It was a normal night like any other in the Western Hockey League playoffs.
A cold and windy day gave way to a colder night, and the walk over to Mosaic Place for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinal between the Swift Current Broncos and Moose Jaw Warriors was less than pleasant.
I remember cleaning off my glasses and getting ready to find a seat in the press box when Matthew Gourlie asked if I'd heard what happened.
It was Friday, April 6, 2018.
All we knew is the Humboldt Broncos bus had been in an accident with a semi, but we didn't know what had happened and how bad it was. The eternal optimist in me said 'hey, they were pulling out of the parking lot, a semi was pulling in and oh well, game is delayed.'
Then the first text showed up. I can't remember who it was from. But I do remember sitting next to Matt and Rob Vanstone from the Leader-Post, and how the rest of the night was a blur of increasingly horrific news.
Three dead. Many more hospitalized.
That was the text.
My heart sunk into my stomach.
The numbers continued to fluctuate as we all sort of-watched a hockey game that suddenly meant very little in the larger scope of things.
Seven dead, a couple more in hospital.
The semi had torn the bus to pieces, no survivors.
It was a massive pile-up and many others were hurt.
Then, one from Moose Gibson.
14 dead, at least 14 injured. That was all it said.
That number quickly became reality.
It took a long time to sink in. Maybe even a few days. It seems impossible now as it did then.
Everyone was in shock, and when the final death toll hit 16 and when so many more were going to live the rest of their lives with the injuries from that night, it just made things tougher to take.
Then the news hit that one of Moose Jaw hockey's own had been taken – former Moose Jaw Generals forward Evan Thomas, 18, was among the deceased. Evan's father Scott Thomas is a member of the Moose Jaw Warriors Hall of Fame.
It was only a matter of time that it all hit home, and sure enough, it did.
But then – and interestingly enough, something we're even seeing today – the world arrived. And we saw the best of humanity.
Adversaries became partners in grief during a pre-game ceremony before Game 2 with the Warriors and Broncos, as the two teams joined one another around the centre ice circle for a moment of silence. It was a scene replayed throughout the NHL as players later talked of the many hours spent on the bus travelling throughout their respective countries. A different time and place? It could have been them.
Support flowed in for the hockey team, the community of Humboldt and anyone and everyone affected by it.
Former North Battleford North Stars and current TSN radio man Brian Munz posted a photo of a stick his friend left on his porch in case the deceased needed one to play in the afterlife. That became #SticksOutForHumboldt, a trend that saw people and businesses from all over the world doing the same to show their support for the stricken team.
And then there was the GoFundMe donation surge.
Over $15,000,000 at the final count. With donations from all corners of the planet, including places where hockey isn't even a sport.
The Broncos have survived, they've rebuilt and the community has done it's best to heal. Memorials abound, including this column.
It's all a testimony to how people will come together in the worst of times to help one another, to support each other. And do all they can to make sure that support is always there, even years later.
The Humboldt Broncos tragedy remains one of the worst and most surreal nights, weeks and months for many people in the hockey world.
But it's also a sign of how great we can be when we come together.
