Though the Panthers couldn’t have been farther away from Wednesday afternoon’s school shooting at Parkland Douglas High School, being in Vancouver for Wednesday night’s game, they might’ve been closer in many ways than any other South Florida team.
They’ve practiced in nearby Coral Springs for the last 20 years, so many players live in Parkland. Before the game, the Canucks franchise held a moment of silence for the 17 killed in the shooting.
“Pretty tough day, we got a lot of the news around lunch time, just before (pregame) nap,” Panthers captain and Parkland resident Derek MacKenzie said during a first intermission interview on Fox Sports Florida.