Georgia Tech athletic director Todd Stansbury offered his support to the families of victims and survivors of the bus crash that claimed the lives of 15 team members and staff of the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team last week in Saskatchewan.

Stansbury tweeted out a message that said he and his wife Karen have been praying “for the victims of this terrible tragedy in my native country and the loved ones they leave behind.” The tweet was accompanied with a photo of a hockey stick outside of his office, a tribute that has become widespread on social media.

The tragedy undoubtedly hit home with Stansbury not only because of his Canadian roots – he grew up in Ontario before enrolling at Georgia Tech in 1980 – but because he also grew up playing hockey. Stansbury, in fact, played in a youth league with Wayne Gretzky before switching to football.