The Humboldt Broncos donated blood on Thursday in Saskatoon at the Canada Blood Services Donor Centre.

Donating blood has become a tradition for the team following the 2018 Broncos bus crash, where donated blood played an important role in saving the lives of team members.

Broncos Head Coach Brayden Klimosko says that donating blood has become an annual tradition for the team in the years following the crash.

“It’s part of our culture, it’s part of our tradition now. What happened in 2018 is something that will be part of our history forever. For us to give back once a year, I don’t think it’s asking too much of our players. It’s part of what we do here now. We like giving back some way somehow in certain situations like this.”

Klimosko adds that by donating blood each year, the team is paying it forward and helping to save more lives.

“We feel like we want to give back in some way and somehow, and we’ve been doing it ever since (the crash). It’s an annual event and we get a little bit of support from the Bronco Memorial Golf Tournament. They allow us to come here, they pay for our bus, they pay for a meal for us to be able to participate. I think it’s a big part of what our culture is, our tradition here, ever since the crash.”

Broncos player Teigan Semchychen says that donating blood has become an important team building activity and adds that he’s even donated blood in his free time.

“It’s a great team building thing, it’s really special and it means a lot to me, it means a lot to the guys and the community. It’s awesome. We did it last year, my first time I was a little scared, and now I just came here in the summer time, it’s a good thing to do. Now I’m back here again, it’s awesome.”

The Broncos donated blood as part of the Canadian Blood Services Fall Get Together Challenge. The challenge encourages people to donate blood in groups to make the experience more fun and memorable while also saving lives.