Pittsburgh Penguins honor Squirrel Hill victims
Hockey fans don’t agree on much. Yet, after a touching tribute and a robust fundraising effort, sports fans across all aisles are uniting behind the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“After your organization’s tremendous response to this weekend’s horror, I will never be able to root against you with the pure and righteous anger that the Blueshirts/Pens rivalry engenders!” a self-proclaimed “diehard Rangers fan” wrote on Reddit.
Returning to Pittsburgh for the first time since Saturday’s massacre, the Pittsburgh Penguins commenced an array of honorary activities to lend support to the Squirrel Hill community.
The team wore special patches on their jerseys featuring the Penguins logo in front of a Star of David and a message that read, “Stronger Than Hate.” Each player signed their jerseys, and they are now being auctioned online to benefit the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh.
The donations will also support a fund for the police officers injured in the shooting. As fans have entered their bids online in the first 24 hours, the auction promises to bring in at least $90,000.
Sidney Crosby, the team’s captain, has the highest bid on his jersey, with a fan currently pledging $20,000.
The auction will stay open until November 13, but in the meantime the Penguins Foundation have already donated $50,000.