Earlier this month, the first outdoor game in the state of Florida featured the New York Rangers defeating the host Florida Panthers 5-1 in front of a crowd of 36,153 at loanDepot park, home of MLB’s Miami Marlins.
Now the attention shifts to Tampa, where the Lightning have become a big part of Esposito’s life after his Hockey Hall of Fame career as a player ended.
And the pride he has in the franchise that he helped bring to Tampa is always on display, as it will be once again this weekend.
“I have to say, the concept of these outdoor games is incredible,” Esposito said. “And I think it took the people here a bit of time to grasp it. But it’s taken off now.
“Here’s an example. I got five calls the other day from people asking, ‘Oh boy, can you get me tickets?’ The whole thing blows my mind. They just all of a sudden think, ‘Oh wow, this is going to be something big.'”
That it will be, including expected temperatures in the low 40s that, while being far below the norm here, will be ideal for outdoor hockey.
“And now we’re going to have Winnipeg weather,” he said with a laugh. “Ya, it just adds to it. I mean, I’m honestly happy it’s going to happen.”
In retrospect, without Esposito, you have to wonder if NHL hockey would have ever happened in Tampa Bay.
Thanks to his belief, the Lightning have left their mark on the community, both on and off the ice.
Think how far the franchise has come since their home opener on Oct. 7, 1992, at Expo Hall, where a capacity crowd of 10,425 attended the venue located on the Florida State Fairgrounds that normally hosts events like concerts and gun shows. When a fan threw a hat on the ice for Chris Kontos’s hat trick goal in a historic 7-3 victory against the Chicago Blackhawks, then-Tampa Bay coach Terry Crisp revealed after the game that security guards tried to throw the guy out of the building for chucking on object on the playing surface.
Just one of the early growing pains for the franchise.
And yet, its popularity kept on swelling, much like the locals’ knowledge of the sport did.
The Lightning moved to the massive Thunderdome, now Tropicana Field, in St. Petersburg, where they played games at the home of MLB’s Tampa Bay Rays from 1993 to 1996. On April 23, 1996, the Lightning drew 28,183 to watch Game 4 of the team’s Stanley Cup Playoff series against the Philadelphia Flyers, the largest crowd to ever attend an NHL postseason game.