Former Horn receives Humboldt Broncos Memorial Legacy Award
By Woodard, Dale on June 11, 2020.
Former U of L Pronghorns and Nipawin Hawks hockey player Michael Grant was recognized with the Humboldt Broncos Memorial Golf Tournament Legacy Award, presented alongside Toby and Bernadine Boulet, parents of Broncos player Logan Boulet, and Christina Haugan, wife of Broncos head coach Darcy Haugan. Herald photo by Ian Martens @IMartensHeraldDale Woodard
Lethbridge Herald
Michael Grant is opening the door for others to leave a legacy.
And the former hockey player for the Nipawin Hawks of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League and the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns men’s hockey team is going to ensure that continues in the years ahead.
Through the Humboldt Broncos Memorial Golf Tournament Legacy Award, Grant was chosen to receive the 2020 Make the World a Better Place award following his application to create the Logan Boulet Inclusive Education Award.
The $5,000 grant will provide seed money to build a foundation for the award and will be given annually to inclusive education students at both Lethbridge College and University of Lethbridge.
The Logan Boulet Inclusive Education Award is also a chance for Grant to honour his longtime friend, who was one of 16 people killed in the tragic Humboldt Broncos bus crash on April 6, 2018.
On Wednesday in front of Lethbridge College, Grant was joined by Boulet’s parents, Toby and Bernadine, as well as Christina Haugan, the wife of Broncos head coach Darcy Haugan, who also died in the accident.
“It means a lot to me to get this grant, to be able to create this,” said Grant, who played with and against Boulet during the duo’s days in the Lethbridge Minor Hockey Association. “When I first put in my application I wanted to honour the legacy of the people who were on that bus, to honour Darcy’s core covenants and to honour my friend Logan’s values. Because the award is about leaving a legacy, I was thinking that giving support to a group that doesn’t usually get support and many people don’t advocate for them, to give a scholarship for people with disabilities every year in post-secondary education. It allows them to find employment after and leave their own legacy on the community. I’m proud to be able to honour my friend Logan this way.”
With funds raised through the >Humboldt Broncos Memorial Golf Tournament, 10 Legacy Awards have been created to honour the 2017-18 Humboldt Broncos and includes a Community Award.
The >Legacy Program has handed out five of the monetary awards to date.
The Logan Boulet Inclusive Education Award will give $500 per year to a student at the university and a student at the college.
“I think it can have a really big impact,” said Grant. “Any time you can have a scholarship – I’m a student myself – it’s awesome. It helps you out so much. It’s a little extra burden off your shoulders so you can focus on your class work and focus on achieving your goals. That’s something I really want to do for them.”
Grant, who is also a part of the local Down Syndrome community, said an application will be set up soon and be ready for the fall.
“I would like to make it about the core covenants of the award and some values Logan had,” said Grant. “That’s something we’re going to brainstorm soon. The next step is going to be the criteria and the applications and things like that.”
Haugan said the core covenants were important to her husband.
“He was a really big believer in giving back to your community and being able to do some good through the game of hockey. Having people like Michael Grant that want to continue the legacy and having an award named after Logan is a real honour and continuing to see the core covenants shown in real life.”
Wednesday’s announcement was the first time Haugan had met Grant.
She couldn’t resist a playful dig at Grant’s former Hawks team.
“He played for Nipawin, so I don’t know about,” she said with a chuckle. “But if Logan liked him, I’m OK with him. But it sounds like he has a pretty incredible plan going forward and for such a young guy to see such a big picture and be able to want to give back the way he has is pretty amazing. So I think he’s a very worthy recipient.”
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