Humboldt Broncos bus crash survivor Ryan Straschnitzki attends a physiotherapy session in Calgary, Alta., Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2021. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh)

By Nick Nielsen

Recovery Journey

Former Humboldt Bronco Ryan Straschnitzki set to debut documentary Monday

May 25, 2025 | 8:00 AM

The road to recovery has been a long tumultuous one for Ryan Straschnitzki, one of the 13 survivors from the 2018 crash that killed 16 members of the Humboldt Broncos Jr. A Hockey Team and their staff. The crash left Straschnitzki paralyzed from the waist down, and since then he has been on a recovery journey with the goal of competing in the Paralympics as part of Canada’s wheelchair basketball team.

This coming Monday, people will be able to watch the first steps of that journey as a new documentary, ‘We Were Broncos’, will air its first episode on AMI (Accessible Media Inc.).

It’s a project that has helped Straschnitzki in his recovery, but also one he is quite proud of.

“I think the more I’m able to talk about my journey and give perspective from my side of things, I think it allows me to heal in in ways I never thought possible. A lot of people came together for us around the world, and I wanted to give them maybe some closure or just let them know that we’re doing good. We’re all keeping in touch. We’re all doing the best we can with the life that we were granted the second chance on, it’s one of those things where I went to the media because I wanted to share my journey and hope that it inspires the next generation to overcome adversity and let people know that we’re doing alright.”

Originally the plan for Straschnitzki was to stick with the sport he was most familiar with in hockey and join the paralympic sledge hockey team. Along the way Straschnitzki found he’s more suited towards wheelchair basketball, and he’s excited for people to see that change in his path happen on screen.

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“I think they’ll be surprised as to why I switched over to basketball and kind of the steps it’s going to take to make it to that top level. I think there’s a lot of ins and outs in my life. There’s a lot of interviews where I get really deep and personal, so people will get to really know who I am. So I’m excited for people to watch and I hope it turns out well.”

Filming for the documentary started in September of last year, and it wrapped up in April. Having the cameras around him constantly while he trains and goes about his every day life was definitely a change, but one that he was happy to deal with if it meant inspiring others in dealing with their own adversity.

It isn’t just Straschnitzki’s story that is shared through the documentary though. Some of his former Broncos teammates and other people who have helped Straschnitzki along his recovery path share their stories as well.

“The list goes on, right. There’s so many people that have helped out and allowed me to stay motivated and reach my goals. So people like my sled hockey coach Chris Cedarstrand, my parents, my friends, everyone that you’ll see in the documentary has helped me out in some capacity, and I’m very grateful.”

While there have obviously been physical challenges to how Straschnitzki has had to adapt to life since being paralyzed, there’s also been a major mental health aspect to things as well. Through his recovery journey, Straschnitzki has made a ton of valuable connections that have helped him along the way, and he hopes that sharing his story inspires others to do the same.

“I think a lot of people have faced life altering injuries or face adversity, and they come to me with questions and they want to relate and they want to share their stories. So yeah, I’m very grateful that people trust me enough to share their story and allow me to hopefully help them out in some way. So I’m just glad that people can look to me in that direction.”

The first episode of We Were Broncos is set to debut on the air this coming Monday at 7:00 p.m. in Saskatchewan on the AMI network.