even go back to work. I just had to go home to hug Layne. I had to hold him after.”
“It was very, very emotional.”
Saturday marks the first anniversary of the April 6 crash that killed 16 people and injured 13 on the junior hockey team’s bus. The Humboldt Broncos were on their way to a playoff game when the bus hit a semi-truck after its driver blew a stop sign at a rural intersection.
Dr. Kristi Wright, president of the Psychology Association of Saskatchewan, said she wouldn’t be surprised if many of the people affected by the crash — family members, friends and first responders — are experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder.
Get daily National news
“Death in itself is an awful event,” she said in an interview. “For people who have struggled with mental health, this can make it worse.”
Joanne Ginter, a senior psychologist with Sundancer Psychological Services in Calgary, said the anniversary is significant for people.
“It marks (that) you’ve gone through the first of everything — the first holidays, the first birthday,” she said. “It’s a time that people come together and kind of start marking off moving forward.”
WATCH BELOW: Coverage of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash
-
![]()
Continuing the ‘Logan Boulet Effect’ by promoting organ donation -
![]()
Bob Layton on Humboldt Broncos crash: Anger and forgiveness -
![]()
Humboldt Broncos bus crash continues to weigh on families -
![]()
Widow of Humboldt Broncos’ late coach offers forgiveness to truck driver -
![]()
Courage in face of health challenges: Part 4 -
![]()
St. Albert gala held to honour Humboldt Broncos killed in bus crash -
![]()
Humboldt city manager says community mental health was a key challenge after tragedy -
![]()
‘I miss them so much’: Humboldt bus crash survivor moves forward, with the Broncos in his heart -
![]()
Former Humboldt Bronco makes victorious return to the ice -
![]()
Humboldt Broncos visit bus crash memorial site
The attention the crash received around the world, along with overwhelming public support, is likely to have been positive for the victims’ families, she said.
“The amount of outpouring of love that came for that whole tragedy — it’s my guess that allowed those people to heal.”
Some of the surviving players say they have developed their own support system.
“I text my buddies. We just keep in touch and we’re there for each other,” said Ryan Straschnitzki, 19, who was paralyzed from the waist down.
Straschnitzki, who is from Airdrie, Alta., keeps himself busy with therapy and has a goal of playing in the Olympics on Canada’s sledge hockey team.
But he has his bad days too.
“It definitely comes out in times of frustration, but for the most part I like to keep it in me,” he said.
Tyler Smith of Leduc, Alta., recovered from his injuries enough to be able to return to the Broncos last fall.
After a month back on the ice, Smith decided to go home. The 20-year-old said his brief comeback was a good thing.
“I think, in the grand scheme of things, it’ll give me the closure that I need. I proved to myself I can play again.
“And then it’s just the fact I can say that I tried. And I think that’ll help me in the long run.”
Comments