Twitter users Bolts Jolts and Hythlodaeus started with a bet of $100, which instead turned into the first donation.
Courtesy of Tampa Bay Lightning
By Candice Lovelace
The weekend of Jan. 7 proved that social media can occasionally bring people together for a bigger cause when a local Tampa Bay Lightning fan’s bet with a New York Rangers’ fan on Twitter turned into more than $26,000 in donations for a local foundation.
After some banter regarding cap circumvention and the timing of Lightning’s forward Nikita Kucherov’s return from injury, Twitter user @BoltsJolts, also known as Jayson, made a $100 bet with @Hythlodaeus, known as Brendan, that Kucherov would return before the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Cap circumvention is a scrutinized, but currently legal, method that allows teams to disproportionately manage their salary cap to their advantage. Teams, such as the Lightning, will leave injured players on the long-term injury reserve list during the regular season to free cap space, acquire new players with the funds and then reactivate their injured players in the postseason with no penalty.
Kucherov returned from injury on Jan. 6 when Tampa Bay defeated the Calgary Flames 4-1, making it time for Brendan to pay up. Instead of pocketing the cash himself, Jayson had a better idea.
“Hey @Hythlodaeus, looks like it’s time to pay up,” he tweeted the morning after the win. “But instead of paying me, how about we do some good here. To fulfill your end of the bet that you lost, how about you donate $100 to the @RyanCallahanFdn and then post a screenshot here.”
The Ryan Callahan Foundation provides memorable experiences for children that are battling cancer.
In a candid response, Brendan revealed that he is a full-time student and could only spare $10 at the moment but promised to donate the other $90 as soon as possible.
“Hey man. I’ll be honest, I really don’t have that money to spare right now, being a full-time student, but I do want to help out, and hold on to my word at least somewhat, so I’m going to donate $10 now and the rest as soon as I’m able to,” Brendan replied.
Jayson stepped up and donated the remaining $90 in the meantime.
Other Lightning fans took notice of this interaction and a few people matched the original $100 donation.
From there, it snowballed and gained attention from not only other Lightning fans, but hockey enthusiasts across the country.
Donations ranged from $10 all the way to $2,500. More than 360 people donated, including ESPN anchor John Buccigross.
As other hockey fans around the country jumped in with their donations, Brendan managed to find more cash to donate. By the end of the night, he fulfilled his end of the bet.
Bring Hockey Back, a hockey apparel company based out of Arizona, caught wind of this and wanted to help as well. They designed and printed custom t-shirts honoring Callahan and donated all the proceeds to the foundation, raising nearly $1,000.
Former Tampa Bay Lightning forward and founder of the foundation, Ryan Callahan, picked up what was going on and tweeted to show his appreciation.
“Thank you to everyone out there that has donated tonight to @RyanCallahanFdn,” Callahan tweeted on Jan. 7. “What started as harmless banter has turned into something much more. The kids and families that we support will benefit so much from your generosity.”
According to the charity’s website, their goal is to “give these kids and their families an exciting escape that they can enjoy together, far from their daily hardships. We believe these special moments of togetherness have the power to elevate each family’s hopes and spirits.”
These funds will also help support the Cally’s Comforts Program, which provides in-home self-care and respite such as massages, hair cuts and meals to families battling pediatric cancer.
To learn more about The Ryan Callahan foundation or to make a donation, visit ryancallahanfoundation.org
Candice Lovelace is a senior journalism and digital communications major at the USF St. Petersburg campus.
This is so inspiring and well written! It’s encouraging to hear of something spontaneously good happening for a change!