By Jeff D'Andrea

Raiders pay tribute to Adam Herold in pregame ceremony

Sep 21, 2018 | 8:56 PM

The Herold family arrived at the Art Hauser Centre Friday for the Prince Albert Raiders opening night against the Regina Pats, but not in the way they expected.

They figured they would be in the rink to see the start of Adam Herold’s first full WHL season, breaking in with the team that picked him in the second round of the 2016 WHL Bantam Draft and had high hopes for the young man from Montmartre.

Instead, Adam’s parents Russ and Raelene and his sister Erin found themselves at centre ice. The Raiders paid tribute to Adam, who lost his life in the April 6 bus crash with 15 other members of the Humboldt Broncos.

“It’s emotional tonight, but we would have been here one way or the other,” Russ said. “It’s tough to come tonight and watch.

“We know that he’s out there. He’s in our hearts.”

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Both captains, Raiders’ Brayden Pachal and Pats’ Jake Leschyshyn presented Adam’s mother Raelene and his sister Erin with a bouquet of flowers. The ‘We Play For Them’ banner was then unveiled at centre ice in part of the celebration.

In addition, the Raiders posted up a frame Herold jersey and a plaque, which will hang between sections three and four to best represent Adam’s number he wore for the Raiders, 34.

Here’s the jersey and plaque tribute the @PARaidersHockey made to Adam Herold. They fittingly put it between sections 3 and 4. pic.twitter.com/pIjvFuchKi

— Jeff D’Andrea (@Jeff_paNOW) September 21, 2018

“It’s nice, it’s very nice. It describes who he was,” Russ said of the plaque. “He was more than a hockey player. He was an outdoorsman. He loved the country where he came from being a farm kid, a small town farm kid. That was him.”

“He was hard working, humble and so easy to get along with. If you got to know him, he got to be your friend pretty quickly. He was that easy going,” Russ added. “But at the same time, he was very talented and very smart, outgoing person. He kept that level keel. He just made everybody’s day better, just to be around him.”

Last year, Herold captained the Regina Pat Canadians to a Mac’s AAA Midget Hockey Tournament championship victory. He received a touching tribute at the Pat C’s rink as well, the Co-Operators Centre in Regina.

Awesome tribute wall put up today. Thank you so much @PeakHockeySask for keeping Adams memory alive. pic.twitter.com/CwRa2vyOwA

— Russ Herold (@RussHerold12) September 19, 2018

Jeff.dandrea@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @jeff_paNOW