By Jamie Umbach — RogersPlace.com
It didn’t matter if you were an Edmonton Oilers fan or a Vancouver Canucks fan during the final night of their respective 2017-18 NHL seasons at Rogers Place.
On Saturday night, we all were Humboldt Broncos supporters.
The Oilers and Canucks — along with each of their fans and the extended hockey and sport communities — stood in solidarity for the victims of the tragic accident that claimed the lives of 15 and injured 14 on Friday.
The Broncos were en route to Nipawin, Saskatchewan for the fifth game of a best-of-seven series with the Nipawin Hawks in the SJHL Championship semi-finals before the crash occurred on Highway 35 north of Tisdale. The tragedy united the National Hockey League in remembrance, showing that no tragedy is greater than the game.
Bearing a special decal on their helmets with the Broncos logo circled with the words “Our Thoughts, Our Prayers”, both teams took to warm-up on an ice sheet lit green and yellow below a scoreboard bearing the colours of the Broncos. The Oilers logo on the clock mirrored the team’s name and colours.
On a night where signs paid homage to the careers of Daniel and Henrik Sedin, who played out the final NHL games of their illustrious careers, fans communicated their condolences and best wishes to the families and communities affected by the Humboldt tragedy.
