Guentzel with family

Tampa Bay Lightning forward Jake Guentzel returned to his roots on Friday, celebrating his jersey retirement and induction into the Omaha Athletics Hall of Fame at the University of Nebraska Omaha.

Guentzel – one of the most successful hockey players in Omaha’s history – went back to Kemp Ice for the Hall of Fame ceremony and became the first Omaha Hockey player to have his jersey lifted into the rafters.

His wife, Natalie Johnson (who also went to Omaha), and their two young kids joined Guentzel at the event.

Guentzel was born in Omaha and played three seasons at the university from 2013 until 2016. He led the team to an NCAA Frozen Four appearance in 2015, before embarking on his professional hockey journey which has now included a Stanley Cup and an Olympic gold medal.

He finished his career at Omaha with 40 goals and 79 assists in 108 games.