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Sudden Death: The Incredible Saga of the 1986 Swift Current Broncos
Sudden Death brings to life the incredible ongoing saga of the Swift Current Broncos hockey team. After a tragic game-day bus accident on December 30, 1986, left four of its star players dead, the first-year Western Hockey League team was faced with nearly insurmountable odds against not only its future success but its very survival. The heartbreaking story made headlines across North America, and the club garnered acclaim when it triumphantly rebounded and won the Canadian Hockey Leagueâ??s prestigious Memorial Cup in 1989.
Many of the surviving Broncos continued their successful hockey careers in the NHL, among them 2012 Hockey Hall of Famer Joe Sakic, Sheldon Kennedy, and Sudden Death co-author Bob Wilkie. Years later the Broncosâ?? tragedy-to-triumph tale was overshadowed when the teamâ??s former coach, Graham James, was convicted of sexual assault against Sheldon Kennedy, Theoren Fleury, and Todd Holt, all of whom played for him.
Many of the surviving Broncos continued their successful hockey careers in the NHL, among them 2012 Hockey Hall of Famer Joe Sakic, Sheldon Kennedy, and Sudden Death co-author Bob Wilkie. Years later the Broncosâ?? tragedy-to-triumph tale was overshadowed when the teamâ??s former coach, Graham James, was convicted of sexual assault against Sheldon Kennedy, Theoren Fleury, and Todd Holt, all of whom played for him.
216 pages, Paperback
First published September 15, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 20, 2022
A look at the 1986 Swift Current Broncos bush crash that had four players killed, and the aftermath. Nearly every person on the bus is interviewed (though some declined, including Joe Sakic), and shows how they reacted and dealt with it. It also goes over how the team rebounded, and was able to win the 1989 Memorial Cup as Canadian major junior champions. It also touches on the impact having Graham James as coach and manager had on the players, as that played a major part in things. Overall it was interesting having the perspective of nearly all people involved give their thoughts, but the book itself could have used a thorough edit: there was a lot of repetition of information, and the flow was a little off at times. Still worth reading though.
September 22, 2013
4.5 stars
In December 1986, the Western Hockey League's (one step below the NHL) Swift Current Broncos' bus went off an icy highway and four young (between the ages of 16 and 20) players lost their lives. The team and community were in mourning. Only two seasons later, in the 1988-89 hockey season, the Broncos came back to win the Memorial Cup, the Canadian Hockey League's version of the Stanley Cup. Many of the same players who had been on that bus were also on the winning team in '89.
I grew up near Swift Current. I would have been 14 at the time of the crash, but honestly, I don't remember it. I certainly heard about it later when I became a huge hockey fan and a Swift Current Broncos fan. The year they won the Memorial Cup is the first year I really got “into” hockey.
Because of that “personal” connection, there was no question I was going to like the book, and I'm sure that's why I liked it as much as I did. I liked learning more about the players, some of whom I later watched and cheered for. It was very interesting to learn about the crash from so many different viewpoints. Most of the book did focus on the crash, and some of the history of the players and other people on the bus before the crash. It seemed to originally have been written in an essay-style, as some things were repeated later. Many of the people who had been on the bus were interviewed for the book.
Joe Sakic, later an NHL superstar, was on that bus as a Bronco. Sheldon Kennedy, another player, told his story about 10 years later – of being sexually assaulted over and over again by the Broncos' coach, Graham James. Graham James, who had been so well-liked by the community had a side no one knew about, except some of the players. There were a few chapters near the end of the book that addressed this, as well.
In December 1986, the Western Hockey League's (one step below the NHL) Swift Current Broncos' bus went off an icy highway and four young (between the ages of 16 and 20) players lost their lives. The team and community were in mourning. Only two seasons later, in the 1988-89 hockey season, the Broncos came back to win the Memorial Cup, the Canadian Hockey League's version of the Stanley Cup. Many of the same players who had been on that bus were also on the winning team in '89.
I grew up near Swift Current. I would have been 14 at the time of the crash, but honestly, I don't remember it. I certainly heard about it later when I became a huge hockey fan and a Swift Current Broncos fan. The year they won the Memorial Cup is the first year I really got “into” hockey.
Because of that “personal” connection, there was no question I was going to like the book, and I'm sure that's why I liked it as much as I did. I liked learning more about the players, some of whom I later watched and cheered for. It was very interesting to learn about the crash from so many different viewpoints. Most of the book did focus on the crash, and some of the history of the players and other people on the bus before the crash. It seemed to originally have been written in an essay-style, as some things were repeated later. Many of the people who had been on the bus were interviewed for the book.
Joe Sakic, later an NHL superstar, was on that bus as a Bronco. Sheldon Kennedy, another player, told his story about 10 years later – of being sexually assaulted over and over again by the Broncos' coach, Graham James. Graham James, who had been so well-liked by the community had a side no one knew about, except some of the players. There were a few chapters near the end of the book that addressed this, as well.
December 3, 2012
Descriptions of events and people are often repetitive, which takes away from what is otherwise a very compelling story. The authors do an admirable job of navigating the sensitive topics related to the crash and the coaching of Graham James. The entire story is heartwrenching with its inherent ups and downs, and I felt the book did a good job of conveying that emotion. Essential reading for followers of the WHL.
June 23, 2013
A tragic incident is written about in a compassionate and sensitive way.
November 7, 2014
Disappointed. Was expecting more about the players who were killed....maybe an interview with the bus driver...
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews