The Dallas Stars canceled a scheduled Game 3 exhibition party outside their arena because of the shooting that killed eight people at a Texas mall on Saturday.
Star Square is located less than 50 kilometers from the site of the tragedy. Game Three still took place as planned on the Seattle side, but the Stars’ organization chose to cancel the evening “out of respect for the victims, their families, and the people affected by this tragedy.”
Speaking in Seattle during the team’s morning practice Sunday, Stars head coach Pete DeBoer said the team was “saddened” by the shooting.
“It’s really close to home and very tragic,” said DeBoer. When you hear victims as young as 5 years old, you tell yourself this has to stop.
“I think when you hear about Sandy Hook and Parkland and Nashville, you try to pass it off as if it’s not happening near you. When that event happens in your own backyard, you realize all the horror it generates.”
DeBoer admitted that it was hard to think of playing hockey after such a tragic event.
The series between the Stars and the Kraken is tied 1-1 as Game 3 takes place Sunday night at Climate Pledge Arena.
“Evil thinker. Music scholar. Hipster-friendly communicator. Bacon geek. Amateur internet enthusiast. Introvert.”