Heaven's biggest Lightning fan

The home of the Tampa Bay Lightning, AMALIE Arena, has experienced 269 consecutive sellouts, a streak that started in March of 2015. The organization has a dedicated fan base and one of those fans, although he cannot be there physically, still manages to come to as many games as possible.
His sister is keeping his memory alive.

Jessica Kreps is a passionate Lightning fan and her younger brother, Andrew, shared that love for this team. When he passed in a car accident last year, Jessica knew she could not go to a game without him.
"The sign reads, 'Heaven's Biggest Lightning Fan,'" explained Jessica. "It has Andrew's name and his date of birth and the day of his accident on it."

Saturday, May 22, 2021
Andrew Kreps was 21 years old, less than one month from his 22nd birthday. He was home from college visiting with friends.
"He came back and ended up falling asleep at the wheel and did not survive the accident," said Jessica through her tears. "I think everyone, even his friends included, we try to find ways to keep his memory alive and to keep him with us, which is why I started bringing him with me to the Lightning games."
Andrew started following the Lightning when he was in high school. If he could not be at the game, he was watching the game and, usually, he was texting his older sister about it.
"My TV had a little bit of a lag on it because we stream. I had my Fitbit on and he would keep texting me," said Jessica. "You could feel it vibrate and he would be like, 'We scored!' or 'We didn't get it.' I had to keep the phone away."
He spoiled a handful of games for her but he always managed to redeem himself.
"He was a joy to be around, very sweet, a kind natured kid," she said. "He was super shy when he was little but he definitely broke out of his shell in high school and I have always known he was so special."

When Jessica and her mother, Cindy, went to their first Lightning game after the accident, Andrew went with them.
"We brought his little photo and they ended up winning and we went to another game maybe a week after that and, then, all of us pinned him to our jerseys," said Jessica.

She shared why she decided to create the poster.
"I liked bringing the photo but I thought we could make it a little bigger," she said, "so we made it poster board size bigger. I brought that to one of the games and they continued to win so we figured that he was our little good luck charm."
Friday, June 25, 2021
Jessica carried her good luck charm into Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Semifinal Series between the Lighting and the Islanders at AMALIE Arena. She could not have predicted a better outcome.
"When they won," she recalled, "there was no one in the seat catty-corner in front of me so it was one hop over and we were there at the glass."
She stood behind the team with the poster as they posed for a photo.
"I was really hoping one of the players would see it and feel something special about him," said Jessica about what she was thinking in that moment.
That photo appeared on the official Tampa Bay Lightning Instagram account almost immediately after it was snapped and, within hours, Jessica spotted it.

"It was not questionable what it said. You could read the poster as clear as day, his name and everything," she said, "so we were in shock. I sent it to my mom and my dad. I think I sent it to some of my cousins. I think I sent it to my neighbors, who took us to the game. They were beyond words shocked. It was not blocked. It was not blurry. You could really see it."
Tuesday, December 28, 2021
After word spread to the Lightning organization, the Kreps family received an invite to a game. Jessica, her mom, her cousin, her boyfriend, and Andrew watched the team win in overtime.

They thoroughly enjoyed the game but they enjoyed what preceded it even more.
Brian Bradley, a former Lightning player and a current community relations representative for the team, met the family in a private room as soon as they arrived at the arena.
"We wanted to do something special for you," said Bradley, "so the team signed a little picture. On behalf of the Lightning organization, Mr. Vinik, Steve Griggs, we appreciate everything. I know Andrew is a huge fan and he is watching down from above."
That picture is the same picture Jessica saw on the team's Instagram page. She is visible in it and the poster, Andrew's poster, is visible too.

Jessica expressed how she feels her brother would react to all of it.

"I would like to think he is as excited as we are and he is happy to be brought along," said Jessica. "He can't always be here but I will be sure to always bring him along and that is what I intend to continue to do."