TAMPA, Fla. - There’s something different in the air at Benchmark International Arena, which can only mean one thing. The post-season is here.
"Playoffs is the best time of year! Fans love it, we love it, the players love it," said Andrea Murphy, Vice President of marketing for the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Quest for the Stanley Cup Starts Now
What they're saying:
"When it comes to playoff hockey, it's a whole different level of excitement and energy," Murphy said.
"You see people really embracing their blue and white and being really proud to be a Bolts fan, and so I think, much like anything else that we do here at the sports group, it really brings the community together and gives them something to rally behind," she added.
Bolts Nation has been rallying behind a team that’s on the quest for their fourth championship.
It’s a feeling former Tampa Bay Lightning left-winger Patrick Maroon knows all too well.
"I think coming home and winning the Stanley Cup on home ice with our fans that missed out the following year, and it was just a special moment for me and the team and the players and the staff," Maroon said.
"So to have them witness that. With something special, but there's so many memories on those cup runs," Maroon added.
The Lightning want to give back to the community that has poured so much into this team.
"These fans give it all," Maroon said.
"All the sellouts they have had over the course of the years, they pay in the tickets to the mission to come to these games and the players show their love and support, and that's what it means. We try to do it for the fans," Maroon concluded.
The Lightning are facing the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. For more information on tickets, click here.
The Source: Sources for this article were gathered by performing live interviews and the Tampa Bay Lightning’s official website.