Canada is still mourning over the loss of 15 Humboldt Broncos players, coaches and staff, including a head coach who spent some time in the Lakeland. A crash between the Broncos bus and a semi on Friday took place at the intersection of Highways 35 and 335, between the communities of Nipawin and Tisdale in north-eastern Saskatchewan. Among those killed was Darcy Haugan, the head coach of the Broncos and a former Bonnyville Pontiac during his junior hockey days.
Dennis Germain was the President of the Pontiacs when Haugan played for them, he says he remembers Haugan as good goal scorer for the team.
“He was third in scoring in the 94-95 season with 49 points in 38 games played. In the next season, he played 21 games and had 28 points. He was pretty flashy, very committed. A very dedicated kid. A nice kid.”
Haugan is being remembered by friends and loved ones as a respected coach who took the job in Humboldt in 2015 after 5 years coaching in Peace River. Germain says he lost touch with Haugan throughout the years, but says his reputation in the hockey community was fantastic.
“Good kid, chasing the dream like all of them. He did well. He was very well liked and very well respected, I know in the coaching community from what I’ve heard.”
An investigation into the cause of the accident is ongoing. A Gofundme page set up to help the community of Humboldt has reached $5.4 million as of press time, a link to the page can be found by clicking here.