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Raiders general manager Curtis Hunt and Raiders forward Matthew Culling came to help run the Adam Herold Hockey and Leadership Development Program this past Saturday in Naicam. (Submitted photo/Russ Herold)
The World Needs more captains

Raiders honour one of their own at Adam Herold Leadership Camp

Nov 12, 2020 | 5:06 PM

After the Humboldt Broncos crash that tragically killed Adam Herold and 15 others on April 6, 2018, the Herold family received an outpour of support from those they knew, and some they didn’t.

Russ and Raelene Herold, along with their daughter Erin, decided to create the Adam Herold Hockey and Leadership Development Program, a travelling hockey camp that visits different parts of Saskatchewan to both honour Adam and to pay back to the hockey community that supported them.

“We had so many letters and messages from people after the accident, some of them from people we didn’t even know. It was just our way to give back,” Russ said. “Hockey is the one thing we know. Adam was a good leader and the world we live in could use more leaders. So we thought if we can help somewhat in leadership in these kids and make them better people in their community, better leaders, and help them out on the sports side, we’d do something good.”

The Foundation visited Naicam on Saturday but were forced to cancel Sunday because of the storm. They hope to make up the day in January when they’re planning on returning to Naicam. At the camp were two special guests, Prince Albert Raiders general manager Curtis Hunt and Raiders forward Matthew Culling. Hunt’s Raiders drafted Herold in the 2016 WHL Bantam Draft, forever linking Herold and the Raiders together.

Raiders general manager Curtis Hunt came to help run the Adam Herold Hockey and Leadership Development Program this past Saturday in Naicam. Submitted photo/Russ Herold.

Hunt spoke as the camp’s keynote speaker and did a Q&A hot seat with the coaches.

“Curtis did an excellent job on the coach’s hot seat at dinner time, he basically led that,” Russ said. “He’s got a wealth of knowledge coaching and managing all over the place. He did a really good discussion there and showed them some stuff on how to know your players, leadership, and stuff like that. It was really good.”

Culling knew Herold well, on and off the ice. The two won the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League championship with the Regina Pat Canadians in 2016-17. Away from the rink, the two would hang out—even go on hunting trips together.

Shortly after Adam and Culling were of age to hunt on their own, they ended up getting their first deer on the same day together near the Herolds’ farm in Montmartre—a day before the Riders won the 101st Grey Cup over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

“I’ll always remember that day,” Russ said.

Raiders forward Matthew Culling came to help run the Adam Herold Hockey and Leadership Development Program this past Saturday in Naicam. Submitted photo/Russ Herold.

Culling said it was great to see Russ and everybody at the camp.

“It was great to see Russ,” Culling said. “It was great to reconnect, and put ourselves behind and do what Adam would do–show our leadership with the kids. It was great.”

Whether they wore hockey equipment, hunting gear, or street clothes, Culling said he learned a lot just from being around Adam. He hopes to share what kind of person Adam was with all the kids that attended the camp.

“He was a selfless guy, he would always put the team first. And also off the ice, he was a great guy to be around,” Culling said. “I would go hunting with him and his dad, me and my dad would go. We were good buddies. On the ice, obviously, he was a great hockey player, but more importantly, off the ice, he was a leader wherever he was. We were showing that to the kids, just what it’s like to be a leader, what it means, and how important it is in the game of hockey.”

The Naicam visit was the second camp of the season.

The Foundation was in Radville on Oct. 24-25 to begin the year, and a camp in Maple Creek is organized for later this month. This is the third year the AHLF Hockey and Leadership Program has held camps. There were camps in Preeceville and Alameda/Torquay last year and Balcarres and Gravelbourg in 2018.

Jeff.dandrea@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @jeff_paNOW

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