TAMPA, Fla. — Rose Doxbeck and Wayne Hurtle could not pass up the chance to see their favorite hockey team hoist the Stanley Cup. Not even a hurricane was going to stop them.
“The chance to see it happen is amazing for us,” said Doxbeck, who lives in Buffalo and has followed the team for over two decades.
They made the call to buy tickets for Game 5 after the Lightning lost Game 4 to the Canadiens up in Montreal. Doxbeck and Hurtle knew things could get more complicated with a giant storm bearing down on Florida. Those concerns proved to be true.
Two hours before they were supposed to fly down, their flight was canceled. Tampa International Airport shut down operations at 5 p.m. on Tuesday due to Hurricane Elsa. Coming directly to the home of the reigning Stanley Cup champion was not an option.
It also wasn’t a deterrent. The family went to Plan B and flew to Charlotte.
“We flew from Charlotte into Orlando and then drove from Orlando into Tampa,” said Doxbeck.
It was worth the effort.
“Nothing was stopping us from getting here,” said Hurtle who has been playing hockey for over 50 years and has been a Bolts fan since around 2000.
They arrived in Tampa at around 9 p.m. Tuesday night, before the worst of Hurricane Elsa swung by Tampa Bay. Doxbeck said she woke up at around 4 a.m. to survey the scene through her hotel window.
The adventure, she hopes, is just beginning. After buying plane tickets, renting a car, finding a hotel, and getting tickets to what could be the title-clinching game, seeing their team hoist the most famous trophy in sports at Amalie Arena Wednesday night would only make this past 48 hours wilder.
“Money was no option,” Hurtle said. “I can make more money. I can’t watch them play in the Stanley Cup here again.”
The Lightning and Canadiens will play Game 5 at 8 p.m.
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