Utica Comets Honoring Humboldt Victims and Ask Fans to Join Them

Outside the Utica Aud sits a hockey stick, leaning against the building. It's there to honor the Humboldt Bronco hockey players tragically killed in a bus crash. The Utica Comets will remember their brothers and are asking fans to do the same at Friday night's game.

Players will wear Broncos nameplates on their jerseys and want fans to wear gold and green to pay tribute Friday, April 13th.

"The hockey community is a very tight-knit group," says Utica Comets Vice President Adam Pawlick. "When this tragedy happened we knew as an organization we needed to come together to do everything we could to support the Humboldt Broncos and their families. On Friday night, the team will skate out with the name Broncos on their jerseys. It is a small way to pay tribute to those young men who lost their lives on their way to skate with their teammates in a Friday night hockey game."

15 were killed Friday, April 6th when their bus collided with a tractor trailer on the way to a playoff game in Saskatchewan. 14 were injured according to CBC.

The #SticksOutForHumboldt started after broadcaster Brian Munz got a text from a friend. "Leaving it on the porch tonight. The boys may need it....wherever they are," Munz shared on Twitter and the idea spread like wildfire.

Sticks are out in Syracuse and the Crunch goalie Connor Ingram took it a step further, leaving his helmet out and tells Syracuse.com "I know one of the goalies passed away, so I thought I'd leave a little something for him."

Ingram also honored the lives lost on his helmet during a game April 8th and agreed to match Lukas Favale's pledge to donate $1 to the Humboldt Broncos fundraiser for every save Ingram makes the rest of the season.

Saturday the Crunch players will wear “HUMBOLDT” instead of their names to pay tribute to the Humboldt Broncos.

The sticks are out all around the NHL too as the New York Rangers honored the victims in their locker room.

A GoFundMe campaign for the families is at $8 million and growing, becoming one of top fundraisers in history. The only 2 to raise more; the Times Up legal defense fund at $21 million and the $11 million raised for the Vegas shooting victims.