On Ice Memorial for Jessica Redfield Set For July 28, 2012

To honor Jessica, we're hitting the ice, just as she'd want us to.

Broncos Players Meet With Victims Of Aurora Shooting

On Sunday, seven current or former Broncos players -- Erick Decker, Chris Kuper, Ben Garland, Eric Decker, Joe Mays, Ryan Clady plus the recently retired Brian Dawkins -- traveled to the Medical Center of Aurora on Sunday to visit some of the victims of Friday's movie theater shooting.

#Broncos players visiting with Aurora shooting victim Casey Rottman. twitter.com/Denver_Broncos…

— Denver Broncos (@Denver_Broncos) July 22, 2012

Related: Avalanche correspondent Jessica Redfield victim of Aurora shootings

More photos of the occasion can be found on the Broncos' Twitter account.

Peyton Manning didn't visit the hospital, but he did speak to some victims over the phone:

It was very thoughtful; it was his idea," Linda Kanamine, spokeswoman for HealthOne, the parent company of the hospital, told the Los Angeles Times.

Kanamine said HealthOne has a close working relationship with the Denver Broncos, and Manning and other players wanted to be of assistance. "They live here, they work here, they have friends here," she said. Like everyone else in Colorado, they wanted to know how they could help, she said.

2012 NBA Summer League: Nuggets Reflect On Aurora Shooting

With the horrifying incident in Aurora capturing the attention of the nation, a Denver Nuggets Summer League game instantly felt unimportant. As Kenneth Faried told Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com, the immediate thought following news of the tragedy was not on basketball, but instead on the well-being of the Denver community:

"We talked about it," said Faried, the starting power forward last season as the Nuggets pushed the Lakers to seven games in the first round before losing. "It was tragic. It was just terrible for anybody. Even though we don’t live in Colorado, we represent the Denver Nuggets. We’re not from there, but guys still support it."

The team mourned the individuals harmed in the tragedy by wearing black headbands at the game and a moment of silence was held prior to the start of the matchup with the Portland Trail Blazers.

For more on the Nuggets, please be sure to check out our blog Denver Stiffs and SB Nation Denver for all the latest news and updates.

Jessica Redfield Killed In Aurora Shooting

About the time I finished this feature on Jay Meloff on Thursday night and submitted it for posting, Jay's girlfriend, Jessica Ghawi, known to her friends across the sports world as Jessica Redfield, was in an Aurora, Colorado, theater when a young man, identified by police as 24-year-old James Holmes, burst in through the emergency exit and started firing into the crowd that was waiting to see the new Dark Knight movie. He killed twelve in all. 20 other victims, including a 3-month-old baby, are being treated at local hospitals. 50 were hurt all together.

Jessica became my friend over the last year. She was starting a career in sports journalism, and I regularly picked her brain about it. She was granted the ever-elusive Avalanche press credentials, and it was through her that I met Jay. Jessica and I sent messages back and forth to each other, brainstorming the article. She was instrumental in getting this project off the ground.

Jessi was smart, friendly, and amazing. A red head through and through, she was a ball of energy and fire, with a quick wit and an infectious personality. She was also a big reason why Jay wanted to play in Denver. I haven't spoken with Jay yet this morning, and it's hard to say how this tragedy will affect his plans to try out for the Cutthroats. My heart goes out to him—and all of Jessica's friends and family—during this time.

Meet Jay Meloff: Heart And Soul Player With NHL Aspirations

Jay Meloff is a skilled hockey player. He's not a superstar, but he's the kind of guy you root for as he faces the odds of making it big. Follow his story as he prepares for the Denver Cutthroats' free agent camp.