Hit hard by the tragic Humboldt Broncos bus crash earlier this month, the Fuller Lake Vintage Flyers paid tribute to the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League team during a tournament of their own in Whistler on April 12-15.
“This tragedy had struck us all, being hockey players, dads, doing bus trips as such with some of us having grown up and lived or worked out in the prairies,” team spokesperson Richard Harnish said. “We related to this greatly.”
The Flyers had posters on the team bus, participated in Jersey Day on the ferry to the Mainland, and set up at the rink in Whistler with more posters and a fundraising table selling helmet stickers, hats and other hockey items, including some donated by tournament coordinator Beth Dunlop.
Dirk Tolman organized getting posters and stickers made, and Harnish contacted the tournament organizers about setting up the fundraising table, with proceeds going to the massively successful GoFundMe campaign for the Broncos.
“We also observed a moment of silence at the very first tournament game that featured us versus a team from Kamloops,” Harnish said. “The game faced off at 5 p.m. on the Friday, which was exactly one week removed from the accident. It was a somber reminder.”
