One year after a bus carrying the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team collided with a tractor trailer in Saskatchewan, killing 16 and injuring 13 others, Canadians are marking the anniversary with a familiar tribute: Sharing images of hockey sticks left outside their homes.
In the days after the collision, which sent shockwaves through the hockey world and the country, people took to social media to honour those lost in the crash.
The hashtags #HumboldtStrong and #PutYourSticksOut quickly trended on Twitter, as people from around the world posted images of hockey sticks outside their doors. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, hockey teams and other governmental agencies participated, too.
On the one year anniversary, Indigenous Services Minister Seamus O’Regan and Senator Leo Housakos were among those sharing images of hockey sticks.
“Today, we’ve got our sticks out for Humboldt. One year later, we stand with you in your grief,” O’Regan tweeted.
Bonnie Crombie, the mayor of Mississauga, Ont., tweeted that the clock tower at city hall will be lit in the Humboldt Broncos’ colours of green and gold to mark the anniversary.
