Former NHL defenseman Chris Joseph says he was “so proud” of his son Jaxon, who was one of 15 people killed in the Humboldt Broncos bus crash.
In an interview with TSN, Joseph said that his son was “never the star, never the grinder, but very flexible.”
“Every team he’s played on, he’s always been described as a glue guy,” said the former Edmonton Oilers player.
“We always hoped that he would go further and further,” Joseph added.
Joseph said he had been to the funeral home twice to see Jaxon’s body since the collision between a semi truck and the team’s bus south of Nipawin, Sask., on Friday night.
“I kissed him and told him, ‘We’re so proud. We’re so proud,” he said. “He’s just a good kid. Everybody really just loved him.”
Jaxon, who was 20 years old and spent two seasons with the Melfort Mustangs before joining the Broncos in 2017, was one of the leading scorers in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League playoffs.
In total, 10 Broncos players and five others were killed after the collision. Fourteen others were injured and 12 of them remained in a Saskatoon hospital Monday night, including four in critical condition.
Joseph said he’s not sure how he’ll get through the pain but he knows the “hockey family” will help.
“For me, the hockey community is so, so small and we’re so tight,” he said. “Hockey players go and they battle for two hours and after the game is over there’s much respect for everybody.”
“We’ve got all sorts of support and we’re not afraid to lean on them,” Joseph added.
“I was a bit of a hugger before. I’m a bigtime hugger now,” he said. “My son Brett got out of the car the other day and he was going to walk past me and I said, ‘Whoa, hold it right there.’ Gave him a big hug,” he said.
“So I’ll be hugging everybody.”
With files from TSN’s Ryan Rishaug and The Canadian Press
