Greeted by their families, hundreds of fans and Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, the Lightning received a champions welcome Tuesday upon their arrival home after winning the Stanley Cup with a 2-0 victory against the Dallas Stars in Game 6 of the Final in Edmonton on Monday.
There were hundreds of pictures, hugs and kisses and little children running around the Stanley Cup as the players passed the trophy back and forth.
"To finally be here and enjoy it, it's awesome," Lightning forward Alex Killorn said. "It's kind of surreal right now, to be honest."
After a short period of time getting reunited with their spouses and kids, the players got on open-air trolleys and rode through the city to Amalie Arena for an on-ice celebration with their families, arena staffers and team sponsors.
Lightning owner Jeff Vinik, coach Jon Cooper and captain Steven Stamkos addressed the crowd.
Cooper said at times, he wasn't sure the season would be completed.
"You just don't know when you're going to get your second chance," Cooper said. "Especially when March 12 came, and our season was paused (due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus). And then four months went by, and we got our second chance."
Stamkos first gave thanks to the families, who showed support from afar with players in the NHL bubbles in Toronto and Edmonton for the past 65 days.
"This was probably the toughest Stanley Cup to win under the circumstances.," Stamkos said. "It's amazing the sacrifices the families went through just to allow us to chase our dreams."
Stamkos, who was limited to 2:47 of ice time and five shifts in the postseason because of a lower-body injury, thanked his teammates for their commitment to winning.
"You see talent that's on the ice every game, but sometimes you don't see what goes on behind the scenes," he said. "The camaraderie that this group has ... here we are today celebrating a Stanley Cup. We're so happy that we're able to share this with all of you. So let's party!"
The Lightning will have their public celebrations Wednesday. There is a boat parade planned along the Hillsborough River near Amalie Arena that will begin at 5 p.m. ET. That will be followed by a trophy presentation at Raymond James Stadium, where 16,000 fans are expected to attend.
"We're excited to share this with Tampa," Killorn said. "I know they weren't here throughout the series and in the bubble, but this is our time to enjoy it with them because [the fans] are a big part of this team."
