Lightning announce 30th anniversary season celebration

The Tampa Bay Lightning today announced a number of initiatives prior to and throughout the upcoming season to celebrate the 30thseason of Lightning hockey. The 30th anniversary season is presented by AdventHealth.

The festivities begin Saturday, October 1 as the Lightning will host a season kick-off event, presented by Florida Blue, at AMALIE Arena. The event will feature exclusive interviews with Tampa Bay Lightning General Manager Julien Brisebois, Lightning Head Coach Jon Cooper, current players and Lightning alumni like Dave Andreychuk, Brian Bradley, Ryan Malone, Paul Ysebaert, Jassen Cullimore and Mathieu Garon. Interviews will be followed by a series of game shows featuring current and former Lightning players. Saturday's event will conclude with a concert from legendary rock band Smash Mouth, whose 1997 major label debut "Fush Yu Mang" went double platinum and set the table for what most consider their masterpiece, 1999's follow-up "Astrolounge", which boasts three top-10 hits with "All-Star", "Then The Morning Comes" and "Can't Get Enough Of You Baby". The 30th anniversary kick-off event is scheduled for 4-7 p.m. for the general public. Season ticket members, partners and suite holders will be able to enter one hour early at 3 p.m. for an exclusive alumni autograph signing session. Fans can claim tickets at the following link:
https://am.ticketmaster.com/bolts/30thseason
The following day, Sunday, October 2, the Lightning will hold an open practice at AMALIE Arena where fans are invited to watch the Bolts prepare for the upcoming 2022-23 season. The Lightning are coming off three-straight appearances in the Stanley Cup Final - winning the Stanley Cup in 2020 and 2021 - and are looking to become the first team to reach the Cup Final in four-consecutive seasons since 1983 when the New York Islanders capped their run of four Stanley Cups in a row. Practice begins at 10:30 a.m. with doors opening at 10 a.m. Fans can claim up to four free general admission tickets at the following link:
https://am.ticketmaster.com/bolts/practice
. Throughout the weekend, in addition to player appearances, question-and-answer sessions and opportunities to score autographs, fans will enjoy photo booths, kids zones, games and more. Tampa Bay Lightning Community Hockey will also host its annual gear sale all weekend during event hours.
The Tampa Bay Lightning will celebrate their 30th season with multiple events, in-game theme nights, anniversary content and community give backs throughout the year. A special 30th anniversary logo (viewable
here
) has been created and will be displayed at center ice for all home games during the 2022-23 season. A ceremonial puck drop with Lightning Founder Phil Esposito and Lightning Owner Jeff Vinik on the night of the home opener Tuesday, October 18th versus the Philadelphia Flyers will commemorate the 30thanniversary season.
Also highlighting the 30th anniversary season of Lightning hockey is the creation of a long-awaited Tampa Bay Lightning Hockey Hall of Fame. The inaugural class of the Tampa Bay Lightning Hockey Hall of Fame will be inducted before a home game this spring during a special alumni weekend, date and class members to be determined.
Additionally, the Lightning will select 30 Tampa Bay area schools this season to implement an immersive program comprised of three-to-four visits from the Lightning organization. School visits will include a pep rally, teacher appreciation day and ball hockey clinics. The Lightning's community hockey department recently completed its mission of visiting 1,000 Tampa Bay area schools and donating over 200,000 hockey sticks and balls to local school children and will highlight 30 of the most engaged schools in the area this upcoming season. The Lightning will also continue their Strikes of Kindness Day in what is becoming an annual pre-season tradition where the entire Lightning organization volunteers at numerous non-profit organizations making an impact in Tampa Bay. During Game 6 of the 2022 Stanley Cup Final, Lightning Owner Jeff Vinik graciously celebrated all full-time Lightning staff as the Community Heroes of the game, giving each $5,000 to donate to the charity of their choice. Through this donation, $1.147 million was given to 136 different nonprofits, including each of the charities the staff will be volunteering at on Strikes of Kindness Day, which is set for Friday, September 23.
For more information on all the events surrounding the 30th anniversary season of Tampa Bay Lightning hockey, click on the following link:
TampaBayLightning.com/30thAnniversary
.