The National Hockey League is back in action, with the first batch of regular season games in North America having taken place on Tuesday evening (Oct. 8). As for the Tampa Bay Lightning, they begin their season on the road against the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday, Oct. 11. The second half of their home and home with Carolina is on for Saturday night at Amalie Arena, which is located in the heart of downtown Tampa. However, there’s a good chance the Lightning’s home opener will be canceled or played in a different arena.
Category 5 Hurricane Milton Will Impact Lightning Schedule
Located in Hillsborough County, Tampa Bay will be directly hit by a major hurricane for the first time in 1921, more than 100 years ago. Hurricane Milton is a Category 5 hurricane that formed in the Gulf of Mexico and will sweep across all of central Florida through Orlando. The Tampa Bay area will receive 10-15 feet of water from Hurricane Milton, impacting the area at the height of the storm on Wednesday night.
Tampa Bay and the surrounding areas ordered a mandatory evacuation. The Lightning have already left and are practicing in Raleigh before Friday night’s game. Players are visibly traveling with some extra luggage on this trip, as there’s a chance they may not return home for their home opener on Saturday night.
Another factor to discuss is the stress and mental wear that Hurricane Milton will place on the Lightning players to start the season. The team has likely spent time preparing their house for the storm and sheltering their families to safety. With these conditions in place, there’s a possibility that Tampa Bay might be off mentally on Friday night. However, we are talking about professional athletes, some of the best in the world at blocking out the surrounding environment. Therefore, we anticipate they will find a way to break through the adversity.
Can Tampa Bay Start the Season Elsewhere?
How will Tampa Bay’s arena and surrounding area look after the storm? Will the Lightning be forced on the road for weeks to start the season, similar to the New York Islanders when the construction for their new arena was in its final stages a couple of seasons ago? Those questions won’t be answered until later this week after it’s safe to return to the Tampa Bay area and check on the mark Hurricane Milton left. On the other hand, will the Lightning look for an interim area to host their home games?
Off the top of my head, the Lightning have two arenas they could start the season off at. First, the team can remain in Florida and play in Jacksonville at Vystar Veterans Memorial Arena, home of the ECHL’s Jacksonville Icemen. The arena holds up to 15,000 fans for hockey games and won’t be affected by the storm looming over Florida.
Another option for the Lightning is not just a short-term solution but a long-term marketing strategy for the NHL. Tampa Bay could start their season at Gas South Arena in Duluth, Georgia, near Atlanta. The arena can host 11,000 fans and is home to the ECHL’s Atlanta Gladiators of the ECHL. The league has discussed continuing to expand its horizons across North America, and Atlanta did not have a fair shot with poor management of the Thrashers franchise, which relocated to Winnipeg in 2011. By making Atlanta a temporary home, the Lightning could attract hockey to the area again. Ultimately, we hope Lightning fans remain safe during Hurricane Milton. We anticipate an exciting new era of Lightning hockey that begins Friday night in Raleigh.
