Lightning raise 2020-21 championship banner prior to season opener

TAMPA -- The Tampa Bay Lightning raised their second straight Stanley Cup championship banner to the rafters at Amalie Arena in front of a capacity crowd prior to opening the season with a 6-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday.

The Lightning unveiled their banner for the 2020 Stanley Cup championship last season on Jan. 13, opening night against the Chicago Blackhawks, but they didn't raise it fully to the rafters until March 13, when fans were allowed back in the building.
"That was special," forward Steven Stamkos said. "We didn't quite get that last year. We were really excited about that. I thought it was great. The atmosphere was great and that was about it for us tonight in terms of great things.
"We talked about it before the game. We were extremely excited to have that ceremony, but then we needed to flip the page because that was truly the end of last year. We didn't flip the page, I guess. We were kind of resting on last year a little bit and they played well and outworked us tonight."
Paul Kennedy, the studio host for the Lightning television broadcasts, was the emcee.
"And they say that lightning doesn't strike in the same place twice," Kennedy said to a rousing ovation.
He detailed the Lightning's playoff run from last season, defeating the Florida Panthers in six games, the Carolina Hurricanes in five games, the New York Islanders in seven games, and the Montreal Canadiens in five games in the Stanley Cup Final.
"It was a run showcased by four straight series-clinching shutout performances by the Conn Smythe Award-winning, the most valuable player of the playoffs, the incomparable Andrei Vasilevskiy," Kenney said. "All bringing the story to a finish, keeping the most coveted trophy in all of sports right here in Tampa Bay."
Fans started to chant "Vasy, Vasy, Vasy" for the Lightning goalie as Kennedy paused before Hockey Hall of Fame vice president and Keeper of the Cup Phil Pritchard brought out the Stanley Cup, carrying it as he walked a blue carpet stretching from the Zamboni entrance to a table in front of the home goal.

The coaches were introduced, with Jon Cooper receiving a loud ovation and fans yelling, "Cooooop."
Public address announcer Paul Porter then introduced the Lightning players, who spread around the center ice face-off circle one by one.
Vasilevskiy received the loudest ovation.
The players made their way from the circle toward the face-off circle near where the banner was waiting to be unfurled and raised.
It appeared through a fog of smoke, with 2020-21 written in blue across white striping at the top, STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS and the lightning bolt logo in white with the blue background underneath.
It's a match to the 2019-20 Stanley Cup championship banner
The players stood nearby watching it go up.
"It's a huge accomplishment for our group and we deserved to watch that banner get raised," forward Pat Maroon said. "We deserved it. We earned it. Obviously it's not the result we wanted tonight, but I think when you look at the banner go up in the rafters you think about how hard it was to win and what a special group we had. It was a special night for us and the fans too."
Kennedy came back on and announced the conclusion of the ceremony. Right then, the Penguins came onto the ice to a quick chorus of boos.
A pump-up video narrated by professional wrestler and Tampa resident Titus O'Neil speaking about turning the page to a new chapter, to this season, to an attempt to win the Stanley Cup played as crews cleaned up from the ceremony and the Penguins' starting players stood at their blue line waiting for the national anthem.

The Lightning starters eventually lined up on their blue line. Sonya Bryson-Kirksey was introduced to sing the anthem, and then it was time to start the new season.
"You reflect a little bit as you watch it going up, you think back to the group and all of the sacrifice and hard work it took to accomplish our goal," defenseman Ryan McDonagh said prior to the game. "You just want the fanbase to enjoy that moment too."