Roadside Shrine Honors Hockey Player, 17

An impromptu shrine at the site of the New Year’s Eve car crash that killed 17-year-old Justin Buckley of Huntington Beach was piled high Friday afternoon with the usual flowers, candles and notes.

But there were also hockey sticks and pucks--lots of them--speaking volumes about the passion the popular Edison High School senior felt for ice and roller hockey.

“He was the engine that drove the team,” said former coach Marin Buddi, who got to know Buckley well during two years of private lessons. “But he was also an incredibly good kid. Our relationship was more than that of a player and a coach. Now I feel like I lost a son.”

Buckley was driving to a New Year’s Eve party in his silver Mitsubishi Eclipse with two friends when, at about 7 p.m., he lost control on Brookhurst Street at Atlanta Avenue and slammed into a telephone pole.

The two passengers--Erin Roy, 15, and Vincent Massey, 15, both of Huntington Beach--sustained major injuries and are in the intensive care unit at UCI Medical Center in Orange. The hospital would not release the condition of either teenager.

Heather Dunkin, 14, a friend of Massey, said he had been in a coma since the accident and had suffered several strokes. She said Roy’s condition was improving.

Police are still investigating the crash and are analyzing the contents of a canister with a nitrous oxide label that was found in the car, Lt. Gary Brooks said Friday. He said it was unclear whether the canister’s contents played a role in the crash, but said high speed was a “critical” factor.

The car was Buckley’s second passion, friends said Friday. “He loved that car. He spent a lot of time working on it,” said Bryan Ward, 17, who played hockey with Buckley briefly. “He lowered it, put in a sound system, worked on the engine a lot.”

Ward sat at the shrine with two other friends, keeping an afternoon vigil on the growing pile of flowers, notes and candles. Some stopped by who barely knew Buckley but had heard through friends about the crash. Others left poignant notes, sharing memories that spanned the teenager’s short lifetime.

“I’ve known you since kindergarten and you were always the nicest guy,” wrote someone named Andres. “I will love you and miss you always.”

On the splintered front of the thick telephone pole, a broken hockey stick was tied. Others were scattered on the ground, many scribbled with notes and Buckley’s number, 78.

Matt Yamamoto, a teammate last year on the Beach City Lightning, said Buckley was an easygoing leader who played “with all his heart” and stood up for his teammates. “Hockey’s a pretty rough game, and he would always step in if somebody smaller was getting picked on,” Yamamoto said. “He was a really good player, a great defenseman.”

Buckley started hockey at a relatively late age but attacked it with intense determination that allowed him to progress quickly, said Buddi, Buckley’s former coach who became close to the boy’s entire family.

Last September, Buckley moved up to an elite level team, the Midget B, Buddi said. He dreamed of playing on a college team, and eventually, as a professional.

“He was an incredibly good kid, from a very, very good family,” Buddi said. “His dad was so close to him. Whenever it was possible, he came to see him play.”

Buddi met with Buckley’s parents after hearing the news. “We cried like babies,” he said. “ ‘Upset’ does not come close to describing it. They are destroyed.”