Local schools going green to honour bus crash victims

Local schools are joining communities across Canada in wearing green Monday in support of the Humboldt Broncos. A crash involving the junior A hockey team’s bus Friday night has claimed the life of 15 people and injured another 14.

Former North Peace Navigators coach Darcy Haugan was confirmed to be among the victims by Saskatchewan’s Chief Coroner and RCMP. The 42 year old moved to Humboldt in 2015 to join the team as head coach.

Schools in the Peace River School District, Holy Family Catholic Regional Division, and Peace Wapiti School Division will be among those wearing green, including T.A. Norris Middle School. On Facebook, the school confirmed Haugan was once a student there and coached many of its players.

A GoFundMe page for the players and their families reached more than $4.66 million by Sunday night. A group of Navigators alumni who played under Haugan from 2010 to 2014 also won a recreational tournament in La Crete over the weekend and are donating their winnings to his family.

A group of @NavsHockey alumni all played from 2010-2014. Playing in a rec tourney in La Crete AB. The news of our old coach Darcy Haugan and the @HumboldtBroncos hit our room like a brick. We made it our mission to win for Darcy. $14,800 winnings for his wife. @DebbieJayneC pic.twitter.com/MCHdEODI2S

— C_Fairplay17 (@C_Fairplay17) April 9, 2018

Investigators say they are still looking into what caused the crash with a semi, which happened on Highway 35 near the junction with Highway 335, roughly 30 kilometres north of Tisdale. The team had been on its way to Nipawin for game five of their Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League semifinal series.