Local support for Humboldt Broncos grows as first funeral is held

HUMBOLDT, SK. (NEWS 1130) – Less than a week after the Humboldt Broncos bus crash, a broadcaster in his first year as play-by-play announcer for the team is the first victim was laid to rest today.

Mourners gathered at Elgar Petersen Arena, where the Broncos play their home games, to say good-bye to 29-year-old Tyler Bieber.

He worked for local radio station CHBO and was with the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League team, which boarded the bus on Friday and drove to a playoff game in Nipawin last Friday. The bus collided with a tractor-trailer at a rural intersection north of Tisdale.

Bieber was said to have coached high school football and basketball. He was also a huge New England Patriots fan. The NFL team sent flowers for today’s funeral.

The service came as local support for the team continues to grow.

The Tri-Cities hockey and lacrosse communities are holding a fundraiser and vigil tonight.

Jason Fortier is the head coach of the Coquitlam Express and he says this is all part of the healing process.

“In today’s day and age, there’s a lot of tragedy around, there’s a lot of negative stuff that happens every day and to just see a community, just the hockey community, bond together and you can feel the love. It’s very powerful.”

He adds following the crash, his organization wanted to step up and help in any way they could.

“As an organization, we definitely wanted to come out and in working with our local minor hockey club, we’ve had a lot of generous people volunteer and step up to the plate that want to help and we want to spread the word and the love. The love of the hockey community that how strong we are united.”

 

Fortier feels helping the Broncos, in a way, is helping his team cope with the loss. “Everyone says, ‘You’re helping them,’ or ‘We want to go out and help them,’ but in reality, I think it’s really self-help where we’re healing together.”

He says money raised tonight will go toward retrofitting the Broncos locker room, which will include a memorial wall.

Doors open for tonight’s event at 7 p.m. It begins at 8 p.m. at the Poirier Sport & Leisure Complex which is located at 633 Poirier Street in Coquitlam.

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