Cherry pays further tribute to Humboldt Broncos, calls for fundraising support

By The Canadian Press

Don Cherry paid further tribute to the Humboldt Broncos on Coach’s Corner on Wednesday night.

Cherry spoke during the first intermission of Game 1 of the Winnipeg Jets and Minnesota Wild’s first-round Stanley Cup playoff series, adding further detail to his thoughts on the Humboldt Broncos’ bus crash that has claimed the lives of 16 people and injured 13 others.

The TV commentator began by speaking about 24-year-old trainer Dayna Brons, who succumbed to her injuries earlier Wednesday.

“She was the trainer for the lacrosse team, the soccer team, the baseball team — she just wanted to help everybody,” said Cherry, as photos of Brons were displayed. “She was out there with everybody. When they’re trainers, it’s really something to see. The trainer is (someone) that the people go to and talk to. God love her.”

Cherry had spoken briefly about the Broncos tragedy on Saturday night, the day after the team’s bus collided with a semi-truck on the way to Nipawin for a Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League playoff game. In Saturday’s segment, Cherry had been at a loss for words and Hockey Night in Canada showed a montage of player and staff photos set to the Tragically Hip’s “Wheat Kings.”

On Wednesday, Cherry focused on individuals, next highlighting 59-year-old bus driver Glen Doerksen.

“The drivers are always like the father-confessors, you’re having a tough time, you move (to the front of the bus) and you talk to them,” said Cherry. “I was one of those poor souls who couldn’t sleep on the bus. It would be 4:30 in the morning, and you’d see the bus driver there (…) If you’re having a tough time, you go and talk to them.”

Cherry and co-host Ron MacLean also spoke about their experience visiting Humboldt, Sask., earlier in the week and attending the vigil held in the team’s arena.

They then discussed fundraising efforts for the Humboldt Broncos community, including the GoFundMe page that had reached nearly $9 million in donations as of Wednesday evening.

“Everybody, you can all help, you can all help these kids, because they’re all going to need help in their homes and things like that,” said Cherry, holding up a sign with the URL for the fundraiser written on it. “Let’s get some money in there. God love them all, God love you all from the West.”

URL for the Humboldt Broncos’ GoFundMe: https://ca.gofundme.com/funds-for-humboldt-broncos

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today