PENGUINS HONOR PITTSBURGH SYNAGOGUE SHOOTING VICTINS

Hold moment of silence before game against Islanders, wear special patch on jerseys

by Wes Crosby

NHL.com
October 30, 2018

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Penguins honored victims of the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting and their families before facing the New York Islanders at PPG Paints Arena on Tuesday.

About 5 miles from the synagogue, where 11 people were killed and six were injured in Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill neighborhood Saturday, the Penguins held a moment of silence before their first home game in two weeks. It lasted 11 seconds, one for each person killed, while the victims' names were displayed on the screen.

A video celebrating diversity and inclusion played before the Penguins and Islanders took the ice for the national anthem.

Sue Berman Kress, Bob Silverman and Josh Sayles of the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh were welcomed onto the ice for the moment of silence and anthem. Chief Scott Schubert and Officers Mike Smidga and Anthony Burke of the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police performed a ceremonial puck drop to a standing ovation. Smidga and Burke were among the first responders to the shooting.

A patch with the Penguins logo superimposed on an upside-down triangle, forming a Star of David, with "Stronger than Hate" underneath, was sewn onto the right shoulder of Pittsburgh's jerseys. The jerseys will be autographed and auctioned at treeoflife.givesmart.com.

The proceeds from the jersey auction and the Penguins' other fundraising efforts will go to the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh and a fund established with the City of Pittsburgh Department of Public Safety to benefit the four Pittsburgh police officers injured in the shooting.

The Penguins held a blood drive at PPG Paints Arena from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET on Monday. The turnout was so large that future appointments had to be made to accommodate everyone wishing to donate.

Vitalant, a nonprofit organization specializing in blood donation, collected 254 units -- enough to save or directly impact 762 lives, the Penguins said on their Twitter account.

The city canceled its annual Halloween celebration scheduled for Tuesday and instead held a collection to benefit the victims and families affected by the shooting.