My Bolts Story: A collection of great moments in Lightning fan history 

We’re roughly four weeks away from the start of Lightning training camp and seven weeks away from the start of hockey season. The players continue to rest up, the fans hang tight. But as the ice goes down in Amalie Arena, our offseason series of seriously great fan moments continues on the other side of the glass.

Enter the newest edition of great moments in Bolts fan history: My Bolts Story. My Bolts Story is a crowdsource of fan chronicles in which Lightning fans can share their favorite memories in their own words. These are stories of devotion, drive, a little moxie when it counts. We’re talking indelible father-son moments, goal horns attached to big trucks, and ranch dogs spreading the good news of the Lightning across the country. And that’s only the first batch.

The following fan tales and anecdotes are just part of the fabric that make the Tampa Bay hockey community one of one. If you would like to enter for a chance to be featured in future spotlights or in the newsletter, you can submit your My Bolts Story here.

"My most memorable Bolts story has been my recent five-year-long road trip around North America to visit every NHL arena with my dog, Holland the Pup. I adopted Holland from the Humane Society of Tampa Bay and we love all the work that Victor Hedman does to raise money for that organization. Holland and I loved wearing our custom Lightning jerseys to every arena and were fortunate to be invited on the ice in Anaheim, Nashville and Edmonton. We finished our crazy journey in April of 2023 in New York by visiting Madison Square Garden and UBS Arena for the Rangers and Islanders games against the Lightning. We were then invited for a live on-air segment on the NHL Network in New Jersey and got to meet a lot of the NHL Network staff and on-air talent, including former Bolt Brian Boyle! We have loved meeting fellow hockey fans along the way and showcasing the "friendly" side of sports by hanging out with fans of other teams. We hope to continue our hockey travels into the future and are so excited about the 2024-25 season!" – Adam Vosding

"Our intent in June of 2015 was to attend a concert at Amalie Arena by Garth Brooks. The NHL playoffs had other plans for the arena and the concert was cancelled. As new Tampa residents we had heard great things about the fan experience at Lightning games and turned our cancelled Garth tickets into Lightning-Blackhawks playoff tickets. That was it.... we turned that experience into season tickets as Lightning fans. I guess you could say we turned the cancellation into 'The Thunder Rolls'!" – David Armitage

"In 2003, I moved down to Florida to go to college in Lakeland. My father lived just outside of Tampa and was a Lightning season ticket holder. We loved going to games together and in 2004, the Lightning were fighting their way through the playoffs. Fast forward to Stanley Cup Game 7 against the Flames at home, my father and I are making our way from the parking lot to the stadium when a man approached. He offered my father $1,600 for each of our tickets. My father turned to me and asked if I wanted to be given $1,600, and he would take the other $1,600, and we could go watch the game at a local restaurant. Somehow, at age 19 I realized the value of being at a Game 7 Final with my Dad. As every Bolts fan knows, we won, and the moments were unforgettable. My father passed away unexpectedly when I was 21. I made the right choice." – Jason Shollenberger

"I was [stationed] in Iraq and woke up on a Sunday morning. On this base, we just happened to get the morning off on Sundays. At this point, I've been in Iraq for probably about three months and had never gone to the Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) tent. This is a place that has activities and some TVs. Well, one Sunday morning out of the blue I decided I'm going to go to the MWR tent and see what's going on. I walked in and noticed there was hockey on TV, so I went over to see who's playing. Because I was in Iraq for so long, I had no idea what was going on with hockey, so I didn't think it was a big deal when I noticed that the Lightning were playing. As I got closer, I noticed it says “Stanley Cup Final Game 7” and that the Lightning were currently winning at the start of the third period. I grabbed a seat and enjoyed my morning as I watched the Lightning win a Stanley Cup for the very first time." – Jacob Toppin

"I will always be thankful for how they made my 7-year-old niece Skyla feel when they made her the honorary Captain as she was going through her cancer treatments. Everyone from the start of the day till the end of the night after the game was amazing. They treated her so special inside the locker rooms after a hard morning of practice and the players were all so sweet. They answered any questions she had and signed her jersey. They gave her all the time she wanted. The ride on the Zamboni, the jersey with her name on it and the proof that dreams do come true. With that, she has a clean bill of health. I am very thankful for the smile they put on her face. #gobolts" – Tinamarie Farrell

"My favorite moment was Yanni Gourde's short-handed goal against the Islanders in Game 7 of the Conference Finals in 2021. Another thing that is special to me is my Kahlenberg S203 Horn which is the same horn the Lightning use every time we score a goal. I have it installed in my truck so after every game I ride around downtown blasting it to celebrate a Bolts Win." – Riley Sebetzki

"I met Steven Stamkos when he was 18 years old at the Palms Hotel in Las Vegas. He had just received the Rocket Richard trophy for the 60 goals he scored in his second year with the Lightning. We were at the post party after the show. He was with Sandra and I congratulated him, got his autograph, and then my husband offered to buy him a drink. His reply: 'I'm not old enough to drink.' Flash forward to this past February, I was at a fundraiser at Boulon restaurant and was able to talk to him again (most of the team was there). I told him this story and when I got to the punch line he remarked, 'I know, I told your husband I was too young to drink.' He will be really missed by every true Lightning fan, especially me." – Bonnie Finley

"My hockey story started February 22, 1991 when I received a confirmation as season ticket holder 00382. I still have the receipt. It would be another 18 months before the Lightning had their first game. I have been very fortunate to have attended the inaugural game, first playoff win vs the Flyers in 1996, first game in the Ice Palace in 1998 vs the Rangers, first All-Star Game in 1999, [Stanley Cup] Game 7 vs Calgary in 2004 and most recent Stanley Cup Game 5 win vs Montreal. Through the last 32 years, I have taken my son and daughter to games and now my grandson to Lightning games. I am proud to have shared my love of hockey with three generations of my family." – Craig Galiano

My Bolts Story has been edited for length and clarity.