Briercrest College and Seminary retired jersey number 22 Friday night at the Barkman Arena in Caronport.

Former Briercrest Clipper and head coach of the Humboldt Broncos Darcy Haugan was honoured during an open ceremony dedicated to the Haugan family and Darcy’s memory.

John Bechtold was Darcy’s coach at Briercrest from 1998 – 2000. “The first thing he did each day was, he got into God’s word. I think that’s what really moulded his character. That’s why he became the man he became. He loved hockey. But just like his covenant spoke of, it was more than hockey. It was about caring for people and loving people. I really believe it was because of his relationship with Jesus Christ.”

Briercrest’s Chief Athletic Officer, Rob Schellenberg, said it was important to retire Darcy’s jersey. “It’s really important for us to recognize people, especially our alum, that are doing amazing work in today’s society. There are too many negative stories. We want to make sure we publicize the positives. We want Darcy’s legacy to be remembered for the positives he and his wife, Christina, had here. And this was a really important time for us to do that. Amazing athlete, but even a better man.”

Jamie Ramer, the Clippers current head coach and former teammate of Darcy’s, along with several of Haugan’s Clipper linemates – Mark Lockhart, Jon Armbruster, Ryan Willison and Trevor Frost - also attended the dedication ceremony. “Darcy was a great hockey player and a prolific goal scorer. He was compassionate, a great player, and you could tell he had a big heart,” said Frost. 

Lockhart said, “It was important to honour Darcy and his family and the legacy he leaves behind – not only as a Briercrest hockey player, but who he was with the teams that he coached, and with his family, and the legacy that he leaves there.”

Darcy’s wife Christina and their sons, Carson and Jackson, along with Darcy’s parents, were presented with Haugan’s number 22 jersey during the start of the Clippers alumni weekend. 

Darcy and Christina met and fell in love while going to school at Briercrest Bible College. Christina said her sons enjoy hearing their Dad’s former teammates and coaches reminisce about the times they spent with Darcy.

Haugan passed away with 15 others in the Humboldt Broncos bus crash earlier this year on April 6th.