Family working to build on success of ‘Logan Boulet Effect’ on 7th annual Green Shirt Day

The family of Logan Boulet, killed in the Humboldt Broncos bus crash in 2018, is encouraging people to donate organs.

A new logo for Green Shirt Day, which celebrates the influence of Humboldt Broncos bus crash victim Logan Boulet on organ donation in Canada, was unveiled in Edmonton on Wednesday.

• Sign up for breaking news alerts from CTV News Edmonton, right at your fingertips

Green Shirt Day is marked on April 7, the day that Logan succumbed to his injuries in 2018, one day after the crash that killed 15 other people.

Inspired by his coach and mentor Ric Suggitt, whose organs were donated when he died in the previous year, Logan had previously told his family he wanted to be a donor, should something happen.

His donation saved six lives and inspired an estimated 150,000 Canadians to register as donors, now recognized as the “Logan Boulet Effect.”

“While researching, I saw a dynamic image of Logan taking a slapshot. And my design was also inspired by the silhouettes of Terry Fox,” explained Geoffery Kehrig, the designer of the new Green Shirt Day logo, during a press conference at the Kaye Edmonton Clinic on Wednesday.

“Terry Fox was an elite athlete and he selflessly gave for the benefit of others and raising awareness and money for cancer research. I see parallels with Logan Boulet’s selfless and unexpected contributions in raising awareness for organ and tissue donations.”

Kehrig’s logo features a silhouetted rendering of Logan taking a slapshot, set against a Humboldt Broncos-green background.

Logan’s parents, Bernadine and Toby Boulet, say it is one of their favourite photographs of their son and remember the gameplay like it was yesterday.

“There aren’t any more new photos of Logan but those are ones that we cherish, and this is one that really shows his action and his ability to be part of the game and to be that leader,” Bernadine said.

She recently joined Toby in retiring from teaching in Lethbridge, which allowed the couple to hold the Green Shirt Day launch in Edmonton for the first time on Wednesday.

“We’re very excited to be able to share Green Shirt Day and the launch beyond Lethbridge because it really is something that goes far beyond our community; it goes across the country,” Bernadine said.

• Swift Current Broncos remember 1986 team on 38th anniversary of bus crash
• ‘It’s just way better’: Saskatchewan hockey prospects welcome NCAA eligibility change

According to Canadian Blood Services, 250 people die every year in Canada waiting for a transplant, despite the country counting a record 3,400 transplants in 2023.

A single donor can potentially save eight lives through organ donation and improve the lives of 75 others through tissue donation, according to officials.

“It took us a while to understand that, really. If the transplant is successful, then someone might get their grandfather, they might get their child, and they might have them for 70 or 80 years, and it makes it exponential that one transplant could do,” Toby said.

“It’s not just one person’s life that goes on. And you can make families have Thanksgiving dinners continually.”

They encourage Canadians to register to be a donor and discuss the topic with loved ones in case of a future tragedy.

Although it is not possible to count how many people register as a donor because of Logan, his parents and Green Shirt Day partners are aiming for 100,000 new registrants.

No matter the number, Logan’s parents know his influence is incalculable.

Toby said, “He’s laughing at us right now because he’s the behind-the-scenes guy. He led from behind the scenes.”

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Darcy Seaton