NHL teams honor Humboldt bus crash victims in regular season finales

John Arlia

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NHL teams honor Humboldt bus crash victims in regular season finales image

On the busiest day of the NHL calendar, many teams around the league will conclude their regular season schedule with their minds and thoughts on a different place in the hockey world Saturday.

That place is Humboldt, Saskatchewan.

After a bus carrying the Humboldt Broncos of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League collided with a tractor-trailer late Friday afternoon outside of Tisdale, Saskatchewan, killing at least 15 of the 29 people on board , the NHL community responded by coming together.

Teams, players and coaches posted heartfelt tributes to the victims on social media and helped raise money for a fundraiser benefiting the victims' families.

With 15 games on the NHL slate Saturday, many teams across the league have taken the opportunity to pay their respects or give back.

Before the first game of the afternoon, the Philadelphia Flyers honored the victims of the accident with a moment of silence.

NBC announcer Mike Emrick set the stage for the tribute by addressing the things, like travel, that we take for granted in every day life.

"Look at a hockey schedule and we see all the games and we just take for granted the teams just get there," Emrick said. "We cannot appreciate the miles and we cannot today comprehend one team’s travel tragedy. We are stunned to silence by what happened yesterday, acknowledged here now by public address announcer Lou Nolan."

"The Philadelphia Flyers are devastated to learn of the tragedy involving members of the Humboldt Broncos junior ice hockey team. This news is truly heartbreaking, not only for the entire hockey world, but for an entire community of parents, family and friends. Our thoughts and prayers are with the players and we ask that you join us in a moment of silence for all those who have been affected," Nolan said.

The Jets and Blackhawks will also have a moment of silence before their matchup in Winnipeg, but the two franchises didn't stop there.

Both teams will make a $25,000 donation and wear 'Broncos' on the back of their jerseys during the game in the place of individual names.

"'Broncos' is meant to symbolize the unity and support of our hockey communities coming together as one for the Humboldt Broncos' family," the Jets said in a statement .

Two other Canadian teams integrated the Broncos into their morning media sessions.

The Maple Leafs added the Broncos' logo to their interview backdrop, while some Flames players stood in front of a Broncos' team photo that was prominently displayed on a locker room television.

Montreal Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher told reporters that every player on the team will be donating GoFundMe , started to raise funds for the victims.

With the start of the 7 p.m. games, teams across the league paid their respects in different way.

The Calgary Flames will hold a pregame ceremony to honor the Humboldt victims. Both the Flames and their opponent, the Vegas Golden Knights, will wear Humboldt decals on their helmets during the game. All the money raised by the 50/50 raffle will also be donated to the junior team.

The tributes won't be limited to the NHL Saturday. The ECHL announced that they would be joining the hockey community in observing a moment of silence before each of their games as well.

John Arlia