Distant Thunder: The Indomitable Spirit of Matt Desilvestro

On an October evening, in the pregame stillness of Thunder Alley, Matt Desilvestro sits in his wheelchair more than 5,000 miles away from home.

He’s wearing a brand-new, home-blue Lightning jersey with a custom "Desilvestro" on the back. And the story of how he arrived reads almost like Lightning folklore. A long-winding tale that begins in Fassa Valley, a small town tucked high into Italy’s most noted mountain range, the Dolomites.

You’ve probably seen the Dolomites before, travel mag-famous for their jagged, sky-touching peaks—an Instagram knockout any way you look. It also gets cold enough there to bolster a local love of hockey, playing host to the Alps League's Fassa Falcons. But until recently, the region had yet to add the most unlikely line to its professional hockey resume, as home to one of the biggest Lightning fans in the world.

Desilvestro’s improbable fandom first fell into place after watching the Bolts beat the Flames in the 2004 Stanley Cup. The series was must-watch TV, going the full seven games after an overtime, game-winning goal by Marty St. Louis in Game 6. But flipping on NHL 2Night in the perches of Trentino wasn’t exactly a walk in the park back then.

“Watching games during that time in Italy was not easy. You had to have paid TV,” Desilvestro explains. “So I couldn’t watch much. I usually rewatched videos on YouTube of the Stanley Cup.”

And yet, Desilvestro’s budding Bolts fandom didn’t flourish on YouTube clicks—but rather on the heroic backs of EA Sports.

“I started playing NHL 2005, and I always played with the Lightning. I liked Vinny Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis a lot.”

Desilvestro could skate around with Vinny and Marty on the sticks, while perfecting their signature moves on the backyard street-hockey rink.

In the interim, he checked highlights and box scores to keep up with his No. 1 team across the pond. His fandom thrived regardless of league setbacks like the '04-05 lockout and, further down the road, a couple easy-to-forget seasons in which the Bolts finished at the bottom of the NHL. If anything, these remain testaments to the northern Italian’s devotion—a benchmark of any tried-and-true fan.

Then in 2008, fate would test Desilvestro to a degree he never imagined. A domestic accident at home left Desilvestro quadriplegic. He would likely never skate again. For a hockey fan as big as Desilvestro, hanging up the skates for a set of wheels might seem as impossible as it gets. But the then-15-year-old never wavered, embracing the challenge of a new life set out before him.

“Since day one of my recovery, I was always determined to get back to hockey again.”

Desilvestro hit physical rehabilitation with full intention of getting back on the ice. And during his recovery in 2008, the Lightning would take his future icon with the first selection of the NHL Draft.

“I saw that this guy that was born the same day as me, the seventh of February, and Steven Stamkos started to become my idol.”

Shortly after Stamkos was drafted, Desilvestro found sled hockey, an adaptation of ice hockey for players with physical disability, with help from the Italian Paralympics team. Back in Tampa Bay, Stamkos would drop 51 goals in just his second year in the league, winning the first of two Maurice Richard trophies in the process. By the time 2011 rolled around, in which the Lightning reached the Conference Finals against the Boston Bruins, Desilvestro’s resurgence into hockey found its groove.

He quickly regained enough strength to join his region’s sled hockey squad as the team’s goalie. And with the rise of streaming, he could now watch Stamkos and the Bolts on a more consistent basis, even if it meant staying up to the early hours of the morning.

“I’ve watched every game of the playoffs for the last 14 years,” Desilvestro says with pride. “And the two Stanley Cup wins too. Cheering for the win, but a little more on mute, because I couldn't wake up my parents.”

Miraculously, Desilvestro’s curious catalog of Lightning connections doesn’t stop there.

Enter former Bolts defenseman Andrej Sustr, who in 2018, stumbled into Desilvestro during an Italian getaway to the Dolomites. Their happenstance meeting led to the two keeping in touch. And as a result, the faraway Lightning fan now had an in with his favorite team. As Desilvestro puts it, “I didn’t just meet a Bolts player, I found a real good friend.”

The connection led to a golden opportunity to finally catch a Bolts game during a family trip to America in the fall of 2024. First, to visit family members throughout Vegas and see the Grand Canyon. Then to Jacksonville to visit distant relatives in Florida. And finally, an official puck drop at Amalie Arena. The now-32-year-old marked his calendar for Tampa for the week of October 28th. But the dream didn’t go according to plan.

In July of ‘24, the Lightning and Steven Stamkos parted ways, unable to reach a deal in free agency. The former captain and Desilvestro’s favorite player would begin a new chapter on a more fruitful contract in Nashville. Heavy-hearted, Desilvestro remained faithful. He’d come too far, the show goes on. He was going to this game.

Then the 2024-25 NHL schedule dropped. And the stars—presumably hand-manipulated by Desilvestro at this point—would align once more.

Steven Stamkos was set to make his return to Amalie Arena in the Bolts’ first matchup with the Predators on October 28^th, 2024.

“I was really just hoping there was a game that day,” recalls Desilvestro. “It was crazy when the schedule came out, and there was Nashville on the 28^th.”

Stamkos’s return and the culmination of Desilvestro’s journey would go on to be one of the most memorable games of the young season for those in attendance, an evening not lost on the Lightning’s most distant diehard. A beautiful tribute by the Lightning’s production team brought a rush of emotion to Stamkos, his former teammates and an entire bowl of fans. Stamkos would score two points. The Lightning would win in overtime. Desilvestro finally found his way to a Lightning game—and his personal recounting of it all is worth every word.

“I thought I was dreaming. I was at the arena a couple of hours before the game, almost alone at first. Then the plaza started to get crowded by fans—I loved seeing so many little toddlers wearing Bolts jerseys, jumping and running around, surrounded by their families. Once I got inside and the pre-game started, I just felt dizzy. Seeing the arena getting full, hearing the big organ play, watching other fans on the jumbotron excited for that special game. My favorite memory of the night was the tribute to Stammer. Game stopped, players and fans ready to see the video tribute on the jumbotron. Such an emotional moment watching all the beautiful memories my idol made with my favorite team.”

Back in Thunder Alley, I catch Desilvestro gazing about the plaza with his family. There are fond memories made on these grounds, for sure, but I can’t help but wonder how it compares to recent views of, you know, the Dolomites and the Grand Canyon. And yet when I ask Desilvestro about his favorite stop on this great American tour, he always comes back to the Bolts.

“I loved everything and I really hope to come back again soon, and hopefully have more days to visit the city, too.”