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Broncos coach remembered by Red Deer sister as a man of God and integrity

Apr 14, 2018 | 11:17 AM

Darcy Haugan, the 42-year-old head coach of the Humboldt Broncos, was remembered Saturday at his funeral in the grieving Saskatchewan city.

He was one of 16 people who died as a result of the horrific crash which happened eight long days ago on Highway 35 between Humboldt and Nipawin.

Darcy’s older sister of four years has lived in Red Deer for the last decade and a half and is in Humboldt with other family until next week.  Her brother will be interned in Fosston, Saskatchewan, an area where other family members spent time and have been laid to rest.

“He had incredible integrity. At home, he was the same as how he was with extended family, in the dressing room, behind the bench and in private,” says Deborah Carpenter, who works at CrossRoads Church.

“I suddenly now have this broad span of things I remember about him and I know I would want people to remember Darcy for his love for God, his love for his wife and boys, and his love of hockey, and in that order.”

Darcy spent 12 years in Peace River, she recalls, and had only been with the Broncos for the past three. But he would still do recruiting in Alberta, which meant opportunities to visit with his big sis.

“He and I would meet in Gasoline Alley if he was ever coming through. He would always make sure I knew he was in town,” she says. “I’d grab whoever was available and we’d sit in the Timmy’s there. He drove the QEII quite a bit.”

Once Carpenter is back home in Red Deer, the struggle for her, and 28 other families she points out, will be moving forward. She says while the unprecedented GoFundMe campaign which has raised over $10 million will offer massive relief, it’s impossible to put a price-tag on a loved one’s life.

“I look at my nephews and think they’ve got to buy ice skates, or they have to pay rent, they may have a health issue that comes up, or an education to pay for,” Carpenter says. “Christina – his wife — was the Broncos office manager, so her job was directly linked to Darcy’s, and when Darcy lost his life, she lost hers in a way as well. You have a wife and children now who have to move forward and pay the bills, and then multiply that by 28 people, including those that are inured with lifelong injuries.”

She points to Airdrie native Ryan Straschnitzki, who’s stated he wants to play for Canada’s national sledge hockey team, as an example of how the money collected will impact lives for years to come.

As for her brother, Carpenter adds, “He was a tough leader and he expected the best from his players. He just saw the best in everyone and held them to that. As a leader he looked at those kids that he coached and said ‘Hey, I see you, what you can be and I want to help you get there, but you’ve got to put the work in.’”

Darcy Haugan is survived by his two sons Carson, 12, and Jackson, 9, as well as his wife Christina.