Florida mass shooting hits home with players
The Blue Jackets had a moment of silence before a game Friday night against the Philadelphia Flyers at Nationwide Arena for those killed Wednesday in the mass shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
For some at the arena, the shooting hit close to home.
Philadelphia defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere said he was “shaken up” when he saw his former high school all over the news Wednesday afternoon. Gostisbehere spent his freshman and sophomore years at Stoneman Douglas before moving north to play prep school hockey in Connecticut.
“It’s just something you don’t expect to see,” he said Friday adding he used to frequent the nearby Walmart the shooter reportedly escaped to. “What a scary world we live in."
On Friday, he said he had spoken to his grandparents who live about a mile from the school’s sprawling suburban campus northwest of Fort Lauderdale.
Gostisbehere was in the starting lineup Friday so he was on the ice when the Jackets had the moment of silence. The team also displayed the school’s Eagles logo and listed the names of those students and faculty members who perished on the scoreboard.
“It’s obviously a tragic event,” Gostisbehere told reporters on Thursday. “They always say it’s close to home, but when it is actually home, it’s pretty tough to see. I haven’t really processed it yet. I still can’t believe it."
Gostisbehere became the first player born and raised in South Florida to appear in an NHL game when he made his debut with the Flyers in 2014.
He wasn’t the only member of the Flyers or Blue Jackets with ties to the area or school. Both of Jackets broadcaster Jeff Rimer’s children went to Stoneman Douglas. Rimer called Florida Panthers games from 1993 to 2004 and still has a home in south Florida.
“I talked to a lot of people in Florida; Josh has spoken with people, Kylie lives a couple miles away from the school and was devastated,” Rimer said.
“I cannot count how many times we drove by the school or took our kids there. It shakes you up. I couldn’t leave the television. I was trying to get all the information I could get. My wife drove by there just before it all happened.”
Philadelphia assistant Gord Murphy, a former Blue Jackets coach who still resides in Dublin, lived near Stoneman Douglas and said he followed the school’s football team while coaching with the Panthers.
Blue Jackets forward Jussi Jokinen said his wife and children continue to live in Parkland after he spent the previous three seasons with Florida. Former Blue Jackets forward Nathan Horton also lives in Parkland.
Milano assigned to Cleveland
Forward Sonny Milano appears to be closer to playing NHL hockey again after missing the past five weeks because of an oblique injury.
Milano, who has been practicing with the Jackets lately, was assigned to minorleague Cleveland after Friday’s morning skate.