Tripp Nugent Obituary, Death – When Tripp “Trippy” Nugent entered the Lightning dressing room prior to a home game during the previous season, he immediately won over the entire room with his smile and his energy.
In the course of his battle against cancer, the young kid from Lakeland became an instant member of the Lightning family. During the Coop’s Catch for Kids pediatric cancer benefit that took place the previous year, he was on the boat that Lightning coach Jon Cooper was using.
Even as late as January, he went to the Lightning practice in Boston, where he was having therapy at the time. During his initial visit to the club in December 2022, he even consented to a one-day contract with the organization. Monday morning, the Lightning spread the news that Nugent had passed away. His age was seven. Nugent was described by Cooper as “a special kid as I’ve ever came across.”
“It has been a challenging twenty-four hours for us here,” Cooper has stated. As a result of him no longer being in our presence, it is extremely distressing. It brings tears to my eyes.”
Soon after Nugent was informed that he had an incurable brain tumor, Lightning captain Steven Stamkos sent him a video invitation to attend a home game versus Toronto in 2022. The game was scheduled to take place in 2022.
He had his family accompany him to the Lightning’s morning skate, which consisted of his parents Nick and Katie as well as his sister Lexie. While there, he gave high-fives to each and every player in the locker room. Along with that, Mathieu Darche, the director of hockey operations, signed him to a contract that was only for one day. Before the game, he gave the players a boost of confidence by performing the griddy dance, which was met with applause from everyone in the room.
During the pregame warmups, the Lightning wore blue Team Trippy caps for the duration of the game. Following the game, Alex Killorn wore the cap during his postgame interviews. This was done after he scored the game-winning goal in overtime. At the Coop’s Catch event that took place during the previous season, which was the first one to take place since the epidemic, Nugent was Cooper’s special guest.
In addition, he went to the Lightning’s practice in Boston on January 5 of this year, despite the fact that he was confined to a wheelchair and had become weaker as a result of therapy. The statement that Cooper made was, “I can still see him like he’s right here.” Cooper stated, “However, when he left us, he was listening to Thunderstruck while wearing a shirt by Stammer.” “And if that doesn’t say it all, what a wonderful young boy he was,” the speaker continued. It’s true that the heart is a little bit weaker today, that much is certain.
