Florida Panthers Pay Emotional Tribute to Victims of Parkland Shooting

Roberto Luongo made an emotional speech before leading the Panthers to victory.

Goaltender Roberto Luongo #1 of the Florida Panthers who is a longtime resident of Parkland Florida speaks to the crowd prior to the start of the game against the Washington Capitals about the tragedy at Stoneman Douglas High School. at the BB&T Center on February 22, 2018 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images)
Goaltender Roberto Luongo #1 of the Florida Panthers who is a longtime resident of Parkland Florida speaks to the crowd prior to the start of the game against the Washington Capitals about the tragedy at Stoneman Douglas High School. at the BB&T Center on February 22, 2018 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images)
NHLI via Getty Images

The Florida Panthers made an emotional pregame tribute to the victims of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting Thursday night — and managed their emotions enough to pull out a win against the Washington Capitals in the final seconds.

Thursday night’s game was the Panthers’ first at home since the shooting that killed 17 people in nearby Parkland, Florida. According to a report by the Associated Press, Roberto Luongo, the Panthers’ veteran goalie, has lived in Parkland with his wife and children for 12 years. So there was no one better suited to deliver a stirring speech before the game. Luongo then performed fantastically, recording 33 saves in the victory. Vincent Trocheck scored the winning goal with 19 seconds left on the clock and had his teammates sign his hockey stick, which he plans to donate to the students and faculty at Marjory Stoneman Douglas. The Panthers will continue to wear ‘MSD’ patches for the rest of the season.

The InsideHook Newsletter.

News, advice and insights for the most interesting person in the room.