Auctioned arena seat sold for thousands arrives in Humboldt
Winning bidder Rick Spray said he was willing to pay big bucks to raise money for the community
As donations pour in to support the families affected by the Humboldt bus crash, one special piece of hockey memorabilia was delivered to the community Monday.
Vancouver Island collector Rod Hurst wanted to contribute a donation, so he auctioned off a 1928 arena seat from the old Boston Garden, which sold for $5,800.
To make sure the 90-year-old piece of hockey history arrived safely, he drove from the coast to Humboldt, Sask., to hand deliver the chair to winning bidder Rick Spray.
"I was kind of rooting for him to win because he was so close to the community … if it's going to be anywhere, this would be the place for it to be, as close to Humboldt Arena as it could," Hurst told All Points West host Jason D'Souza.
Spray lives just outside Humboldt, and when he heard about the auction. he said he texted his wife asking how much they could put down to bid.
"I know, myself, that I can get a little carried away with auctions … her text came back and said, 'the sky's the limit.' At that point, I knew Rod was going to make pretty good money on the chair," Spray said.
All of the money has been donated to the Humboldt Broncos.
While in town Hurst got to meet with the president of the team and visited the memorial site.
Hurst said the seat is a prized possession for him, but the crash in Saskatchewan moved him greatly and felt it was an appropriate donation to make to the community.
"It touched my heart, and I wanted to do my part as a Canadian, as a hockey fan and as a dad to do whatever I could do to help out."
To hear the full interview listen to media below:
With files from All Points West