An Ontario teacher who was killed alongside four students in a car crash is being remembered as a cherished coach and friend.
The Owen Sound NorthStars Junior B Lacrosse club says they are “heartbroken and crushed” about the death of assistant coach Matt Eckert.
In a social media tribute, the team’s general manager says Eckert had an indescribable connection with the players and was a best friend to other coaches.
When reached by email, an executive for the lacrosse team says they were discussing the best way to honour Eckert that would be respectful to his family and the other four families.
Eckert is listed in a staff directory as a teacher at a school in Walkerton, Ont., a town northwest of Toronto.
The school board says a staff member and four secondary students from the school died in a Friday afternoon car crash outside London, Ont., while coming home from a sporting event.
Police say a 33-year-old man and four girls, ages 16 and 17, died when their SUV collided with a transport truck and then crashed into a second SUV.
The community was expected to hold a candlelight vigil at the school on Sunday night. Social media posts circulated of people who had placed running shoes and candles on their porches as a tribute to crash victims.
The driver and passenger of the second SUV and the truck driver had minor injuries, police said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 25. 2025.
