Following the tragic bus crash in rural Saskatchewan that claimed the lives of 16 members of the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team last Friday, tributes continue to pour in from all over the world.
At the beginning of the week, Canadians from coast to coast have been placing hockey sticks outside their homes to honour the lives lost, and one young boy’s unexpected tribute has since gone viral.
In a video shared on Twitter, 12-year-old Matthew Heaney of Whitby, ON, can be seen arriving at home from school on Wednesday afternoon.
Before heading inside, the boy notices a hockey stick with green tape had been left out in honour of the Humboldt Broncos’ team colours on his family’s front porch.
Heaney reaches for the stick and tests it out, and just as he’s about to put the stick back in its place, he gives it an innocent kiss.
The touching moment, which was captured by the family’s video doorbell, was shared online by Heaney’s sister Victoria.
“My family left a hockey stick on our porch for the humboldt broncos, and our ring doorbell caught this video of my little brother looking at the stick when he came home from school. Watch until the end, heartbreaking. #humboldtstrong,” reads Victoria’s tweet.
The video has quickly garnered national attention and has been viewed almost 600,000 times, with many people praising the young boy for his big heart.
My family left a hockey stick on our porch for the humboldt broncos, and our ring doorbell caught this video of my little brother looking at the stick when he came home from school. Watch until the end, heartbreaking. #humboldtstrong pic.twitter.com/6I9Zu6gF9V
— Victoria (@v_heaney16) April 12, 2018