Mackie Samoskevich, a winger for the Florida Panthers and a native of Sandy Hook, Connecticut, recently brought the Stanley Cup to the Sandy Hook Elementary School Memorial to pay tribute to the 20 children and six adult staff members who lost their lives in the tragic event of 2012. The visit served as a heartfelt homage to the victims and their families, allowing Samoskevich to connect his professional achievements with a significant moment in his community's history.

At 22 years old, Samoskevich completed his first full season with the Panthers in 2024-25, during which he recorded 15 goals and 16 assists across 72 games, finishing the season with a minus-four rating. Though he participated in only four games during the Stanley Cup playoffs, where he registered one assist, Samoskevich's journey in hockey began in the Newtown area, and he reflected on the importance of his visit with the Cup. 'It's definitely special to bring it here,' Samoskevich expressed in an interview with Justin DeVellis of Moneyline. 'The Boston Bruins brought it here in 2013, and I was one of those kids playing hockey with them, so it's pretty cool to see it come full circle.'

Samoskevich, along with his twin sister Maddy, was a student at Reed Intermediate School at the time of the Sandy Hook tragedy. During the incident, their school experienced a lockdown lasting four hours. Recalling the frightening experience, Samoskevich told Scott Wheeler of The Athletic in 2021, 'I just remember sitting in that dark classroom for the longest time and just not knowing what was going on. It was scary.' The Samoskevich family, whose home was a mere ten-minute walk from Sandy Hook Elementary, had personal connections to the victims, as they knew several of those who lost their lives. This connection motivated Samoskevich to bring the Stanley Cup to the memorial as a way to honor the enduring memory of those affected.