Team USA took to the ice for practice on Tuesday. The United States is preparing for its Olympic quarterfinal game against the winner of Sweden and Latvia.
After practice, Team USA head coach Mike Sullivan had his media availability. He started his availability on a serious note, addressing the shooting at a Rhode Island hockey rink on Monday, per Mollie Walker of The New York Post.
“Our hearts and prayers go to the people that were affected…That certainly is close to home for me, growing up in Massachusetts. Two of our coaches are from Rhode Island. What a terrible tragedy and something that hits close to home. I wanted to just acknowledge the incident and to let everyone know how sorry we are, that we feel for them and for their friends,” Sullivan said, opening up his time with the media.
Sullivan is from Marshfield, Massachusetts, just an hour away from Patucket, Rhode Island, where the tragic event happened.
The shooting happened on Monday at a high-school hockey game in Patucket. It would claim the lives of three people, including the perpetrator, and injure three other people. Pawtucket Police Chief Tina Goncalves also gave an update on the events that transpired, per ESPN.
“It appears that this was a targeted event, that it may be a family dispute,” she said.
The Boston Bruins, Boston Red Sox, New England Patriots, Boston Celtics, and New England Revolution all have issued statements of support. Meanwhile, Pawtucket Mayor Don Grebien also issued a short statement.
“These are high school kids, they were doing an event, they were playing with fans watching, and it turned into this,” Grebien said.
