Image copyright Twitter/@Canucks Image caption NHL side Vancouver Canucks have left their sticks outside the dressing room in tribute to the Humboldt Broncos team 
 
 Ice hockey fans in Canada and around the world are leaving their sticks out in public view in tribute to the Humboldt Broncos. 
 
 Ten members and five support staff of the junior ice hockey team were killed when their bus crashed in Saskatchewan on Friday on the way to a semi-final play-off game. 
 
 The tragedy sparked an outpouring of grief in Humboldt and across Canada, where ice hockey is a national sport. 
 
 The online call for fans to #PutYourSticksOut has been tweeted by more than 19,000 people since Monday night. The term #humboldtstrong has also been used more than 5,000 times. 
 
 Hockey fans and stars have shared their pictures of sticks to show support for the Broncos players, their families and friends. Boston Bruins player David Backes and former goaltender Coleman Vollrath left their own personal tributes. 
 
 The response echoes that of November 2014, when cricket fans and stars posted photos of cricket bats with the accompanying hashtag #putyourbatsout as a mark of respect for Australian cricketer Philip Hughes, who was fatally struck in the neck during a domestic match. 
 
 Meanwhile on Instagram, fans have posted more than 17,000 photos. 
 
 Brian Munz, an ice hockey TV commentator, shared a text message from a friend who lives in Humboldt, on his Twitter feed, encouraging his 10,000 followers to remember the Broncos players. 
 
 His tweet helped to generate momentum for the hashtag, encouraging fans in Canada and the US to share pictures of their sticks left outside. 
 
 It's not only Canadian and American fans who are leaving their tributes. Around the world, people are putting their sticks outside their homes. 
 
 An online fundraiser have been launched to raise funds for the families of the victims. The fundraiser has so far raised more than C$5m ($3.9m, £2.7m). ||||| (CNN) Emotional tributes to members of a junior hockey team killed or injured in a bus crash in Canada have gained huge traction on social media. 
 
 As a community vigil in the Broncos' Edgar Petersen Arena, was ongoing, The Sports Network (TSN) broadcaster Brian Munz urged his followers to leave their hockey sticks out on porches, front and back doors, gaining inspiration from a high school friend who did the same. 
 
 Got this text from a friend who I went to high school with in Humboldt. 
 
 
 
 Inviting you to do the same as we remember and send our thoughts to the #HumboldtBroncos.#PrayersForHumboldt #Broncostrong #Humboldtstrong #theSJHL #TSNHockey pic.twitter.com/HHwZyUZ5KG — Brian Munz (@BrianMunzTSN) April 9, 2018 
 
 "Got this text from a friend who I went to high school with in Humboldt," Munz tweeted. The attached picture shows a hockey stick leaning on the porch and the message reads: "Leaving it out on the porch tonight. The boys might need it ... wherever they are." 
 
 The response was overwhelming, with hundreds of people from both Canada and the United States posting photos of their tributes on Twitter and Instagram, using the hashtags #putyoursticksout and #humboldtstrong. 
 
 Read More ||||| The GoFundMe page for the victims and families impacted by the tragic crash involving Saskatchewan’s Humboldt Broncos hockey team is quickly becoming one of the largest online fundraising campaigns in the world. 
 
 “The fund for the Humboldt Broncos is the largest GoFundMe campaign to date in Canada, and now one of our top five largest campaigns globally,” GoFundMe spokesperson Rachel Hollis told Daily Hive via email. 
 
 On the evening of April 6, a bus carrying players and coaching staff from the Saskatchewan Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team was hit by a semi-trailer. 
 
 The crash killed 15 people, including the driver. Fourteen others were injured. 
 
 Police say there were 29 people onboard the bus, which was en route to Nipawin for a Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League semifinals playoff game, when the crash took place about 30 kilometres north of Tisdale, Saskatchewan. 
 
 The campaign was started by Humboldt resident Sylvie Kellington to raise funds for those affected by the tragedy. 
 
 By Monday morning, more than $4.7 million had been donated by over 69,000 people in just two days. And at the time of publishing, the donations had reached over $6.2 million. 
 
 According to Hollis, funds have poured in from over 80,000 donors in 65 countries. 
 
 Globally, the largest GoFundMe campaign to date is the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund, which has raised $21.5 million. 
 
 Following that is the campaign for the Las Vegas Victims Fund, which raised $11.8 million, and the Stoneman Douglas Victims’ Fund, which raised $6.7 million. 
 
 The Humboldt Broncos’ GoFundMe campaign has seen donations pour in from high profile individuals and organizations, including a number of NHL teams and players. 
 
 The Pittsburgh Penguins donated $20,000, while the Calgary Flames and Toronto Maple Leafs both donated $10,000. 
 
 Former Toronto Maple Leaf captain Dion Phaneuf donated $10,000. Contributions have also come in from a number of current and former NHL players including Drew Doughty, Shawn Horcoff, and Tyler Bozak. 
 
 On Sunday evening, a vigil was held for the victims at Elger Petersen Arena in Humboldt, the home of the Broncos junior league hockey team. 
 
 Among those in attendance were Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, and hockey broadcasters Don Cherry and Ron MacLean. 
 
 With files from Ainsley Smith 
 
 Simran Singh Simran is a Staff Writer at Daily Hive. She enjoys writing about culture, society, and politics. In her spare time, she drinks too much coffee and listens to a lot of Beyoncé. Have a story idea? Email her: @SimranRoohi Simran is a Staff Writer at Daily Hive. She enjoys writing about culture, society, and politics. In her spare time, she drinks too much coffee and listens to a lot of Beyoncé. Have a story idea? Email her: [email protected] 
 
 Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus. ||||| The coach and team captain of a young amateur hockey team travelling to a playoff game are among 14 dead after a semi-trailer crashed into their team bus, an accident that has reverberated across the hockey world and devastated a province where the sport is the sinew that connects far-flung Prairie towns and sparks the NHL dreams of city and rural kids alike. 
 
 The death of the popular coach, Darcy Haugan, was confirmed by his wife and his sister. He had been coaching the Humboldt Broncos for about four years, according to his sister Deborah Carpenter. He was 41, married, and the father of two boys. 
 
 Open this photo in gallery Head coach and general manager Darcy Haugan, centre, is shown in team photo of the 2016/2017 Humboldt Broncos hockey team as it hangs in Elgar Petersen Arena in Humboldt, Sask., on Saturday, April 7, 2018. Liam Richards/The Canadian Press 
 
 “His passion and compassion came from his walk with the Lord,” Ms. Carpenter said in an interview Saturday. 
 
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 “He was my little brother,” she said. “He just turned over my world. He was just this great playmate and someone I could torment, someone I could play ball with. We were a sports family - he and I played a lot of sports in our backyard.” 
 
 Team captain Logan Schatz was also among the dead, his father, Kelly Schatz, confirmed to The Canadian Press. 
 
 Mr. Schatz said his 20-year-old son played for the Broncos for just over four years and had served as team captain for the past two-and-a-half years. 
 
 He said his son’s death is hard and the family is seeking solace in one another. “It’s hard,” Mr. Schatz said. “I’ve got four other kids and they’re here, which is nice.” 
 
 Open this photo in gallery Humboldt Broncos centre Logan Schatz is shown in this undated team photo. The captain of the Humboldt Broncos hockey team is among 14 dead following a horrific bus crash in Saskatchewan. HO/The Canadian Press 
 
 The RCMP confirmed early Saturday morning that 29 people were on the bus, including the driver, and 14 were killed. Fifteen were taken to hospital with a range of injuries, including three in critical condition. 
 
 The Humboldt Broncos were travelling to Nipawin for a must-win Game 5 playoff match when the accident happened late Friday afternoon about 300 kilometres north of Regina. 
 
 DETAIL B.C. ALTA. ONT. U.S. 0 100 Scene of fatal bus crash KM Nipawin SASKATCHEWAN Tisdale 3 35 Saskatoon Humboldt MAN. 16 5 THE GLOBE AND MAIL, SOURCE: rcmp; google maps DETAIL MANITOBA B.C. ALTA. Scene of fatal bus crash Nipawin U.S. SASKATCHEWAN Tisdale 3 Lake Winnipegosis 35 Saskatoon Humboldt 16 5 0 100 KM JOHN SOPINSKI/THE GLOBE AND MAIL, SOURCE: rcmp; google maps DETAIL B.C. ALTA. MANITOBA Scene of fatal bus crash Nipawin U.S. SASKATCHEWAN 3 Tisdale Lake Winnipegosis 35 Saskatoon Humboldt 16 5 0 100 KM JOHN SOPINSKI/THE GLOBE AND MAIL, SOURCE: rcmp; google maps 
 
 The Broncos range in age from 18 to 21. They play in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, a mid-tier junior league where amateur teens and 20-year-olds strive to either get college scholarships or move up to semi-professional contracts in bigger leagues. The Broncos have won the most titles in the 50-year history of the league, but finished fifth out of 12 teams this regular season. 
 
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 Most of the players are from Saskatchewan and Alberta. In a province as spread out as Saskatchewan, teams often travel three or more hours in brutal winter conditions to get to the rink, where 5,000 fervid fans can show up in towns with populations just over double that. 
 
 Derek Grayson and Nick bonding and healing in hospital pic.twitter.com/DzesIoT27B — R J patter (@rjpatter) April 7, 2018 
 
 Mr. Haugan played on a string of teams in Canada, the United States, and Europe, as he tried to make it to the National Hockey League. One of Ms. Carpenter’s favourite memories of her brother came when he played with the Fort Saskatchewan Traders, a Junior A team in the Alberta Junior Hockey League. 
 
 She was about to become a single mom and Mr. Haugan’s teammates asked him how he felt about becoming a father. That’s when he figured it out: The siblings were so close everyone thought they were dating, Ms. Carpenter said. 
 
 Mr. Haugan was born in Peace River, Alberta. He went to Michigan on a hockey scholarship, although did not finish there. Later, he played hockey in Sweden. The coach played right wing and was a right-handed shooter, his sister said. When he was a kid, he wore the number their dad wore. 
 
 “I’ll always remember him as No. 5,” Ms. Carpenter said. 
 
 Tributes, condolences and messages of shock began flooding in by Saturday morning, with Saskatchewan’s premier and Canada’s prime minister expressing sadness and NHL names from local heroes to hall-of-famers struggled to explain the magnitude of the tragedy. 
 
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 Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock, a Saskatchewan native, spoke about the tragedy after his team’s morning skate on Saturday. He grew up in Saskatoon and said, “I know that road pretty good.” 
 
 “The hockey world’s an unbelievable world, you can’t make up for loss, you just can’t,” said Babcock, who struggled to speak through his emotions. “I can’t even imagine being a parent [of one of the victims]. It’s got to rip the heart out of your chest. We pray for those families and think about them. I don’t know what else you say. Horrific, horrific accident. Tough day.” 
 
 Open this photo in gallery Members of the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team are shown in a photo posted to the team Twitter feed, @HumboldtBroncos on March 24, 2018 after a playoff win over the Melfort Mustangs. The Canadian Press 
 
 Bryan Trottier, inducted into the Hall of Fame for his play with the New York Islanders and the Pittsburgh Penguins between 1975 and 1994, is a native of Val Marie, Sask., south of Swift Current. 
 
 “Oh God, it’s horrible,” Mr. Trottier, 61, said in an interview. “I just know the hockey guys, it doesn’t matter what league you’re in, when something like this happens in the game of hockey it hits you, not even a punch to the gut, it’s a punch to the heart.” 
 
 Mr. Trottier got his start with the Swift Current Broncos in the Western Hockey League and also played for the Moose Jaw Canucks in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League in 1971-1972. 
 
 “You know, I have no words to express the right way I feel right now other than shock. All of the communities in Saskatchewan will feel the effect.” 
 
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 NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman released a statement noting, “Our thoughts are with the players, families, coaches, team management and all those throughout the community.” 
 
 “The NHL mourns the passing of those who perished and offers strength and comfort to those injured while traveling to play and be part of a game they all love.” 
 
 The president of the team said parents from across Western Canada were rushing to the scene as they struggle to cope with the tragedy. 
 
 “It’s one of the hardest days of my life,″ said Kevin Garinger. 
 
 “There have been multiple fatalities ... our whole community is in shock, we are grieving and we will continue to grieve throughout this ordeal as we try to work toward supporting each other.” 
 
 Mr. Garinger, who has one of the players living in his home, said they still don’t know his fate. 
 
 Open this photo in gallery Humboldt mayor Rob Muench, in the Broncos jersey, along with other mourners lay down flower on the stairs that enter to Elgar Petersen Arena, home of the Humboldt Broncos, in Humboldt, Sask., on Saturday, April 7, 2018. Liam Richards/The Canadian Press 
 
 ”We don’t know who has passed and we don’t expect to know right away,″ he said. 
 
 Michelle Straschnitzki, who lives in Airdrie, said her 18-year old son Ryan has been taken to hospital in Saskatoon. 
 
 ”We talked to him, but he said he couldn’t feel his lower extremities so I don’t know what’s going on,” she said, noting she will go to Saskatchewan on Saturday. 
 
 ”I am freaking out. I am so sad for all of the teammates and I am losing my mind.” 
 
 The team includes Parker Tobin, an 18-year-old goalie whose hometown is listed at Stony Plain, Alta. 
 
 A Twitter user named Rhonda Clarke Tobin posted on Friday night: “This is one of the hardest posts I have ever had to make. Parker is stable at the moment and being airlifted to Saskatoon hospital. Thank you all for your kind words and messages. Please continue to pray for his Humboldt family.” 
 
 Her previous posts include pictures and retweets about hockey, including a March 27 retweet of an article from the Humboldt Broncos website noting that Parker Tobin had been named Saskatchewan Junior 
 
 Former NHL player Sheldon Kennedy, who was one of the players on a bus with the Swift Current Broncos that crashed in 1986, killing four players, also sent a message of support. 
 
 “Sending all my thoughts and prayers to those impacted with the Humbolt Broncos bus crash.” 
 
 Prime Minister Justin Trudeau posted his condolences on Twitter, noting: “I cannot imagine what these parents are going through and my heart goes out to everyone affected by this terrible tragedy.” 
 
 I cannot imagine what these parents are going through, and my heart goes out to everyone affected by this terrible tragedy, in the Humboldt community and beyond. https://t.co/2cIn2CTy08 — Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) April 7, 2018 
 
 Later on Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump added his condolences. 
 
 Just spoke to @JustinTrudeau to pay my highest respect and condolences to the families of the terrible Humboldt Team tragedy. May God be with them all! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 7, 2018 
 
 Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said what he has been told about the collision is difficult to comprehend. 
 
 Words can not describe the loss that we feel tonight. 
 
 
 
 From a grieving province, thank you to first responders & medical professionals for courageous response under the most difficult circumstances imaginable. 
 
 
 
 Tonight, we all must pray for these families.https://t.co/dEnhKMkDxJ — Scott Moe (@PremierScottMoe) April 7, 2018 
 
 “To the City of Humboldt, the entire Broncos organization, and the families impacted by this tragedy, please know you are in Saskatchewan’s hearts,” Moe said in a statement. 
 
 We are shocked and saddened over the tragic news of the accident involving the Humboldt Broncos. 
 
 
 
 We extend our deepest sympathies to the Broncos organization, the families, the friends, the fans and entire Humboldt community. #PrayersForHumboldt https://t.co/Skv6ylria8 pic.twitter.com/F8ElWijpUr — Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) April 7, 2018 
 
 With files from The Canadian Press
– It started when a resident of Humboldt, Saskatchewan, left a hockey stick standing on the porch. "The boys might need it … wherever they are," the person wrote in a text to TSN hockey analyst Brian Munz, referring to the 15 people killed Friday when a bus carrying the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team collided with a semi-truck. Shared by Munz, the True North memorial has now spread across Canada and the world, with thousands of photos of hockey sticks on doorsteps shared on social media under #PutYourSticksOut, which was trending Tuesday on Twitter. "Play on, the rinks in heaven await," David Backes of the Boston Bruins wrote in one tweet, per the BBC. "Still grieving with the rest of the entire hockey community," added former CHL goaltender Coleman Vollrath, who shared a photo of 15 goalie sticks outside his front door. Other shared photos showing sticks next to backyard rinks, per CNN. The support from hockey fans isn't just symbolic, though. A GoFundMe campaign for the Humboldt Broncos has become "one of our top five largest campaigns globally," a GoFundMe rep tells the Daily Hive. It has raised $7.1 million as of this writing.