Maple Leafs goalie speaks out on guns after Orlando shooting

Garret Sparks broke through in the NHL this season for the Toronto Maple Leafs, playing 17 games and becoming the first goalie in franchise history to post a shutout victory in his debut. But before he was a Leaf, Sparks was a Solar Bear, playing two seasons with the ECHL’s franchise in Orlando, Fla. It was his home.

So when news broke early Sunday morning that over 50 people had been killed in a mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando – with many more still in critical condition – Sparks felt compelled to let his voice be heard:

And furthering that, in a Twitter conversation with Sportsnet’s Damian Cox:

@DamoSpin @realPOSULLIVAN guns shouldn’t be in the hands of civilians on crowded public streets anywhere. Not in America, not on Mars.

— Garret Sparks (@GSparks40) June 12, 2016

As of 1:30 p.m. ET, the NBA and NFL had addressed the largest mass shooting in American history on social media. The NHL had yet to do so.

For information on blood donation in the Orlando area, visit here. Condolences to everyone affected by this tragedy.

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Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at [email protected] or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.

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