A Humboldt hero, Darcy Haugan, former coach of the Humboldt Broncos who lost his life in the tragic bus accident in 2018, was honoured in his hometown of Peace River, Alberta. Haugan arrived in Humboldt in 2015 when he undertook the duties of coach and general manager for the SJHL team.

On October 10, a statue of Haugan was unveiled in Peace River at the Baytex Energy Centre where he was a part of the North Peace Navigators team for many years. A crowd of around 100 people gathered in socially distanced fashion for the unveiling.

As part of the event, Albert Cooper, Navigator’s president addressed the crowd explaining that Haugan’s message and example was at the heart of the honour. Haugan always connected with his young charges around the importance of the people they were to become, and not just the hockey players.

“Character does determine success,” reflected Cooper, “If we spend more time focusing on character, it’ll help us build our skills, but more importantly, it will help us become better people.”

Other local dignitaries were on hand, as were Haugan’s family including his widow, Christina, and his sons, Carson and Jackson. 

Christina Haugan, understanding her late husband’s humble nature, commented to the crowd, “I can tell you without a doubt, Darcy would be in complete disbelief seeing this."

The opening of the inscription at the base of the statue capture’s Haugan’s spirit and warmth:

“In memory of Darcy Haugan a local boy, who because of his character, which was influenced by this faith, family and his friends, had an extraordinary impact on the lives of so many people in this region.”