The Tampa Bay Lightning suffered a crushing loss on Monday when they squandered a chance at the Stanley Cup, falling to the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 in overtime. While there’s no doubt that one hurt, a loss in the Stanley Cup Final doesn’t even come close to the largest loss out of the hockey world today.
This morning, it was announced that Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks had suffered a tragic death during 4th of July celebrations. He was struck in the chest with a firework mortar, and had succumbed to chest trauma in hospital.
Ahead of Monday’s Game 4 between the Bolts and the Habs, the two teams and a partial capacity Bell Centre took a moment of silence to honour Kivlenieks. Following the game, Lightning coach Jon Cooper began his presser with a message of condolence to the Kivlenieks family.
In the wake of a tough loss, it’s a classy gesture for Cooper to prioritize the larger tragedy.
