Swift Current Broncos bus crash
| Swift Current Broncos bus crash | |
|---|---|
| Details | |
| Date | 15:45, December 30, 1986 |
| Location | Saskatchewan Highway 1 (Trans-Canada Highway), Swift Current No. 137, Saskatchewan |
| Statistics | |
| Vehicles | Western Flyer D600 motorcoach |
| Passengers | 28 |
| Deaths | 4 |
| Injuries | 24 |
The Swift Current Broncos bus crash occurred in December 1986, killing four members of the Swift Current Broncos ice hockey team.
The accident
On December 30, 1986, the Broncos' bus, a mid-1960s Western Flyer D600 Canuck, left the Centennial Civic Centre in the 3:00 PM hour, bound for Regina. The team was on its way to play the Regina Pats in their 21st game of the season. Shortly after entering eastbound Saskatchewan Highway 1 (the Trans-Canada Highway), the bus, traveling at a speed of 53 km/h (33 mph), hit a patch of black ice in the eastbound lanes of Highway 1 as the road curved to the right over the Canadian Pacific main line. It then slid off the overpass and hit an embankment on a nearby access road, causing the bus to go airborne, and then flipped on its side sliding about 100 meters before coming to rest in a ditch.[1][2]
Four players who were sitting at the very rear of the coach, Trent Kresse, Scott Kruger, Chris Mantyka, and Brent Ruff (younger brother of then-Buffalo Sabres captain Lindy Ruff), were killed; Mantyka and Ruff were crushed by the rear of the bus and Kresse and Kruger were catapulted from it.[3] Following the incident, the four players' jersey numbers were retired by the team. The Broncos still wear a commemorative patch in remembrance of the four players to this day. The rest of the team, led by future NHL star Joe Sakic, who recorded 60 goals, played out the season despite the loss. In a move to memorialize the fallen players, the WHL awards the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy to the league's Player of the Year.
In popular culture
In 2013, Tri-Light Entertainment secured the rights to produce a feature film adaptation of the book Sudden Death: The Incredible Saga of the 1986 Swift Current Broncos.[4]
References
Further reading
- The Leader-Post - Dec 31, 1986: Players Mourned treacherous road blamed for crash
- The Leader-Post - Jan 2, 1987: Surviving Broncos Regroup After Crash
- Greatest Hockey Legends: Swift Current Bus Crash Killed Four Junior Hockey Stars