Although Maritime players are continuing to take to the ice, they say their thoughts are with their hockey brethren in Humboldt, Sask.
In Moncton, Garry Muttarthas has been driving his bus for more than a year and transporting players to games across the Maritimes.
After long hours spent together on the road bonds are formed, he says everyone becomes family.
“You build up quite a relationship after a while,” Muttarthas says. “You chat and you do some joking, you might talk about the game, you might talk about the league or you might talk about their family life... that type of thing.”
Muttarthas says he takes every precaution before and behind the wheel.
“It doesn't matter how careful you are, sometimes things happen that are out of your control and god help us all if and when something like that happens.”
It was one of the most horrific accidents in recent years when 15 members of the Humboldt Broncos hockey team were killed when the bus they were riding in was struck by a semi Friday night.
The cause of the crash has not yet been determined.
Dave Melanson has been coaching for nearly 30 years, travelling thousands of kilometres by bus.
“Buses are very safe,” he says. “There are thousands and thousands of buses I’m sure throughout the course of a year travelling and nothing ever happens so this is just a very tragic, tragic accident.”
The Broncos tragedy is hitting home for many parents of children who participate in sports that require travel.
“It's so unreal to even think about… a lot of us, maybe we don't drive the buses to games but we are still travelling families and teams going to all these places,” says hockey parent Paul Richard.
“You just think about the family and the friends that they would have had and their hearts that are probably broken now,” says hockey parent Jackson Coggar. “It's just a tragic loss of those kids.”
The loss has brought back heartbreaking memories of an accident that took the lives of 7 members of the Bathurst boys basketball team ten years ago.
Mothers of some of the victims have since formed a group, sharing their sorrow in an online post.
“The Humboldt bronco hockey team bus tragedy has brought back an overwhelming flood of painful memories for me. I know how you are feeling and you are not alone. There are people who love and care for you and want to help. Gather them around you for support,” said Van Angels, in a statement.
Out of respect for those who were killed in Saskatchewan, moments of silence were held in arenas across the world.
With no exception, the Halifax Mooseheads had a moment of silence Saturday night. They also released their condolences in a statement.
"The entire Mooseheads organization is deeply saddened by the tragic events involving the humboldt broncos, our thoughts and prayers are with that franchise and the families of the players,” said the statement.
Psychiatry professor Dr. Stan Kutcher calls tributes part of the grieving process of the quintessential Canadian tragedy.
We need to grieve, we need to support each other, we need to appreciate the contributions these young people have made already and grieve the fact that they won't continue to make a contribution,” says Dr. Kutcher.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Jonathan MacInnis
