When the walls and buildings are lined with blue and the temps drop below 85, it can only mean one thing around the bay.
Hockey season is back.
The Lightning are once again in the mix as one of the most talented teams in the NHL. And the boys kick off their 2025-26 season against the Ottawa Senators at Benchmark International Arena Thursday night.
The Lightning’s opening night celebration is loaded with festivities and food and drink specials throughout Ford Thunder Alley and Water Street. Here’s everything you can expect leading up to Thursday’s 7 p.m. puck drop.
Player Blue Carpet Walk
The Bolts will arrive to their season opener Hollywood premiere-style from 3:45 to 4:30 pm in Ford Thunder Alley. So if handsome, star athletes dressed in finely tailored suits is your thing, the Blue Carpet Walk is a can’t-miss. There will also be stars of Lightning past walking the carpet this year, including more than a few Stanley Cup champions to be on the lookout for.
Pregame Lightning Happy Hour
Picture this:
You’re standing in Ford Thunder Alley, gazing up at the beautiful new signage on Benchmark International Arena. It’s an hour and a half from puck drop and you’ve got time to kill. You look into your wallet and see that $5 bill that’s been sitting there for ten weeks because nothing costs $5 anymore. Nothing except for the delicious smelling burgers grilling nearby, where you can walk over, slap that $5 on the table and walk away with a burger or dog, chips and a drink.
Nearby, the Kids Zone will also be rocking in the plaza with face painters, balloon twisters and caricature artists on hand (you gotta play the hits). And for those in the market for new Bolts merch, the Tampa Bay Sports Store will open at 12 p.m. sharp with new collection drops for the 2025-26 season.
The happy hour is 5 – 7 p.m. and includes the following specials:
$2.50 waters, sodas
$5.00 beers and seltzers
$5.00 combo meal: Burger or Hotdog w/ Chips and a drink
$8.00 combo meal: Pizza and a drink
Scripps Live Broadcast from Ford Thunder Alley
Consider it a Lightning hockey version of College Gameday, put on by our new friends over at Scripps Sports. Fans of Pat Maroon will be psyched, as the Big Rig continues his foray into big puck media alongside Paul Kennedy as studio host, Dave Andreychuk, Braydon Coburn, Adam Hall and Ryan Malone.
