"Sticks out for the Humboldt Broncos tonight": Hockey fans pour in support on fifth anniversary of the tragic bus crash

On April 6th, 2018, the Humboldt Broncos, a junior ice hockey team from Humboldt, Saskatchewan, suffered a tragic accident that claimed the lives of 16 members of the team. Today, on the fifth anniversary of the tragedy, we take a moment to remember and pay tribute to the victims and their families.

The NHL took to Twitter to express their condolences and remember the tragedy that shook the hockey community five years ago.

The tweet garnered many reactions from fans and the hockey community, with many expressing their own condolences and sharing their memories of the tragedy. The tweet read,

"On the fifth anniversary of the 2017-18 Humboldt Broncos tragedy, we remember the 16 souls who perished and pay tribute to the hockey families that persevere after such devastating loss."

"Five years have passed since the tragedy that shook the small community of Humboldt, Saskatchewan. On this day of remembrance, my thoughts are with the families and loved ones of the victims."

What happened to the driver that caused the Humboldt Broncos accident

On April 6th, 2018, the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team suffered a tragic accident that claimed the lives of 16 team members and injured 13 others. The incident occurred when the team's bus collided with a semi-truck on a rural highway in Saskatchewan, Canada. The aftermath of the accident left many wondering what had caused the accident and who was responsible.

It was later revealed that Jaskirat Singh Sidhu, the driver of the truck, was charged with 16 counts of dangerous driving causing death and 13 counts of dangerous driving causing bodily harm. At the time of the tragedy, Sidhu was 29 years old. He had only one year of experience driving trucks, with two weeks of training on the vehicle he was driving. He had been driving the vehicle on his own for only two weeks when the crash occurred.

In July 2018, Sidhu was arrested and charged by the RCMP. He was later released on $1,000 bail with conditions that required him to reside at his Calgary home. He was asked to follow a curfew, surrender his passport, and abide by a driving ban.

In January 2019, Sidhu pleaded guilty to all counts. During the sentencing hearings, he heard 90 victim impact statements. On the final day of the hearings, Sidhu expressed remorse and apologized for his actions. The Crown requested a 10-year prison sentence, with each count to be served concurrently, followed by a 10-year driving ban.

On March 22th, 2019, Judge Inez Cardinal sentenced Sidhu to eight years in prison, followed by a 10-year driving ban for the Humboldt Broncos accident. The judge took into account Sidhu's lack of experience and the fact that he had expressed remorse for his actions. However, the sentence was still met with mixed reactions from the families of the victims and the wider public.