No one was on a safari, but there was a family of zebras at Climate Pledge Arena.
Referee Stephen Hiff's family not only showed up to his NHL officiating debut, they dressed the part, each donning the familiar black-and-white striped jersey with thick orange stripes across the elbows.
Hiff's first NHL game was between the San Jose Sharks and Seattle Kraken on Thursday.
Television cameras showed the family all sitting together -- nearly two dozen of them spread out over two rows -- in support of #46 on the ice, but #1 in their hearts.
According to the broadcast most of the family traveled from the Toronto-area (Hiff was born in Cambridge, Ontario) to see Hiff's first game.
Regardless of how well he performed during the game, safe to say Hiff's jersey won't be on sale in the team shop anytime soon.
