People often ask me how I became a fan of the Tampa Bay
Lightning. It’s a legitimate question,
seeing as I grew up in Vancouver and now live in Edmonton. It would make a lot more sense (and be a lot
easier) for me to be a fan of the Canucks or Oilers. But, I’m a Bolts fan. And I will continue to be a Bolts fan for as
long as I’m around on this planet.
Unlike so many Canadian kids, I didn’t grow up playing the
game or loving the game. It was just
sort of… there. I didn’t follow it too
closely or watch every night. It wasn’t
until Todd Bertuzzi exploded for the Canucks that I started to consider myself
a fan. He was my favorite player. He was big, mean, and he could score like few
others. His tenure as a member of the
‘West Coast Express’ line was a magical time for hockey in Vancouver, even
though playoff success never found the team.
Bertuzzi, of course, was suspended during the 2003-04 season
for his actions in a game against the Colorado Avalanche. The ‘Steve Moore Incident’ is still a black mark
in Vancouver hockey history. The Canucks
entered that postseason without one of their best wingers, and were in tough
against a surprisingly solid Calgary Flames team.
When Calgary beat Vancouver in Game Seven of the first
round, I was devastated like only a young hockey fan can be. I’m pretty sure I thought the world was
ending. I vowed that I would cheer for
every team that played Calgary during their run, which eventually brought them
to the Final against Tampa.
As that final series began, there wasn’t anything I wanted
more than to see the Lightning win the Cup.
It wasn’t because I loved the Lightning or because I was from
Florida. No, it was because I really
couldn’t stand Calgary. I cheered for
the Lightning like every other Tampa fan during that series. When they won, I was happy like the rest of
you.
One of the players who really impressed me as the Lightning
played that series was Brad Richards.
The young fan in me loved the way he played. He had skill, and he turned that skill into production. I quickly became a big Brad Richards
supporter, and found myself following Lightning games after the lockout as a
result. I would check out the Lightning
in the standings. I would see if
Richards scored or assisted in a particular game. I would cheer without watching the team play, as
I hadn’t even heard of Gamecenter or Centre Ice at that point. I don’t know if it would have been
possible to get Tampa games in Vancouver back then.
When there were rumors that Vancouver was close to picking
Richards up, I was anxious and excited.
When he went to Dallas instead, I was sad… And, yet, I kept following
the Lightning. I realized that it
wasn’t just about Richards. It was about
Vincent Lecavalier, Marty St. Louis, Dan Boyle, and so many more names. I was a Lightning fan.
It’s hard to believe that Richards’s last game in a
Lightning jersey was over seven years ago.
Perhaps even more unbelievable, though, is that the then-15-year-old fan from
Vancouver is still firmly on Team Tampa.
I was a bandwagon fan in 2003-04, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. That bandwagon fandom has evolved into
something so much more since then. I’ve had the opportunity to travel to Tampa to see my favorite team in
person, cover the team for thousands of readers at HockeyBuzz, and experience
two deep playoff runs (2011 and 2015).
My journey to Bolts Nation wasn’t traditional, but it got me to the same
place as all of you. I’m a Lightning
fan.
I’m not from Tampa. I
don’t have family in Florida. But, I’m
not any less proud of everything this team accomplished during 2014-15. I’m not any less thankful for the countless
hours of entertainment the guys provided during the season. It was one hell of a ride for 108 games, and
I’m so happy I got to be a part of it.
Thanks for reading.
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