With 15 under par, this is not the first time Joe Fischl, Nathan Fischl, Al Smith and Joey Eaton have won the Humboldt Broncos Memorial Golf Tournament. They took the top spot on Saturday. (Twitter/Humboldt Broncos Memorial Golf Tournament)

By Becky Zimmer

Remembering the Broncos

Fourth annual golf tournament bittersweet for Humboldt Broncos family and friends

Aug 16, 2021 | 5:09 PM

Family and friends of the Humboldt Broncos gathered once again to celebrate and honour the 2017/2018 team with the Conexus Credit Union Humboldt Broncos Memorial Golf Tournament on Aug. 13-14.

The fourth annual tournament saw 270 golfers descend on the Humboldt Golf Club to remember the players, coaches, and staff who were on the bus during the April 6, 2018 tragedy.

Co-organizer Brian Munz said he got his start calling Bronco games for five years for CJVR radio before he started working for TSN and Bell calling play-by-play for the Winnipeg Jets.

Humboldt is still home, he told northeastNOW, and he knows fellow tournament host, Broncos alumni, and head coach of the Colorado Avalanche, Jared Bednar, feels the same way.

“That team along with the Mustangs and Hawks and the SJHL in general is really special to me. So to obviously have the accident a few years ago, you know, really affected me.”

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The tournament is a way they can give back, he said, with himself, Bednar and Broncos billet mom, Laurie Warford, coming together to start the tournament in 2017.

“It’s just something that we kind of put our heads together with and we’ve been able to do it for four straight years and looking forward to many more.”

Players had chances to win silent and online auction items donated by local sponsors, NHL teams, and Bronco families.

(Facebook/Conexus Credit Union Humboldt Broncos Memorial Golf Tournament)

Munz is already excited for next year’s tournament which will include the SJHL Hall of Fame induction, which was originally planned for the 2020 tournament, and a concert by the Hunter Brothers.

Warford said it was great to see the many people with ties to the Broncos come out for the weekend, including the families of the 2017/2018 Humboldt Broncos as well as team alumni from the many rosters throughout the years.

“It’s always quite emotional,” Warford told northeastNOW.

For Celeste Leray-Leicht, the tournament has always been bittersweet. It is a time to remember her son, Jacob, who died in the crash outside Nipawin, but it is also a time she can spend with her family and the families of fellow Broncos who all gather to support a worthy cause.

“It also is very heartwarming to know that so many people want to carry on their legacy by attending these events and supporting the tournament allows for things like scholarships to be doled out in memory and in honour of the team,” she said.

Leray-Leicht would like to thank the numerous sponsors and golfers for their continued support.

All funds raised from the tournament go towards the Humboldt Broncos Legacy Awards which distributes money to local organizations and provides two $5,000 scholarships for local high school students who are involved in their community.

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becky.zimmer@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @bex_zim