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Bolt up a banner
One labor dispute and 16 months later, Tampa Bay's champs returned to the ice Wednesday, raising their Stanley Cup banner and beating Carolina 5-2.
By RICK GERSHMAN
Published October 6, 2005
TAMPA - The wait is over.
The banner is unveiled.
The defending Stanley Cup champions have finally started defending.
"I thought this would never arrive," said Catarina Ebbert, 27, Wednesday at the St. Pete Times Forum.
"I haven't been able to sleep all week."
It was the night hockey returned to the Tampa Bay area.
Sixteen long months after winning the National Hockey League championship, the Tampa Bay Lightning took to the ice for the 2005-06 regular season opener against the Carolina Hurricanes. The Lightning won 5-2.
There had been no 2004-05 hockey season, thanks to a labor dispute that put a chill on one of the most impressive turnarounds in NHL history. For the majority of its existence, the Lightning was one of the least impressive sports franchises in memory.
If hockey fans hold a grudge over the lockout, it wasn't evident Wednesday night.
A sellout crowd of 22,120 filled the Forum to welcome the team back. The fans roared as Lightning players pulled away the blue tarp that covered the long-mothballed Stanley Cup championship banner.
Sixteen months, fans had waited for hockey.
The Lightning asked for no more patience.
Only 1 minute, 21 seconds into the game, Tampa Bay scored its first goal: Vinny Prospal popped a quick wrist shot past Hurricanes goalie Martin Gerber.
It seemed fateful: Prospal had re-signed with the Bolts this year after missing out on the championship campaign, having signed with Anaheim's Mighty Ducks.
Ruslan Fedotenko assisted on the goal, which brought a deafening roar from the crowd.
Eight-year Lightning fan Ed Sadley bounced out of his seat so hard that about a third of his Miller Lite flew out of the plastic cup squeezed in his hand. The spray landed on the back of another fan, who somehow didn't seem to notice.
"We're back, baby! We're back," screamed Sadley, 32, a dental office assistant by day.
Lightning officials got the crowd fired up long before the opening faceoff. At 7:23 p.m., the arena's house lights dimmed, and the long-awaited season kickoff got under way.
Speakers boomed Rock and Roll by Led Zeppelin. Robert Plant's voice soared out to fans:
It's been a long time since I rock and rolled / It's been a long time, been a long time...
Been a long, lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely time...
Amen, said Adam Schanz, 40, who took the day off work for hockey's return.
His buddy Mike Pinno cut out of work at lunchtime.
They arrived downtown and parked about 1:30 p.m.
At Tampa bars, they found a therapeutic way to pass the time and to mourn the canceled season.
"I just couldn't take it," said Pinno, 39, about an hour before faceoff. "I can't tell you how bad last year was. It's been driving us crazy."
"We're going to stop drinking when the game starts," said Schanz, whose very next words were directed at a beer server: "Two more."
Before the game, the Stanley Cup banner was lowered to just above the ice at the south end of the arena. A red carpet was stretched out on the ice.
Fans cheered wildly as the Lightning management was announced, with a particular roar for general manager Jay Feaster.
Head coach John Tortorella earned a standing ovation.
Then the Lightning introduced the players new or returning to the Lightning this season, including Prospal and backup goaltender Sean Burke.
Then they announced the returning warriors, starting with superstar center Vinny Lecavalier. Fans jumped from their seats, applauded and screamed approval.
About 30 seconds passed, but no Lecavalier arrived.
Did he want to make these fans wait just a little bit longer?
But then he was there, skating onto the ice.
He was back. It was all back.
Outside, the rain fell on a hot night. But inside the Forum, fans were dry, and cool, and all was right with the world.
"I think I'm going to cry," said Kara Davis, 21, who, in fact, already was crying.
"I love these guys."
[Last modified October 6, 2005, 01:15:08]
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