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Hockey players Danica Hills and Kayla Peacock involved in fatal crash returning from practice
Photo credit: Christine Tannous/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
This is HockeyForever on Instagram reporting that Danica Hills and Kayla Peacock were killed in a crash, citing RCMP details, not an official league release.
Danica Hills, 18, and Kayla Peacock, 17, were driving home from hockey practice when a semi truck struck their vehicle earlier this week.
Both were from Hinton, Alberta.
The post says RCMP believe road conditions were a factor in the collision.
That detail hits hard in a hockey town.
These were not distant names on a scoresheet, they were teammates, best friends, Jasper Wildcats players chasing the same dream.
The image of them in matching jerseys, smiling between the boards, makes this feel painfully close.
Danica Hills loss devastates Alberta hockey community
You can already sense the grief across minor hockey circles in Alberta, because every parent and player sees their own rink in that photo.
This is the part of the game we never want to talk about.
We track goals, assists, and standings all season long, but the real heartbeat of hockey lives in small towns and late night drives home from practice.
Hinton is one of those towns.
When something like this happens, it does not just impact a roster, it ripples through schools, billets, coaches, and families who share rides and early mornings.
The Alberta hockey community has endured loss before.
Every time, the response is the same, sticks outside the front door, moments of silence before puck drop, jerseys hung over empty chairs.
That ritual matters.
It reminds us that hockey is bigger than wins and losses, and far more fragile than we admit.
As the 2025-26 season continues, teams across the province will lace up with heavy hearts.
The next puck drop will feel different, and it should.
Also read on HockeyUnplugged :
Maxime St-Cyr rescues elderly driver after Highway 73 crash, teammates pull her from flipped car
Maxime St-Cyr rescues elderly driver after Highway 73 crash, teammates pull her from flipped car
Previously on HockeyUnplugged
| POLL | ||
FEVRIER 28|81 ANSWERS Hockey players Danica Hills and Kayla Peacock involved in fatal crash returning from practice Should Alberta minor hockey honor Danica Hills and Kayla Peacock with a province wide moment of silence? | ||
| Yes | 71 | 87.7 % |
| No | 10 | 12.3 % |
| List of polls | ||