Lightning mourn loss of 7-year-old fan Tripp Nugent [Video]

TAMPA — Last season, Tripp “Trippy” Nugent walked into the Lightning dressing room before a home game and immediately won over the entire room with his smile and enthusiasm.

The boy from Lakeland quickly became a member of the Lightning family as he fought cancer. He was on Lightning coach Jon Cooper’s boat for last year’s Coop’s Catch for Kids pediatric cancer benefit. He visited Lightning practice as recently as January in Boston, where he was receiving treatment. He even signed a one-day contract with the team when he first visited in December 2022.

The Lightning announced Nugent’s death Monday morning. He was 7.

Cooper called Nugent “a special kid as I’ve ever met.”

“It’s been a tough 24 hours for us here,” Cooper said. “For him not to be around us anymore, it’s gut wrenching. It’s heartbreaking.”

Shortly after Nugent was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor, he received …