The Regina Pat Canadians had a grand opening for the Adam Herold Memorial Room to honour a former player who lost his life in the Humboldt Broncos bus crash.
The 16-year-old Montmartre native was a late addition to the 2017-18 Broncos, a team in the midst of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) playoffs when tragedy struck.
A collision between the team’s bus and a semi-trailer on April 6, 2018, claimed the lives of 16 players and staff near Tisdale. Thirteen others were injured.
Adam played defence for the Pat Canadians, of the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League (SMAAAHL), during the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons.
Family and friends celebrated the life of the former Pat Canadians captain on June 22 with a four-on-four hockey tournament and the unveiling of the Adam Herold Memorial Room.
“We tried to capture the essence of what Adam was. Talk a little bit about his history, how much he meant to the program and then of course the unfortunate incident,” Pat Canadians head coach Darrin McKechnie said.
“I’m going to be gone from this program at some time down the road and the players are going to change and the staff so if somebody walks in (the room) in 10 years … they’ll know exactly what Adam Herold’s story.”
WATCH (April 11, 2018): Former coach of Humboldt Broncos’ Adam Herold tearfully says trying to cope with player’s death
“We’re overwhelmed with how the room has turned out … and it’s obvious by all the details that they put into it that there was a lot of respect and a lot of love for Adam,” Adam’s father Russell Herold said.
The SMAAAHL team’s new headquarters at the Co-operators Centre features an equipment and athletic therapy room, a coaches’ office as well as a players’ lounge, a place to bring the team together, just like Adam did.
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“Adam was a pretty special player and his contributions to this program for any one individual player, I’m not sure it can be matched,” McKechnie said.
As good of a hockey player as Adam was, those who know him best rarely mention it. It is his character and the type of person he was that they remember most and it’s that spirit that will live on in the room.
“It’s a chance every year for some of the players he played with to come and reminisce a little bit, tell the odd, funny story about Adam and see some pictures again. Just have some fun and just remember their captain and their teammate,” Russell said.
“It’s overwhelming. It is … very emotional but, at the same time, you understand that he was really respected and he was like. He’s missed and people are coming out … to tell you how much they miss him.”
The tournament continued on June 23 at the Co-operators Centre with hockey players from across Saskatchewan gathering to celebrate the former Pat Canadian.
A talented lineup of players hit the ice with rosters featuring Ryan Murray, of the Columbus Blue Jackets, and the Vegas Golden Knights’ Brayden McNabb.
Maybe even more impressive was players like Regina’s Carson Focht, who was selected 133rd overall by the Vancouver Canucks at the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, but chose to spend the weekend celebrating Adam.
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