'Beyond the crash': TV series on former Humboldt Bronco Ryan Straschnitzki set to air
CBC
Ryan Straschnitzki's life has been an open book since he was seriously injured in the Humboldt Broncos bus crash, and his story is soon to be shown on TV.
The 26-year-old from Airdrie, Alta., was paralyzed from the chest down in 2018, when a semi-trailer ran a stop sign and barrelled into the path of the junior hockey team's bus in rural Saskatchewan.
Sixteen people died and 13 were hurt.
A film crew with Regina-based Prairie Cat Productions followed Straschnitzki for eight months and created a six-part series called "We Were Broncos." It airs on AMI, or Accessible Media Inc., beginning May 26.
Straschnitzki played on Alberta's Para hockey team and had been training with the Paralympic development team, but his journey ended at the Team Canada Olympic tryouts.
In July 2023, he decided to try to make the 2028 Paralympic basketball squad.
The move caught the attention of Lucas Frison, founder of Prairie Cat, who had completed a documentary for CBC on the Bronco team in the season after the crash.
"Looking back, seeing some of the footage and where I was to where I am now is a real eye opener. I think I've changed a lot as a person," Straschnitzki told The Canadian Press while shooting hoops at an outdoor court in Airdrie.
"I think at the beginning of the basketball season I kind of doubted myself a little bit. By the end of the season I was a lot more confident in myself and realized I have the ability to make it where I want to make it, if I put the work in."
Straschnitzki has been playing on a Calgary wheelchair basketball team and was invited to his first camp in July for Team Canada.
Frison, the producer and director for "We Were Broncos," was a close friend of Mark Cross, an assistant coach of the Broncos who died in the crash.
Frison said it's rewarding to tell Straschnitzki's story.
"I've got to know him a lot over this last year, and he's just a fun, positive person to be around."
In the series, Ryan talks about being recognized and approached by people on the street about the crash and his survival, said Frison.
The Government of Saskatchewan has introduced its long-promised involuntary treatment legislation on the final day of the fall sitting.
The Law Society of Ontario has suspended the licence of Deepak Paradkar, one of seven Canadians arrested in connection with alleged drug lord Ryan Wedding’s cocaine smuggling ring.
London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) is getting rid of unlimited mental health benefits for staff, blaming ballooning costs and former administrators for implementing it without proper due diligence or oversight.
Netflix has agreed to buy Warner Bros. Discovery's TV and film studios and streaming division for $72 billion US, a deal that would hand control of one of Hollywood's most prized and oldest assets to the streaming pioneer that has upended the media industry.
CBC Calgary kicks off its annual Make the Season Kind campaign this morning at Fratello Coffee Roasters.
CBC Newfoundland and Labrador is kicking off its annual holiday campaign, helping to raise money to support local food banks.
If all goes according to plan, at 6 a.m. AT on Saturday people working at the IWK Health Centre will become the test case for a generational change to Nova Scotia’s health-care system.
One month after Prime Minister Mark Carney announced what he called "generational" military spending, New Brunswick’s defence ecosystem is on high alert.
Miranda Mirlycourtois, 34, looks directly at the camera and makes a confession.
Saskatoon city hall says police spending is projected to be $2.6 million over budget this year. That pushes the city into a $1.2-million deficit position, according to a report that will be considered by city council next week.
Students at the University of Regina are days away from deciding whether a newly formed student association should become their official representative body.
All public schools on P.E.I. are closed Friday and thousands of Maritime Electric customers are without power as strong winds create hazardous travel conditions across the province.
Prince Rupert, B.C., residents are celebrating the holidays this year with coastal flair.