'Rest in peace, Tobs:' Best friend mourns Humboldt goalie's death

All weekend, Brandon Ewanchyshyn collected messages of support to share with his best friend, who he thought was recovering in a hospital bed.

On Monday, he found out that Humboldt Broncos goalie Parker Tobin was among the dead.

"I was trying to keep a record of all the support," said Ewanchyshyn, the 18-year-old media director for the Spruce Grove Saints, where his friend "Tobs" played before his trade to the Broncos. "Finding out that he's never going to be able to see any of that really hurts."

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The news came Monday morning, when Saskatchewan government officials announced that two players had been misidentified.

Xavier Labelle, previously reported as dead, was actually alive. Tobin, who loved ones believed all weekend had survived the crash, was among the 15 who died. Fourteen others were injured when the team's bus and a transport truck collided Friday on a Saskatchewan highway.

Parker Tobin's family has asked for privacy at this time.

'Always positive'

Ewanchyshyn decided to start collecting messages flooding in from the NHL, the AHL and WHL teams and the prime minister when he realized Tobin wouldn't be able to see them.

"Because I kind of realized he's in a hospital bed, his phone is smashed, he's not going to be able to see this. So one day when he comes out of it, it would be a pleasure to show him everything." 

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Tobin, 18, and Ewanchyshyn were about five years old when they first laced up skates for initiation hockey, working their way up the ranks to midget.

He said his friend "was always positive," no matter what the circumstance.

In their teens, the friends worked in the announcing booth for the Stony Plain Flyers, where Ewanchyshyn played music and Tobin called the games.

"It was a great time," Ewanchyshyn said. "And of course, we would share laughs, we would talk about everything up there, regardless of what was happening on the ice. Some of my favourite moments with him were in that sound booth in Stony Plain."

Ewanchyshyn said if his friend had survived the crash, his upbeat outlook would have allowed him to make the most of his life. He envisioned Tobin coaching kids or using his public speaking skills to one day talk about the accident.

It's that same positivity that Ewanchyshyn thinks will help him deal with the loss of his friend.