TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said three games stand out every season: the season opener, the playoff opener, and the home opener.
But this year’s home opener on Tuesday night will be even more special. The Bolts will take the ice with the Tampa Bay community in mind, with Lightning fans hurting after hurricanes Helene and Milton ravaged the region.
“There’s player introductions, everybody gets a feel for what our environment is like,” Cooper said Monday. “The crowd is into it. I think this one will separate itself because of what happened to the city in the past two weeks. I know our guys are really looking forward to it.”
This has been anything but a normal opening to the season. The team evacuated to Raleigh, N.C. last Tuesday to prepare for their season opener Friday against the Carolina Hurricanes — a 4-1 win.
“The first game was huge for us because we played for the city of Tampa and all the people here,” defenseman Erik Cernak said. “Give them a little smile on their faces in those bad times. We’re going to do the same thing tomorrow against Vancouver.”
After Saturday’s original home opener was postponed, the team returned to find most of their home still didn’t have power following Milton.
“Most of us are in good spots, obviously without the power,” Brandon Hagel said. "That’s the worst of our worries. The community, the city, the people that are going through things, those are the type of people that we are feeling for.”
The Lightning announced they will discount tickets to the team’s first three home games and donate tickets to hundreds of first responders and recovery workers as part of their #TampaBayStrong initiative.
“(Tuesday) is going to be a good day especially seeing what the Lightning organization has done giving tickets to first responders and everyone that has been grinding every single day to be able to play in front of them,” Hagel said. “Hopefully to be able to raise those sticks at the end of the night, thank them for supporting us, and thank them for what they are doing in the city right now.”
The Lightning will host the Vancouver Canucks Tuesday at 7 p.m.
