This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The Utah hockey community's support of Kyle and Karson Wight after the teenagers lost their parents in an auto accident a month ago could be quantified in several ways, including donations of money and memorabilia for this week's tribute.
And then there were the five calls that Fred Wilner received from folks offering to adopt the boys, right then and there.
"It makes you feel good to know that people care," said Wilner, a former president of the Utah Amateur Hockey Association.
The sons of Bob and Dawn Wight, Cottonwood Heights residents who died Nov. 10 after a semi-truck crossed into their lane and collided with their vehicle in Wyoming, are living with another hockey family. Plans are for the boys to join other relatives at some point.
Having the Wights die while taking their sons to a youth tournament in Colorado makes the loss especially poignant for members of the hockey community. But they certainly would have responded, no matter the circumstances. "Especially here in Utah, it's really close-knit," said Brian Murray, an organizer of a fund-raising dinner and auction scheduled Friday evening at Snowbird to assist the boys (for information, go to Utah-hockey.org).
"We're trying to let them know that we love them and care about them," Wilner said.
When the boys were hospitalized in Denver following the accident, former Brighton High School player Trevor Lewis of the Los Angeles Kings visited them. The Kings were in town to play the Colorado Avalanche, but Lewis is the kind of person who may have made such an effort, regardless of the schedule.
Beyond Utah, jerseys for the auction have come from Wayne Gretzky, the NHL Alumni Association and the Utah Grizzlies, from their 1996 Turner Cup championship. Kenneth Scott, a former University of Utah football player, also got involved. Scott signed and donated a football intended for the auction, but his personal message was so powerful that organizers decided the boys should keep the ball.
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