TAMPA, Fla. — The schedule is out. Now fans who might not have a ticket want to know where they can watch?
"Lightning Watch Party" is among the top hockey-related searches on Google right now. So, we went to superfan Mark Grof to ask for advice.
“One of the greatest atmospheres you can have is Thunder Alley outside the stadium,” said Grof who has been a Lightning fan since the team’s inaugural season shortly after his move to Florida as a kid. “When the team is away they usually open the stadium and you can watch there.”
And what about going to a game in person? If you can find a ticket, Grof says get ready to pay up!
“Sell your left kidney and sell your car because they’re between $2,000 and $3,000 for the upper deck,” said Grof of many of the prices online.
He says members of the team’s fan club got first dibs on tickets originally going for between $200 and $300 dollars, but now prices have gone up.
“That’s nothing compared to Montreal tickets…Sell your house and sell your whole entire soul,” Grof joked of the prices between $5,000 and $8,000 in Canadian dollars.
Fans are also searching for the "capacity" at Amalie Arena. It's been set for Lightning home games at 16,300 fans for the Stanley Cup Final — that’s about 3,000 short of full capacity.
“There is a petition on Twitter asking Mr. Vinik to open it up because obviously you know those extra people could make the extra difference with noise,” said Grof. “The players respond to the noise. The more noise you make, the better they play.”
Fun fact: The Lightning actually hold the NHL's all-time highest attendance for a playoff game at 28,183 when the team played at the Thunder Dome back in 1996.
Speaking of stats, there's plenty of people searching "Lightning Roster" online. The team's average age is 27.7 and not a single player is from Florida. We counted 15 are from Canada, three from Russia and only six from the USA with the closest hometown, Plano, TX.
“We possibly have the best goaltender with Vasilevskiy, the best defenseman with Victor Hedman and you’ve got a Tom Brady(esk) player in Brayden Point drafted in the third round playing like the MVP of the league. You can’t get any better than that.”
Fans are also searching the term "Jersey" looking for the best places to pick up Lightning gear.
“For me I would always stick with Steve Stamkos,” said Grof. “He’s the captain who turned the whole franchise around. But I would have to say Vasilevskiy, Kucherov and Point are probably the hot sellers.”
And finally, fans are already eager to know if there might be a parade should the Lightning bring home yet another Stanley Cup. The city usually won't speculate before a win, but fans already know, Tampa can throw a party.
“Last year success with the boat parade and everything, I think that’s the way it should go. No longer through the city. We should just continue to do it on the boats and the jet skis.”
If the Lightning could pull off yet another win it would be their third Stanley Cup Championship in team history!
“This is special! I’ve watched 34-35 years to see my team be successful two years in a row,” said Grof with a smile. “So cherish it.”
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