Pictured above: On July 7, the Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Montreal Canadiens in game five of the National Hockey League final series, successfully defending their title as Stanley Cup champions.
Courtesy of the Tampa Bay Lightning
By Sofia Garcia Vargas
Nine months later, the Tampa Bay Lightning remain Stanley Cup champions.
After a year of navigating COVID-19 procedures, brutal injuries and nearly empty arenas, Tampa Bay’s hockey team defeated the Montreal Canadiens in a 4-1 series.
Despite their impressive triumph, the Bolts faced a rough start to the season.
Safety precautions challenged not only the Lightning, but also the whole National Hockey League. Travel limitations forced the NHL to restructure its regional playing divisions and delayed games which extended the season.
Additionally, the absence of Lightning star player Nikita Kucherov changed the outlook for the team. Last December, Kucherov underwent hip surgery due to a pulled groin muscle in last year’s playoffs which disabled him for five months. However, his return on May 16 for the first playoff game against the Florida Panthers shed light on what was to come for the Tampa team.
In keeping with last season’s theme, the Lightning once again transformed adversity into strength to return and win the Stanley Cup again.
The Lightning had a strong start to the final series, winning their first three games (5-1, 3-1, 6-3) against the Canadiens.
Game four was full of expectations: either the Lightning won, sweeping the Canadiens and having another isolated celebration; or, the Canadiens would bounce back, extending the series to game five at the Amalie Arena.
The latter happened with a score of 3-2 in overtime.
On July 7, the Amalie Arena was buzzing with over 18,000 fans and another few thousand watching outside in Thunder Alley on the big screens. After not being able to attend last year’s playoffs due to COVID-19, Lightning fans were sure to bring the thunder this time around.
The collective effort of the Lightning powered them through the fifth game. When the Canadiens shut down all of Tampa’s star scoring players, Lightning rookie Ross Colton scored the only goal of the game, proving the lethality of the Bolts. As the opposing team failed to score and the final buzzer sounded, the Tampa Bay Lightning were NHL champions again.
The arena roared in emotion as Bolts fans released months of stifled excitement that had been brewing since the team’s 2020 Stanley Cup victory.
It was the moment the Bolts waited over a year for: to celebrate with their fans and loved ones.
As the victory sinks in and the team comes down from their back-to-back high, the Lightning’s future raises several questions.
Due to the salary cap introduced by the NHL in 2005, the Tampa Bay team cannot maintain its roster with its current $85 million budget.
The team is also facing backlash over poor sportsmanship after Kucherov gave a drunken, shirtless post-game press meet in which he blasted Canadiens fans.
Nevertheless, the Lightning exceeded expectations and made history as one of the few teams in hockey history to win back-to-back titles, succeeding the Pittsburgh Penguins who won the 2016 and 2017 Stanley Cup championships.
Thanks to the team’s rigor, the city’s newly earned nickname, “Champa Bay,” can remain for another year.
A boat parade will be held in celebration of the Lightning’s Stanley Cup victory on Monday at 11a.m. along the Hillsborough River. Following the parade, dedicated fans and bandwagoners alike can join in on the festivities during the Championship Celebration at Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park at 2 p.m.
Don’t think Kuch was disrespectful, just had a few beers and spoke the truth . Hey he NEVER is a sore eye for the team or the city ! You need to hear what the people in the communication part of Montreal are saying. I guess today one has to be like or please everybody. Poor journalism on your part . ( my opinion )