The Tampa Bay Lightning unveiled their Stadium Series uniforms on December 11. The Bolts will host the Boston Bruins on February 1 at Raymond James Stadium.
Tampa Bay Lightning/Keir Magoulas
In unveiling the team’s Stadium Series jersey, Kevin Preast, who oversees venue operations for the Tampa Bay Lightning and Vinik Sports Group, noted how the uniform serves as a “true tribute to our community and to Lightning hockey, honoring the deep connection between the two.”
There is no doubting the connectivity as the Lightning are a pillar within the Tampa Bay region. Sustaining a high level of success on the ice is expected while the organization away from the rink prides itself in going about its business in a robust manner between the walls and outside the walls of Benchmark International Arena.
“What a hockey community and what an organization,” Steve Mayer, the NHL’s events chief declared at halftime of a USF football game this fall at Raymond James Stadium, which will host the February 1 game between the Lightning and Boston Bruins. “This community deserves this game.”
Seeds for an outdoor game in Tampa were planted during the 2018 all-star game at the venue then known as Amalie Arena, an event that ran hand-in-hand with the city’s annual Gasparilla festival. The multi-day spectacle has celebrated the legend of Spanish pirate Jose Gaspar since 1904, exactly 100 years before the Lightning won their first Cup.
“That was a really cool aspect of what we did last time,” said Mayer, whose crew will have a pirate ship to work with at Raymond James, home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and, for another year, the USF Bulls. “We did not know much about Gasparilla, but it was a very cool aspect of the all-star presentation. We thought how interesting it would be and we put the two together again.”
The two come together with an impressive jersey design, courtesy Fanatics. Included is a shoulder patch that the team notes, “pays tribute to Tampa’s swashbuckling heritage.”
Eight years after the city hosted all-star activities, it will roll out the red carpet for what has become another premier event on the NHL’s calendar.
“We have played (outdoor) games all over North America and it is pretty surprising we have not been here yet given the success of the team,” said Mayer.
NHL spotlight to shine on FLA
A month before the Lightning and Bruins drop the puck in Tampa, the league will make its Sunshine State outdoor debut when the Panthers host the Rangers at Miami’s loanDepot park on January 2. Keeping the venue’s retractable roof closed and the air conditioning system humming leading up to the Winter Classic will help greatly with ice preparation. The idea is to open the roof in time for the 8 p.m. puck drop, long after the sun has set.
There are no such advantages for the ice crew at Raymond James Stadium. Hence, Mayer noted a tent-like structure will be erected to shield the ice from the elements. At nearby Tampa International Airport on February 1 of this year, the mercury got as high as 75 and bottomed out at 60.
“We employ the best in the world at making ice, and over the years we have seen it all,” said Mayer. “I think that is why we felt confident that now is the time (to play outside in Florida). The art of ice making has been perfected. We are prepared for no matter what happens.”
Mayer noted it was 62 degrees at game time for the 2014 matchup between the Kings and Ducks at Dodger Stadium and was a couple of degrees warmer (65) two years later at Coors Field in Denver for the start of the Avalanche and Red Wings. There were no issues with the ice as he noted everything proceeded “flawlessly.”
The Tampa Bay Lightning’s Stadium Series jersey includes a patch on the right shoulder that pays tribute to Tampa’s “swashbuckling heritage.”
Tampa Bay Lightning/Keir Magoulas
The games in Miami and Tampa will certainly be unique for the league, which has become accustomed to making its way to Florida for the Stanley Cup final. The last five years to be exact. Following their 2020 win in the Edmonton bubble, the Lightning won it all in 2021 and went to the final round in 2022. The rival Panthers went on their three-year final-round run while hoisting Lord Stanley’s chalice each of the last two springs.
“Florida has become the hot bed of hockey, and rightly so,” said Mayer. “The two organizations are fantastic and continue to win. Both teams have been asking for an outdoor game and when we were looking at this particular year we said, “Why not do them both in the same year?’ This is schematically one of the coolest things we have ever done in the NHL.”