A promotional poster for the documentary "Sideways" is shown in an undated handout image. (The Canadian Press/Handout - Trilight Entertainment)
Nearly four decades after the Swift Current Broncos bus crash, a new documentary titled Sideways reopens one of hockey’s darkest chapters — not just to remember the tragedy, but to confront the emotional scars that never truly healed.
In December 1986, the Broncos’ team bus hit black ice on the Trans-Canada Highway, just east of Swift Current, Saskatchewan. The crash claimed the lives of four players — Trent Kresse, Scott Kruger, Brent Ruff, and Chris Mantyka. For their surviving teammates, including defenceman Bob Wilkie, the trauma of that day has lingered for a lifetime.
The Night That Changed Everything
Wilkie vividly remembers witnessing Mantyka’s final moments. He was a teenager then, part of a young team making its return to the Western Hockey League after 12 years. Three years later, those same players would rise again to win the 1989 Memorial Cup — a remarkable victory built on heartbreak.
But behind the success lay deep emotional wounds. In the 1980s, mental health support for athletes was virtually nonexistent. The team’s coach and general manager, Graham James, even discouraged players from seeking help — a decision later linked to his own dark secret. James would eventually serve time in prison for sexually assaulting players he coached.
Revisiting the Past Through “Sideways”
Sideways, produced by Trilight Entertainment and released for streaming this week, explores how unresolved trauma shaped the lives of those who survived. Through interviews with former Broncos players — including Wilkie, Peter Soberlak, Dan Lambert, and Scott Kruger’s brother Darren — the film captures how anxiety, depression, and addiction became unspoken battles long after the accident.
Also featured are former NHL goalie Kelly Hrudey and L.A. Kings general manager Ken Holland, both reflecting on how hockey culture of that era failed to protect its young players.
“Life can throw you sideways,” Wilkie says in the film. “That’s where the name came from. It’s about shame, guilt, regret, and also about connection. It’s a hockey story, but really it’s a human story wrapped in hockey.”
From Pain to Purpose
Wilkie, Soberlak, and teammate Sheldon Kennedy — one of James’s abuse survivors — turned to alcohol as they struggled to cope. For Wilkie, the pain nearly became unbearable. Despite being drafted by the Detroit Red Wings, he battled post-traumatic stress disorder that stripped away his joy for the game and life itself.
“I just didn’t want to live that way anymore,” he recalls. That realization marked the start of his healing journey.
Now 56 and based in Calgary, Wilkie founded I Got Mind in 2008 — an organization that helps sports teams and workplaces strengthen mental wellness and emotional resilience.
Echoes of Another Tragedy
Wilkie and his former teammates were among the first to reach out after the 2018 Humboldt Broncos bus crash that killed 16 people. Their shared experience became a source of comfort for grieving families, including former NHL player Chris Joseph, whose son Jaxon was among the victims.
“You could see how much it mattered because we understood,” Wilkie said. “Like Peter says in the film — we needed more than a hug.”
The Work Still Ahead
Even today, Wilkie believes hockey has not done enough to address mental health. “There’s more awareness, but not enough real change,” he says. “Athletes are more anxious and more stressed than ever. We still need to learn how to live.”
Sideways isn’t just a documentary about a crash. It’s a powerful reminder that healing takes courage — and that silence, too, can be deadly.
