Tampa Bay Lightning announce the passing of a young fan

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Julien Trekker
April 1, 2024 (4:36 PM)

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The Tampa Bay Lightning announced the tragic passing of a young fan on Monday.

Through a statement, we learned that the young fan Tripp "Trippy" Nugent, passed away at eight years old from a brain tumor.

In 2022, he signed a one-day deal with the team and got to spend time with the members of the organization.

"Jon Cooper taking in morning skate with six-year-old Tripp Nugent, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor in late September. He'll be the #Bolts honorary captain tonight. Cooper had dinner last night with the whole Nugent family, who are Lightning season ticket holders 💙"

Tampa Bay Lightning announce tragic passing of young fan in heartfelt statement.

The Lightning wanted to pay tribute to the young fan and made an emotional declaration.

Read it here:

"We are devastated to learn of the passing of our buddy, Tripp "Trippy" Nugent. He signed a one-day contract with us in 2022 and quickly became part of the team with his energy and love for hockey. Bolts Nation will miss him dearly. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends during this extremely difficult time.

Tripp "Trippy" Nugent
2016-2024

Head coach Jon Cooper also had some touching words:

"For him not to be around us anymore, it's gut-wrenching. It's heartbreaking. I can see him like he's right here. When he left us, he was wearing a Stammer shirt listening to Thunderstruck, if that doesn't say it all. What a magnificent little boy he was. The heart's a little weaker today for sure."

As the Bolts are set to face the Detroit Red Wings tonight, it'll be interesting to see if the team performs well despite that heartbreaking news.

We'd like to extend our sincerest condolences to his loved ones.

Source: Markerzone - Lightning announce heartbreaking passing in the organization