In April the nation was rocked by the tragedy of the Humboldt Broncos bus accident. But in the midst of the pain, there was a powerful testimony.

There were bright spots, too, as the Jets made the playoffs and the province rallied around them.

"He just loved Jesus" - the strong faith of Humboldt's head coach

He was a talented bench boss, whose players all seemed to love him, and Darcy Haugan loved his players in return. But, even more than his players, he loved Jesus.

Darcy Haugan was the head coach of the Humboldt Broncos. He was among the first of the confirmed dead in Friday evening's accident. Almost immediately tributes began to pour in online about the man who loved the game of hockey.

This isn't surprising to Joell Haugan, Darcy's cousin. Joell, who is a pastor in Swift Current, SK, says Darcy's connection with young people came from his deep-rooted faith. Darcy grew up going to church, and had a strong faith in Jesus, Joell says. That faith is something that directed all aspects of Darcy's life whether it was work, hockey, or family.

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Minnesota Nice meets Friendly Manitoba

You know they're in St. Paul, MN, because you can hear them yell "True North" during the Canadian national anthem. Now, some Jets fans are garnering attention for another reason.

Jason Langlois of Selkirk, along with his cousin and brother all travelled to Saint Paul to watch the Jets and Wild for Sunday night's game three. And while the game may have ended on a bad note for the Jets, and their travelling fans, it started off on the right foot.

Prior to the warm up of Sunday night's game the three decided to have some fun. "We were razzing some of the Minnesota fans chanting 'Go Jets Go,' and there were a bunch of kids around and they started razzing us back. We were having a good time. And I figured what the heck?"

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"We all must pray" - nation turns to prayer after tragic accident

A junior hockey team in Saskatchewan was involved in a tragic accident Friday evening as they travelled to a playoff game.

RCMP have now confirmed that 14 people on the Humboldt Broncos bus have died. The Broncos are a team in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League and were travelling to Nipawin, Saskatchewan when their bus and a semi collided on the highway.

Broncos President, Kevin Garinger has made the following statement: “Our thoughts and prayers are extended to the families of our staff and athletes as well as to all who have been impacted by this horrible tragedy. Our Broncos family is in shock as we try to come to grips with our incredible loss.”

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Who Jets are in Christ is what's important: chaplain

As the Winnipeg Jets coach prepares the team on the ice, Lorne Korol continues to prepare them for coming off the ice.

Korol, the team chaplain for the Jets, says the year has been incredible and the excitement is building for their first playoff run since 2015. The ten-year chaplain has never seen a team as connected as this one.

“There is a really good chemistry throughout the team,” Korol said, mentioning the leaders who have stepped up, including Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele. “We got some great people there."

. . . In hockey-crazy Winnipeg, Korol wants the guys to know that they are not defined by hockey.

“Their value is not based on what they do, who they are in Christ determines what they do,” Korol said.

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Rock bottom to top dog

Seven years ago, Will Gault was homeless. Today, for the first time, he opened his own business.

willy dogs stand
In 2011, Will Gault lost his home and his job after struggling with alcohol and turned to Siloam Mission for help. 

Thanks to resources he was able to access through Siloam, including those of Addictions Foundation Manitoba (AFM), in 2015 Gault became sober and turned his attention to providing for his family.

Now, Gault is the father of a beautiful baby girl and looking forward to being married later this year.

"One thing I always kept near to me and close to me was to never lose hope, and there is a way out," Gault shared.

"For me, there was a bright light at the end of the tunnel, and I'm glad I made that decision [to become sober] in 2015."

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Old hymns strike a new chord

A Winnipeg pastor is bringing new life to old hymns with his latest music project.

Cody Anderson is the associate pastor at Faith Covenant Church. He's also a musician, playing the guitar since he was a kid. In fact, it was at Faith Covenant as a 13-year-old that he first began playing in front of others.

"I was bad," Anderson says. "It was just a community that allowed young people to kind of find their way . . . and they said 'You know what? Why don't you just try. And make mistakes and it's ok."

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Homemade Hockey keeps family strong

Canada's national past time isn't just a game; it brings families and friends together. That's what one local cinematographer wanted to capture in his short documentary.

Eric Penner and Isaiah Kleinsasser have been friends since meeting at Stonewall Faith Academy in grade six. Penner, originally from Argyle, started making movies in grade eleven with Kleinsasser for his school's chapel.

Both men are now high school graduates and Penner has continued to make movies while working on his family farm.

He was trying to figure out what to do next for a project when he thought about trying to capture something about Canada. And what better way to capture Canadiana than to film than the national winter sport, hockey.

Kleinsasser, who is in university, has made a backyard hockey rink for many years, so Penner asked if he could come film it there.

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