Even at age 25, it wouldn’t be inappropriate to say that Kaleb Dahlgren has lived a million lifetimes.
Being one of 13 survivors in the horrific 2018 Humboldt Broncos bus crash that claimed the lives of 16 teammates and staff, speaking in front of a crowd of a couple hundred people could be deemed a daunting task.
However, Dahlgren did that and then some during the 8th UNBC Timberwolves Legacy Night where he highlighted his healing journey and expressions of gratitude during a 45-minute speech at the Courtyard Marriott Hotel on Thursday evening.
At the end of it all, a pair of standing ovations soon followed.
The road back has been anything but smooth for the Saskatoon, Saskatchewan product.
Dahlgren sustained a fractured skull, a puncture wound in his head, a brain injury and six broken vertebrae in his neck and back during the bus crash.
In an interview with MyPGNow.com, Dahlgren stated the main message from his speech was for everyone to enjoy the grind of life.
“Find the positives in your life and hang on to them. We are in such a different world where everyone is unique and special and for us, finding positives each day to wake up and make the most of your life is the message I hope someone takes home.”
Dahlgren was diagnosed with a condition called post-traumatic amnesia, a transient state of altered brain function that may follow a traumatic brain injury.
During a four-day stretch, he would drift in and out of consciousness asking his parents each time whether they had won Game 5 of their series against the Nipawin Hawks – a matchup in which they trailed 3-1 at the time of the accident.
The 25-year-old revealed that he sustained 13 brain hemorrhages, which ended his hockey playing days, despite committing to York University.
When asked at what point did, he turn the corner in his recovery, Dahlgren noted it was a series of small steps that made the biggest difference.
“I feel like I turned the corner a few times. There was not a specific corner that made me a 100% but I think it was the incremental ones where I got 1% better each day and improved to grow and become the best version, I could be every single day. I think the turning point was just leaving the hospital. When I left, I could go back to being free, go back to Humboldt and do stuff that fueled me as a person.”
Even prior to the accident, Dahlgren was no stranger to overcoming tragedy. At age 12 he lost one of his teammates during a hockey tournament. This followed the sudden passing of his trainer and friend two years later.
If that wasn’t enough Kaleb was also playing hockey as a Type 1 diabetic.
“I felt like those instances early on in my life really built resilience and without those, I wouldn’t be the person I am today. Everything that happens in our way, the crossroads that we face, we choose how we want to respond to those situations so for me, I try to learn from that and build on those and there are healthy ways of coping and grieving.”
Dahlgren was a star on the ice for the Battlefords Stars of the Saskatchewan U18 AAA league playing two seasons between 2013-2015.
His hockey journey then took him to the Notre Dame Hounds of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League – a team he also played two seasons with before an offseason trade to Humboldt.
Dahlgren is attending the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College in Toronto. He noted his new adventure has afforded him new opportunities that would not have been there had he just strictly been a hockey player.
“When you look at a hockey career, it’s five to six days a week and you are lucky to get a day off. You are going all year because even in the off season you are still working out, so I think for me having these opportunities to perform other aspects of my life whether its studying, doing speeches, going out into the community has been so interesting and a cool element for me to set myself out and express myself differently than if I was just a hockey player.”
Dahlgren is also an author of Crossroads, a national #1 bestseller, which detailed his story of tragedy and resilience as a Humboldt Bronco.
The money raised from the Legacy Night will go towards athletic scholarships and bursaries at UNBC.
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