Stars show their true colors after the passing of Clayton Keller's father.

The National Hockey League and the hockey community at large really is a brotherhood and over the weekend we saw a terrific example of just that.

This past week Utah Mammoth star forward Clayton Keller was hit by a terrible tragedy when his father Bryan passed away suddenly and unexpectedly over Thanksgiving. The loss obviously had a tremendous impact on Keller who delivered a very emotional interview when speaking of the loss of his dad, but it also had an impact on the hockey community as a whole.

Fans came out of the woodwork with an outpouring of love and support for both Keller and his family and I am happy to report that they were not the only ones. On Friday night, the Dallas Stars played against Keller and the Mammoth with the passing of Keller's father at the forefront of everyone's mind. What the Stars would do next was nothing short of incredible.

Although many will have missed this moment as it occurred after the game had officially come to an end, the Stars honored Keller and his courage during their post game ceremonies. Due to the fact that Keller had chosen to play despite the terrible loss he suffered, the Stars made the move to name him the first star of the game for his heroic effort.

You can hear the official announcement in the short clip below:

It was a small gesture in the grand scheme of things but it was one that the Stars were in no way obligated to make, and it shows that they had Keller at the forefront of their thoughts despite him being their opponent that night.

A great display of class and dignity from the Stars and one that makes me proud to be a hockey fan.