TAMPA, Fla. – The Tampa Bay Lightning wrapped up their “fantasy camp” on Monday with a slate of championship games held at Benchmark International Arena.
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Lacing up against Lightning alumni
The backstory:
The event featured a chance for adult players of all skill levels to lace up their skates to play with and against Lightning alumni like Valtteri Filppula, Tyler Johnson, Ruslan Fedotenko and Mathieu Garon.
The event cost $3,000 to attend, with the proceeds going to the Lighting Foundation and the Lightning Alumni Association.
The event was held throughout the 2010s, but went on hiatus after 2018, returning in 2024.
Growing community relationships
What they’re saying:
Garon explained the event is a chance to grow its relationship with the community, in addition to the numerous charity events and benefits they hold.
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“We’ve seen a big difference,” said Garon. “There’s a lot more hockey players out there. Every year we create 800 new hockey players, little kids, and it just keeps getting bigger. We’re at the point where we need more ice rinks.”
Building worldwide teams
Local perspective:
Some came from the northeastern US, Canada and as far away as Slovakia.
The event features games, practices, team-building events and tickets to a preseason game.
“It shows they care. They really care about the community,” said Rob McCracken of Hillsborough County. “And they want to be part of the community as much as we want to be part of them.”
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