When Utah Mammoth captain Clayton Keller lost his father, Bryan, on Thanksgiving Day, it hit home for hockey fans across the league — especially those who have been through similar experiences.
Krystal Dodge, a Mammoth super fan, was among them, and she recognized an opportunity to do something special.
“I lost my stepdad — but he was the only dad I ever knew in my life — three years ago," she said. “And so that pain, I guess, just hit close to home. ... Seeing that (Keller) lost his father, especially around the holidays and everything, I just wanted to do something to show that the community and the fans support him.”
Dodge took the initiative to organize a card-making station at the team’s first home game following the tragedy, Monday against the Los Angeles Kings. More than 250 fans, in her estimation, showed up to voice their support for the captain — and some even mailed letters from other states and countries.
“I was just devastated for him,” she said. “It took me back to my own experiences and the feelings that I had when my dad died and everything. When I found out that he was still playing, I had so much respect for him. I would have had respect for him either way, if he didn’t play, but the fact that he did, it just shows why he’s the captain.”
“The community has their heart in the right place, there’s no doubt about it,” said Mammoth coach André Tourigny when asked about the initiative. “We saw it last year when (Connor) Ingram was going through a tough time, and again, now they’re rallying (around) Kells.”
Fans joined together for a similar cause last season when former Utah Hockey Club goaltender Connor Ingram reentered the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program. He, too, had dealt with the loss of a parent — his mother, Joni — in addition to the clinical obsessive-compulsive disorder that had necessitated his first entry into the program a few years prior.
It was a different group of fans leading that charge, but it produced the same result: an outpouring of love toward an adopted member of the Utah family.
“We often talk about how important our fans (are), how much we care and how much they care for us,” Tourigny said. “In tough moments, you see who you can rely on — and our fans show up.“
Keller expressed deep appreciation.
“The support’s been amazing from everyone, honestly,” he said in an interview after practice Tuesday. “I did see that. Super cool moment. I sent it to my mom and brother. They were just so excited and it’s so cool for them to do that.”
He returned the love right back to the fans, too.
“They’ve been so good, always supporting us,” he said. “We love playing at home, and love our fans and appreciate them so much. The support means the world to all of us in this room, and we’ve got to get some more wins for them.”
“It’s not just about going to games,” Dodge said. “It’s about remembering that these athletes are people and that they have lives and are going through their own things off the ice. I think it’s a cool way to show that we support not just the sport, but the person and the people behind the sport.”
