Trips to see the Bolts play in other places generally involve getting on a plane since our neighboring teams have been cut down in recent years (RIP Thrashers). LightningShout contributing photographer Tarra Dunlop and I took the opportunity to head to Sunrise to support our boys in one of their final games of the regular season against the Florida Panthers. We wanted to share some of the signs and experiences of our trip.
Thanks to StubHub we were able to get decently priced tickets in the lower bowl end where the Bolts would shoot twice. The BB&T Center has a bit of a monopoly on parking in that area so luckily the tickets came with a parking pass. We arrived early so we could check out the scene before the doors opened.
There were quite a few large groups of Panthers fans tailgating in the parking lot when we arrived. They had pretty legit set ups with music, grills and tents for shade. When we made it to the plaza, a number of the amusements were still being set up. A big street hockey rink, a giant inflatable slide and other stuff were still in progress. A few of the doors opened early and you entered right into the team shop. The rest of the concourses were still closed off but the A/C was welcome. Fans did have the option to go up to a beer garden while waiting. The rope partitions were taken down around 6:00 and we took our position for warm ups.
BB&T Center has some really cool amenities. They have special frozen yogurt stands, self-serve candy bars which were very popular, and even a kosher food stand. There’s standard arena fare at the main concessions but also vegetarian and salad options all in the same place. The concourse is wide and easy to navigate. The restrooms are large and plentiful. One of the coolest things they have is a “Den of Honor” museum area. There are many displays featuring memorabilia and paying tribute to moments from Panthers history. I’m not even a fan of the Panthers but very much enjoyed taking a look at all of the items. This is one thing that would be very cool to see at Amalie Arena.
Since my last trip to Sunrise two years ago there have been some improvements made. The most visible is their new video board and new seats. It’s not a bad space at all. The glass could definitely use some love and reinforcement and the floors could use a pressure washing. It’s far from a dump but could definitely use some care. It made me realize just how lucky and spoiled we are at our arena in Tampa. As for the game itself, the Lightning looked great and secured a 4-0 shutout victory. There were quite a few fans that made the trip and we expressed our appreciation for their efforts and the victory.
Winning is always wonderful, especially if you’ve traveled four hours to see your team.
Unfortunately things took a turn after the game when some Lightning fans took celebrating a bit too far. As we were walking through the parking lot a car of Bolts fans unrolled the windows and started chanting the score at tailgating Panthers fans. Words were exchanged before the vehicle took off. I called out to the Panthers fans and apologized, assuring them that not all Tampa fans are like that. Several of them came over and we ended up having a fantastic conversation for over 15 minutes. We talked about hockey, discovered many of us were FSU alumni and all kinds of things. At the end they were giving us hugs and wishing us luck in the playoffs.
I was very glad we were able to extend that olive branch after overly boisterous Lightning fans made scenes after the game including chants that the Bolts are going to win the Stanley Cup. I may be overly suspicious but it’s not a great idea to anger the Hockey Gods before the playoffs have even begun. It wasn’t that long ago that we were in the same boat as the fans in South Florida. Success makes that easy to forget but we’re more alike than many in Tampa may want to admit. Being loud and proud is wonderful but so is being respectful when you’re in someone else’s house.
In the end this was a nice trip. It’s great to see how other fans experience the game around the league and to give our boys some love on the road. The playoffs are almost here and the stakes will be so much higher.
Stay hungry and stay humble, Bolts fans. We’re in for a heck of a ride.
(Photos/Tarra Dunlop)
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