Jamie Nye: A year of ‘Humboldt Strong’

Thirty seconds into the Humboldt Broncos documentary on TSN, that feeling came back to the first tweet I read that the Broncos’ bus was involved in an accident. It was the heart-dropping, sick, numb fear of the worst.

Since April 6, we’ve watched grief play out to a worldwide audience, but we’ve also seen tremendous strength.

We’ve seen the grief of a widow, mothers, fathers, siblings and friends and the strength they’ve shown to push for change, whether it be trucking regulations, mandatory seatbelts on buses or organ donation.

And we’ve also been uplifted. The smile of Morgan Gobeil, the last survivor out of hospital. Layne Matechuk learning to skate again and knocking a one-timer into the net. We’ve followed the road of Ryan Straschnitzki in sledge hockey. The courage and leadership of Brayden Camrud and Derek Patter in their return to the Broncos was astounding.

At Saturday’s memorial, Humboldt and the Broncos are inviting the world in again to share their grief. Because of this, we will again be reminded through the community, the families and the survivors just how strong Humboldt Strong is.