The Tampa Bay Lightning won the 2020 Stanley Cup in an empty Rogers Place in Edmonton, but on Wednesday, 283 days later, they got to feel what it was like to win a Cup in front of their hometown fans at Amalie Arena. The Lightning navigated the Toronto and Edmonton bubbles during the height of the coronavirus pandemic last season, but circumstances were quite different after this title. "A full arena, incredible energy and another championship in Tampa?" NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said to the roaring crowd before presenting goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy with the Conn Smythe trophy. "It feels like things are normal!"
The celebration began immediately after the Lightning's 1-0 win against the Montreal Canadiens in Game 5 and things were no different on social media. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the defending Super Bowl champions, and their head coach Bruce Arians showed the Lightning some love for getting two in a row.
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, who made some waves when she said she didn't want the Lightning to win Game 4 in Montreal so they could win at home, tweeted victoriously, multiple times [we're not sure how director and New York Knicks superfan Spike Lee fit in to this, but hey they are both big fans of their respective teams].
