The fatal grade school shooting in Nashville, Tenn. that left six dead, including three children, hit home for Predators defenseman Ryan McDonagh.
The 33-year-old veteran stayed home Monday with his three daughters, who go to kindergarten near where the shooting occurred, according to Predators team reporter Emma Lingan. McDonagh then caught a flight and joined the team Tuesday morning.
Boston and Nashville honored the victims of the shooting before the game at TD Garden, and the Predators beat the Black and Gold, 2-1.
The Bruins played a sluggish game and were held scoreless until the final second of the game. Boston reflected on not bringing its A-game to the matchup, but the Predators knew they were playing for more than just hockey.
“It wasn’t (just another game),” McDonagh told reporters postgame, as transcribed by Lingan. “And quite frankly, there really are no words that you can say about what went on (Monday) in Nashville, and it’s just a tragedy for those families and everybody affected. You don’t really realize it until you have kids of your own, the perspective that it hits you with. It’s not like this isn’t the first school shooting.
“Unfortunately, that’s happened, but now that you have kids and it happens close to home, it’s definitely different. And like any parent, you do anything you can to help your family and your kids out. And then at the end of the day, there’s a second family for us in our profession, and it’s our hockey family and our team. We felt like we needed to go out and try to do our job, the best we could and sacrifice and leave it all out there and just try to maybe bring a little bit of inspiration to the city of Nashville.”
McDonagh met a Brentwood, Tenn. native who traveled to Boston to celebrate his 17th birthday. The defenseman and head coach John Hynes invited the fan into the locker room to announce the starting lineup.
After the game, Hynes and captain Roman Josi expressed hope that the team made Nashville proud by beating the best team in the league and giving something fans could cheer about during a tragic time.
