Battle of the Badges to bring community together in support of Humboldt
The Red Deer community will come together as one on Friday to honour and celebrate the lives of the victims in the Humboldt Broncos bus crash, as well as to raise funds for the families left reeling.
Beginning with a 4:30 tailgate party, the Battle of the Badges pits the city’s RCMP officers versus EMS and firefighters. Puck drop is at 6 p.m. at the new Servus Arena.
Two local Mounties who both played junior hockey on the prairies are behind the event. They say the tragedy hit close to home, which is what prompted them to put the wheels in motion for the charity game.
“I’ve been playing organized hockey since I was six, so riding a bus from the ages of six to 20,” says Cst. Greg Douglas, an alumnus of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League. “You’re a part of a family when you’re playing junior, with your billet family, your teammates and you’re on the bus for hours on end.”