Humboldt player’s gift of life honoured

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This article was published 12/04/2023 (951 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The legacy of a young hockey player killed in a tragedy that was mourned across the country lives on through his final act of charity.

Logan Boulet was one of 16 members of the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team killed when a semi-trailer collided with the team bus on April 6, 2018, in central Saskatchewan.

He had registered as an organ donor on his 18th birthday. The decision improved the lives of six people who received his organs — and countless others inspired by the act.

The Kidney Foundation of Canada estimated that in the two months following the crash, 150,000 Canadians registered as organ and tissue donors, a phenomenon that became known as the “Logan Boulet effect.”

Bernadine and Toby Boulet, Logan’s parents, have continued to advocate for organ donation.

“We understand the impact it can make just by having a conversation about donating. It helps us to know that we’re making a difference and Logan made a difference. This is Logan’s legacy and we know that it lives on,” Bernadine said by phone.

April is the national Organ Donation Awareness Month, which has made for a busy few weeks for the couple who spoke at a Winnipeg High School Hockey League award event Wednesday afternoon.

They are slated to speak at several other events virtually in coming weeks.

While the crowds change, the message remains the same: registering as an organ donor saves lives, Toby said.

“Every time someone registers, there’s just that much more hope that a person will get the organ they are waiting for,” he said.

Last week marked the fifth anniversary of the crash, which the country recognizes as Green Shirt Day to commemorate the lives lost on that Saskatchewan highway. It serves as a national rallying cry for organ donation.

It was a difficult milestone for the Boulet family, but support from the community helped, Bernadine said.

“We are thankful that people have supported us and given us hugs and recognized our loss as well as the changes and things we’ve done to impact others,” she said.

The Boulets met with the families of crash survivor Matthieu Gomercic and Jacob Leicht, who was killed in the accident.

The group met at the Gomercic household in Winnipeg and watched the Jets game Tuesday night.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca