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Steinberg’s MMQB: Saskatchewan showing strength for Humboldt

CFL.ca
@Fan960Steinberg

Writing this week’s piece had me staring at a computer screen for more than an hour before I could even start typing. I knew what I wanted to say in my head, but trying to formulate that into words was difficult. We lost 15 innocent people on Friday night and that loss reaches to all corners of this country.

Much like this has profoundly impacted us as sports fans and Canadians, I feel like there’s something missing from our CFL family.

When I think of Saskatchewan I think of two things: hockey and the Riders. The team is so much a part of that province it’s hard to put into words. You don’t just rep green if you’re from Regina; you do so if you’re from Melfort, Saskatoon, Moose Jaw, North Battleford, Yorkton, or, yeah, Humboldt.

So many of those most profoundly impacted hail from the Saskatchewan, from those tragically lost, to their surviving teammates, families, and friends. How many of those affected have taken pride in sporting watermelon hats or green face paint? I feel like the number is high enough for these words to mean so, so much:

“To our province and nation in mourning:

We offer comfort, support and strength during a time that is difficult beyond measure for so many.

We mourn the passing of those who perished, and they will forever be in our hearts and minds.

Saskatchewan prides itself on the strength of our people.

Now, more than ever, we must lean on our neighbours, family, friends, to find this strength.

#HumboldtStrong
#SaskatchewanStrong”

Whether you’re from there or not, the Riders are part of what Saskatchewan is. They’ve already been a part of the healing process and will play a huge part in the coming weeks and months. As ambassadors and community leaders, you know they’ll be there, physically and financially.

Then come June, they’ll be there in another way. The Riders will return to the field and they’ll do what sports do: provide an escape. For three hours each week, a recovering province will get lost in the good and bad of a football game. They’ll listen to Jamie Nye on the radio and enjoy the ups and downs of a season. The Riders will become even more a part of Saskatchewan.

The news of Tyler Bieber’s passing was hard to fathom for so many reasons. I never met Tyler, but he was part of the family. Everyone who writes at CFL.ca follows one another, regardless of which sports network or newspaper chain we might also work for. Tyler wrote here for a time while also running his own website, CFL Daily.

Tyler started writing for us in 2011, which I’ll always remember, because my first article here was published in June of the same year. His stuff was great, because two things shone through each and every piece Tyler wrote: his passion for the league and his high level knowledge.

The guy knew so much about the game it was stunning. Tyler was all over it at all levels, from the CFL to the NFL, Canadian college ball, and junior football. I read his stuff before writing my own material, because, well, I wanted to sound smarter and more credible. I know I’m not the only one who used Tyler to fact check or make sure I wasn’t completely out to lunch with a topic or opinion.

I didn’t get a chance to physically cross paths with Tyler, the same way I never have with Marshall Ferguson or Chris O’Leary. But, just like Marsh and Chris, I know if I sat down for a beer with Tyler, it would be nothing but laughs, stories, and football talk. That’s what the CFL family is all about, and it feels like we lost a core member this weekend.

Tyler Bieber, left, is pictured during Grey Cup Tweet Up in 2011 (Kyle Clapham)

At the heart of this tragedy is the staggering realization we can all relate to it in some form or another.

This was a group of brothers on the bus to a playoff game. It could have been any other hockey team. It could have been any other team, period. I thought of all the bus rides in the Prairie Football Conference, between Winnipeg, Calgary, Saskatoon, or Edmonton.

It was the Humboldt Broncos. Players, coaches, brothers, sisters, broadcasters, statisticians, mothers, fathers, bus drivers, and volunteers have all been lost or have lost. A city, a region, a province, and a country are not whole.

For many not directly affected, this tragedy will gradually fade in the next days and weeks, as it does; it’s part of being human. For so many, though, a long recovery is just beginning and a community is going to need support for a long, long time.

The less we let this fade the stronger we become at a time when so many need strength.

#HumboldtStrong