Bruins, Lightning arrive at Stadium Series dressed as colonial patriots, Buccaneers

There was not an NFL game at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday, but there were plenty of Patriots and Buccaneers.

The Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning continued the long-standing tradition of themed outfits for arrivals to NHL outdoor games on Sunday, showing up at the 2026 Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series in full-on garb.

The Lightning paid tribute to their hosts, donning the famous orange "creamsicle" uniforms that the team wore from their founding in 1976 until 1996. The Buccaneers went to a red-and-pewter color scheme in 1997 but brought back the popular orange uniforms as throwbacks in 2009 and still wear them a few times per season.

Lightning players each wore the full uniform, including the white striped helmet with the old Buccaneers logo -- featuring a pirate with a feathered hat holding a dagger in his teeth -- on either side.

The team arrived via trolley to the stadium and had current Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield and two-time All-Pro tackle Tristan Wirfs walk in with them. Mayfield wore a Stadium Series Lightning jersey while Wirfs opted for a black throwback jersey that the Lightning wore from their inaugural season in 1992-93 until 2006-07. Wirfs also carried a giant 1990s-era boombox on his shoulder.

"It meant the world to us that those guys wanted to lead us in and like Victor (Hedman) said, just give our thanks and support for leading us out today," Lightning defensman Ryan McDonagh said. "Everyone loves the creamsicle (jersey). It's so fun to play here, live here and support each team throughout our season so this is just our way to pay our respects to them."

"The obvious would have been pirates with Gasparilla weekend. We get to use [the Buccaneers'] stadium so we want to return the favor. To have Baker and Tristan lead us out was great," said Hedman, the Lightning captain who added how he was impressed with the technique of how football players get their pads on and off.

Boston players arrived dressed as Revolutionary War-era soldiers. Each player wore a topcoat, breeches and knee-high socks and topped off the look with a tri-corner hat.

Not only was it a nod to history, they were channeling the logo of their NFL counterparts -- the AFC champion New England Patriots, who will play the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX one week from today -- while dressed up in the traditional colonial garb.

“I think it was a lot of guys. The idea behind it was kind of bring something Bostonian. Obviously, Boston is a really historical city in the United States, and so we decided to dress up as the patriots from 17th century," Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov said. "So, obviously, give the respect to the Founding Fathers of America, and also, it has good ties to our football team, you know what I mean? So, that played out pretty well.”

The city of Boston, of course, was a major port and strategic and symbolic battleground as the United States gained its independence from the British.

"I thought it looked pretty good," Bruins coach Marco Sturm said. "They put a lot of work in there the past couple of weeks ... I think they look pretty sharp today."

NHL.com staff writers David Satriano and Anna Kulesa contributed to this report