Bay Roberts hosting hockey fundraiser for family of Humboldt crash victim Parker Tobin

Police officers in eastern Newfoundland have organized a charity hockey game to raise money for the family of Parker Tobin, who was one of the young hockey players killed in the tragic Saskatchewan bus crash last Friday.

"I've been to fatal accidents, I've seen the carnage of car wrecks. But this is something that's even on a larger scale than anything I've been to," said RCMP Const. Bryan Vaughan, who helped plan the event.

"The sheer reach that it has. The amount of victims and people involved. It really is a major tragedy."

Parker Tobin, 18, was one of 15 who lost their lives in Friday's Humboldt Broncos bus crash. Both of Tobin's parents currently live in Alberta but are originally from Newfoundland — his father is from Bay Roberts and his mother from the Heart's Content area.

Group effort

The idea for the fundraiser for Tobin's family started when an exhibition hockey game between Bay Roberts RCMP and the high school team from Ascension Collegiate fell through due to scheduling conflicts.

That's when recreation director for the Bay Arena Ian Flynn suggested the local Bay Roberts men's team should step in and face the RCMP instead, and that they should make it a charity event.

So, Flynn, Vaughan, Cst. Sheldon Dyke, Brent Hillier and other officers from the Harbour Grace and Bay Roberts detachments got to work booking some ice time and planning and promoting the game.

"We all put our heads together and tried to make this a big successful event. It looks like it's going to be a really great event for a great cause," said Vaughan.

Wearing green on Saturday night

The game gets underway Saturday evening at the Bay Arena at 8:15 p.m. 

While admission is free, those attending are asked to make a donation in the box that will be placed at the front of the arena.

Organizers are also encouraging everyone to wear green and to bring a hockey stick to lean against the side of the ice rink, which has become the symbol for showing support for those affected by the Humboldt tragedy.

As someone who's been involved in team sports most of his life as both a young player and a coach, Vaughan said the Humboldt tragedy hits especially close to home.

"A nice long bus trip is something you look forward to, something you get to go out and do with your friends and teammates. It's a great bonding experience," he said.

"You automatically take it to heart and believe it could have been us, it could have been my child or my friend. That's what makes it that much more tougher — you can picture yourself being involved in it."