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The hockey community is in mourning after three junior male players, including two 18-year-olds from Kamloops, B.C., were killed in a vehicle collision in Alberta on Monday.
The three players — part of a team from Stavely, Alta., about an hour south of Calgary — were headed to practice when they were involved in a crash with a semi-truck pulling a gravel trailer on Monday morning.
All three of them died at the scene, Alberta RCMP said.
They have been identified by Global News as JJ Wright, an 18-year-old left-winger whose hometown was Kamloops, B.C., Cameron Casorso, an 18-year-old goalie who was also from Kamloops, and Caden Fine, a 17-year-old centre with the team, whose hometown was listed as Birmingham, Ala., on the team’s website.
They lived in the community of Nanton, about a 15-minute drive away, and people there are mourning the loss of the team members.
“Several families in our community, including my own, are billet families for this team,” Nanton Mayor Jennifer Handley said at a news conference on Tuesday.
“We don’t just host these boys; they become a part of our homes. Another plate at the table, another pair of skates by the door, another son we worry about when the roads are bad and it’s late. These boys were all of our kids.”
Handley said they always live with the “what if” of something happening.
“Yesterday, that ‘what if’ took three young lives,” she said.
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“I know there are no words that can make this loss less brutal. Your sons mattered and they will be spoken of with love in our towns for a long time to come. To their teammates, coaches, billet families, classmates, friends and the dedicated first responders, you should not have to carry this kind of loss and you will not carry it alone. We are all with you.”
Narinder Serown was an assistant coach for the Chase U18 Outlaws last year and knew Wright and his family for years.
“JJ was just somebody who brought a lot of enthusiasm, a lot of excitement, you know, loved the game, just a wonderful attitude,” he said.
“Great teammate, you know, always smiling. And you know, whatever was going on in the game, you know whether he was winning, losing, you know this side of whatever, he was just one of those kids that always made his teammates feel good. High-fiving, pats on the back, smiling, just one of those kids you look forward to having on the squad.”
Serown said Wright’s father called him on Monday to tell him about the devastating news.
“We spent a lot of years together in hockey rinks, and our boys kind of grew up together playing against each other, playing with each other,” he added.
He said he knew something was wrong the moment he picked up the call.
“JJ was just a wonderful guy. Great kid. He was like my son,” Serwon said.
“You know, I have two boys that played hockey. And JJ was one of those guys, that we hung out. There was a lot of time that we spent as a group outside the rink. In hotels, having meals, team functions. You know, traveling to practices together in the same vehicle. And yeah, it’s been devastating. And I can’t even imagine what the families are going through.”
Handley said the best way to help, for anyone who wants to, is to donate to the GoFundMe, etransfer the Southern Alberta Mustangs or take part in quiet community gestures of remembrance.
“Placing hockey sticks on your porch. Or turning the lights on in honor of these boys, just as we have done in the past,” she added.
There will also be a benefit game on Sunday at 6 p.m. MST at the Stavely Arena.
“For now, hold your people close,” Handley added.
“Check in on your children, your neighbours, and one another. These young men were loved here. They will be remembered here and their loss will forever remind us of just how precious our time together truly is. Our community is more than with you.”
–with files from Karen Bartko and Ken MacGillivray
Read the full article here
