The Stanley Cup finals arrive for the first time in Tampa today, but the anticipation has lingered since the weekend.
A decade ago, even a year ago, few people could have predicted that ice hockey's Holy Grail would pass through the sun-drenched west coast of Florida.
It's here. And on Monday, the Lightning's success made ripples throughout the bay area:
* * *
There it sat, on a table in the center of the gymnasium at Roland Park Middle School in Tampa. Lord Stanley's cup, perhaps the most famous trophy in sports, silver and shining near a sign that read, "Home of the Dragons."
The children tiptoed up, class by class, to read the names etched in the trophy and to look at their reflection in its polished surface.
The younger they were, the wider their eyes and the louder their "oohs" and "ahhs." Some of them shrugged it off, but others seemed reluctant to walk away.
Two teachers stood by, looking on.
"I had to explain to them it's not just a cup," said one.
"I had some of them ask what hockey is," said the other.
Okay, so there's a learning curve.
But the sight of the cup was enough to make Princess Thompson, 7, declare hockey her favorite sport. The experience even won over diehard football fans like 14-year-old Michelle Thompson, an eighth-grader.
"It's cool," she said, posing beside the cup. "I want to see the Super Bowl cup, too. But you don't get everything you want."
* * *
At Buccaneer Heaven on N Florida Avenue in Tampa, racks of blue stood out from the sea of red and pewter.
The Bucs are so 2002. The Lightning is so now.
And so the store has stocked Lightning jerseys and T-shirts that read, "Beat Calgary," "Bring the Cup Here to Tampa Bay" and "Lord Stanley Needs a Tan."
Employee Sharon Bihorel spent a chunk of her Monday answering the phone.
"People have been calling (constantly). We're making a (waiting) list," she said. "People keep coming in saying, "Do you have Lightning stuff?"'
Well, they do now.
* * *
In Clearwater, the Lightning's success has created an explosion of interest at Sunblades Ice Arena.
"We've picked up about 25 kids in just the past two weeks," said Jacob Brozyna, the arena's youth hockey director.
"I just got off the line making phone calls, returning messages - 4-year-old girls, 16-year-old girls, even adults want to play hockey."
Brozyna said more Lightning jerseys have shown up in the youth program, which is called Junior Lightning but has no official affiliation with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
"We see some of that all the time . . . but lately we've been seeing a lot more jerseys with the names of players," Brozyna said. "Lots of the moms seem to like the name Lecavalier ... I don't know why."
* * *
Generally, Mayor Pam Iorio doesn't like risks. But, as tradition dictates, she spent part of her Monday contemplating a friendly wager with Calgary Mayor Dave Bronconnier.
Iorio said she feels certain the Lightning will win the Stanley Cup, but just in case, she plans to offer Bronconnier a crate of Florida oranges, a platter of guava pastries and a box of Ybor City cigars.
"A couple of years ago, I didn't know anything about (hockey)," Iorio said Monday. "I've gone from zero knowledge, no interest whatsoever, to being a complete fan.
"That game Saturday night was probably the most fun I've ever had at any sporting event."
No word yet on what Bronconnier will wager on his end.
"Whatever it is," Iorio said, "We will accept it."
* * *
The Lightning has come a long way since 1992, when the team played inside the Expo Hall at the Florida State Fairgrounds.
The team played even during the state fair, making it perhaps the only home game in the NHL surrounded by donkey races, country singers, livestock exhibitions, a Ferris wheel and people chowing on elephant ears.
The team has moved on to loftier places - a downtown arena and a shot at the Stanley Cup - but its old digs remain.
On Monday afternoon, the Expo Hall where a fledgling team once skated played host to Riverview High School's graduation ceremony.
Parents snapped pictures from the mostly empty stands. Graduates sat in metal folding chairs on the concrete floor that once was a hockey rink.
But the color of their attire seemed appropriate - Lightning blue with white and silver sashes.
* * *
In Ruskin, forecasters with the National Weather Service predicted game-day highs around 90 degrees.
It's going to be hot, they said, anything but hockey weather. But the seabreezes should kick in during late afternoon, and by the time the puck drops the temperature should fall into the 80s.
"We'll be able to listen to it on the radio," said meteorologist Ryan Sharp.
And, as forecasters are prone to do, he couldn't resist forecasting an outcome for the game.
"Hopefully we'll win," Sharp said. "Let's go with 70 percent (chance)."
- Times staff writers Pat Farnan and David Karp contributed to this report.
