Like many other Canadians, Dion Simon wanted to pay tribute to the victims of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash so he put two hockey sticks on his home's front porch Monday night.
But just before the Wetaskiwin man went to bed Wednesday night, he looked outside and discovered his hockey sticks had been stolen.
"I was astonished," he said.
Simon, who has five young children, had paid about $120 for the pair after finding the composite sticks on sale earlier in the season. Despite their value, Simon still chose to put his sticks outside to remember the young players whose lives were lost in the bus crash last week that left 16 people dead.
On one of the sticks, he also took the time to write "Prayers for Humboldt" on the white hockey tape wrapped around the blade.
Paying tribute to the Broncos
Simon said his home was the only one on the family's street in south Wetaskiwin to put hockey sticks outside.
"We need to honour the Humboldt Broncos because hockey does play a big part in people's everyday lives during the hockey season," he said, adding that the sticks will be easy to replace.
Numerous people across the country, professional hockey teams and businesses have all placed hockey sticks outside to recognize the young Broncos players killed and injured in the deadly crash.
Simon bought a new hockey stick for $75 on Friday to replace his two stolen sticks. He wasn't sure if he would put his new stick outside, but his son Leezaun has already taken over that honour.
The seven-year-old put out his first-ever hockey stick on the family's backyard deck almost immediately after his dad's sticks went missing.
"I was pretty proud of him that he made the decision to step forward and put his stick out there being that the risk that his stick could be stolen," said mom Vanessa Simon.
"But it's material things and they can always be replaced. Showing our support to Saskatchewan means a lot to us."