Shards of ice fly off the ground and the sound of a blade carving into the surface below imprints into the brains of the players as they circle around the ice.
This is a common feeling for several youth in Lethbridge who play hockey. For some, lacing up a pair of skates and grabbing a stick is a fun and entertaining past time both to play and to watch.
However, hockey is a way to pay tribute to the life of lost family members. This is the case for the family of Logan Boulet.
On Oct. 27, 2019, the Adams Ice Centre in Lethbridge was renamed to the Logan Boulet Arena to commemorate and show tribute to the amazing athlete and person Logan truly was.
A tragic bus crash on April 6, 2018, left 13 people injured and 16 people dead. Among those who passed away was Lethbridge’s own 21-year-old defencemen Logan Boulet.
Boulet was in his third season with the Humboldt Broncos, having 27 points in just over 120 games.
Following the crash, the Boulet family was in the hospital mourning the loss of their son when they realized: their son can still leave his mark on this world.
“Logan is fit, he’s healthy, he’s young and he has organs that other people can use, and he wasn’t going to need them anymore,” Bernadine Boulet said in regards how Logan could help other people who were awaiting organ donations.
The family’s decision to donate Logan’s organs was quickly reinforced by one of his friends who said Logan had signed his donor card on his 21 birthday, 15 days before the crash.
Logan was able to impact the lives of six patients who needed an organ transplant.
Since the crash, the late Humboldt Bronco still remains a part of the Lethbridge community in meaningful ways.
“Logan was a true hero for our community. He was one of those players that can inspire the lives of our youth,” said Mayor Chris Spearman when thinking of Logan.
The renaming wasn’t the only thing that changed for the arena. A monument to show all of the success Logan had in hockey was also built beside the ice surface. Along with this, the dressing rooms also received an upgrade and were stamped with the quotes, “Commit To The Grit” and “Work Hard, Play Hard, Have Fun.”
Since the arena celebration, the Boulet family said they feel as if they are moving forward from the death of their son, but they are not moving on.
“There’s a sense of pride that my son’s name is up there. But, at the same time, I would give anything to have a few seconds that would make a difference and my son would be sitting here on the couch with us,” Boulet said in regard to the renaming of the arena.
The death of these players has now started the annual Green Shirt Day to support organ donation and awareness scheduled on the anniversary of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash.