The Stanley Cup is headed to Humboldt.
The NHL announced the gesture Tuesday in Las Vegas, where a group of 10 Humboldt Broncos players were invited for this week’s NHL Awards.
On Aug. 24, Washington Capitals player Chandler Stephenson will bring the Stanley Cup to Humboldt, Sask. A group of NHL players will join Stephenson in Humboldt for an on-ice event, including a skills competition and a chance to hang out with the junior hockey team.
Stephenson is originally from Saskatoon and knew some of those who were on the bus on April 6 when it collided with a truck, killing 16 people and injuring 13 others. After the Capitals won the NHL finals, Stephenson said he planned to bring the Stanley Cup to Humboldt.
Former NHL player Andrew Ference, who is originally from Edmonton and serves as the NHL’s director of social impact, said the event is about bonding with the team.
“That’s what it’s all about -- getting the guys in the locker room with NHL guys and sharing space, sharing stories, telling stories, having a laugh…and really just being together,” Ference said.
Following the announcement, nine of the players took the stage. Among the group was Xavier LaBelle, who recently left rehab and is set to graduate high school this month, and goaltender Jacob Wassermann, who is paralyzed from the waist down and uses a wheelchair.
Wassermann recently met Paralympic athlete and disabilities advocate Rick Hansen who he says helped him get past “the hard parts of having a disability.” Wassermann said he looks forward to playing sledge hockey.
