Ottawa Senators' Norris emotional after shooting in Michigan hometown

OTTAWA -

A school shooting in Michigan that left four students dead and seven people injured hits close to home for Ottawa Senators’ centre Josh Norris.

Norris, 22, attended Oxford High School, where the shooting occurred on Tuesday. He wore a patch in tribute to his hometown when speaking with media on Wednesday.

“It was a tough day yesterday,” Norris said. “You never really think that something like that is going to happen in your hometown. I just want to send all my love and my thoughts and everything to my hometown.”

A 15-year-old student opened fire at Oxford High School on Tuesday, killing four students and wounding seven other people, including a teacher.

An emotional Norris, asked about his mindset heading into Wednesday night’s home game against the Vancouver Canucks, paused briefly to collect his emotions before answering.

“Like I said, it’s hard. Just what some of those kids went through, and the parents of those kids, and it’s really difficult,” he said. “All I can do is send my thoughts and my love. I’m proud to be from there and it’s such an unfortunate situation.”

Norris was a student Oxford High School and later attended the University of Michigan to play hockey. He turned pro in 2019.

Senators captain Brady Tkachuk said he was with Norris when he heard the news on Tuesday.

“I’ve been to his house a couple of times, and we’ve driven by that high school before,” he said. “We’re thinking about everybody, and I think it’s an important time to be there for Josh.”

The Senators play the Canucks at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday night at the Canadian Tire Centre, their first home game since Nov. 14.