It has not been a season that fans of the Humboldt Broncos were hoping for but fans have no reason to be disappointed.
For the first time since the 1979-1980 season the Broncos are on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoffs.
While that is disappointing for sure, it always is when your favourite team misses the playoffs, the fans of the Broncos have been very lucky over the years.
The Broncos sit in a tie for fifth with the third most appearances in the National Championship tournament with five and sit in a tie for the second most since 2003 with four trailing only the Camrose Kodiaks’ five.
They also have two national championships, which is tied for third most all time and tied for the most since 2003.
They are also fourth all time in most games won at the national championship.
In contrast my hometown team, the Smiths Falls Bears have missed the playoffs four times since 2003 and have just two league championships since 1961 and zero national championship appearances.
Since 2003, they also have just two league final appearances and just one semi-final appearance, the final five-playoff appearances were first round exits.
Fans of the Broncos have been incredibly spoiled with their success over the years and will continue to be spoiled in the future.
Granted this disappointing season leaves it difficult to have optimism for the future, there is a lot to be excited about.
You have to remember, over the past three seasons the Broncos have endured three different coaches, which makes it difficult to sustain success because different coaches have different systems, which the players have to learn each season.
In addition to the coaching change there was also a big changeover in players, which included the trading of all of the 1995 born players, who were in their final year of eligibility.
Let’s not forget all those trades resulted in a number of rookies getting their chance in the league this year, which resulted in some monumental struggles on the road. As of Feb. 29 the Broncos had lost 24 games in a row on the road, which is nearly unheard of and will almost certainly not happen again. And really, if not for those struggles this team would be right in the thick of the playoff hunt.
The changeover in players should also provide optimism going forward because there are zero players who will be leaving at the end of this season, which means all of them can return to the team next year.
One of the trades resulted in the Broncos acquiring Chris Van Os-Shaw from the Weyburn Red Wings who teamed up with Logan Schatz and Trevor Posch to absolutely light up the league as the trio combined for 19 goals and 30 assists in the 13 games since he joined the team.
The Broncos also had their first 20-goal scorer since the 2012-2013 season as Daniel McKitrick currently has 22 goals.
With a full year of experience under their belts the Broncos should be an even better team next season and with an offseason to tweak the squad. Fans have a great reason for optimism in the fall.
So, being sad that they missed the playoffs is a fair emotion since you should never enjoy seeing your team lose but don’t quit on them because they will be back better next year.
