Nearly a decade after the tragedy, the Orlando Solar Bears are honoring the victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting and the first responders who answered the call that night with special edition jerseys next month.
The ECHL affiliate of the American Hockey League’s Syracuse Crunch and the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning will sport Orlando United specialty jerseys for their First Responders Appreciation Night on Saturday, April 11, when they host the Savannah Ghost Pirates at Kia Center. The jerseys “feature design elements symbolizing unity, resilience, and remembrance,” according to a Solar Bears press release. “They serve as a visual tribute not only to the courage shown on June 12, 2016, but also to the lives tragically lost and the enduring strength of the Orlando community.
“These jerseys honor both the victims and the ongoing commitment of police, fire, EMS, and emergency communications personnel who protect Orlando every day.”
The base of the jerseys is black, with broad purple stripes flanked by narrower rainbow gradient stripes around the waist and the sleeve. The crest on the front of the jersey is the bear and the wordmark from the Solar Bears’ primary logo in front of a heart with a low poly rainbow gradient. Inside the waist stripe on the front of the jersey is the hashtag #ORLANDOUNITED, which was used to rally and show support for the city in the wake of the shooting.
A purple outline runs around the shoulder yoke while a white insert sits at the front of the collar. Numbers on the sleeves and back, along with captain’s letters on the front, are purple with a white outline, while names on the back are one-color white.
“Honoring our first responders is deeply important to our organization and our city. The Orlando United jerseys remind us of the strength, compassion, and bravery these individuals demonstrated during one of Orlando’s most difficult moments and continue to demonstrate today.”
— Chris Heller, President, Orlando Solar Bears
The April 11 game will also include in-game recognitions, special presentations, appearances by local first responder agencies, and opportunities for fans to show their appreciation to first responders. Game-worn Orlando United jerseys will be auctioned off; beneficiaries of the proceeds have not yet been announced.
On June 12, 2016, a total of 49 people were killed and 58 others wounded when a gunman opened fire at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando. The shooter — who swore allegiance to the leader of ISIS — was later fatally shot by police. At the time, it was the deadliest terrorist attack in the United States since the September 11 attacks and the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.
The Solar Bears’ jerseys aren’t the only memorial to the Pulse victims among the Orlando sports community. In 2017, Major League Soccer side Orlando City SC permanently installed 49 seats in rainbow colors to honor the victims at their home ground, Inter&Co Stadium.
The Solar Bears also recently sported out-of-this-world uniforms for the Space Night against the Greenville Swamp Rabbits on Sunday, March 15.
