Columbus Blue Jackets: Staring Down the Barrel – Bolts by the Bay

How did you become a Tampa Bay Lightning Fan? What’s the best part about being a Bolts fan?

CK: The story of how I became a Bolts fan is actually a pretty weird one. I was first introduced to hockey when I was about four years old by my older cousins. They were big Red Wings fans (ew) and their favorite thing to do was play the latest and greatest NHL game of the time, NHL Hitz Pro.

I wanted to be a part of the game, and of course, they wouldn’t let their younger cousin play as the Red Wings so I had to pick a team of my own. Somehow, I ended up picking the Lightning, and my first reaction was that those St. Louis and Lecavalier guys were pretty good. That got me into actually watching games, and watching Nikolai Khabibulin play was what sealed the deal for me.

The best thing about being a Lightning fan is definitely the community. Almost all Bolts fans that I know and have met are great people and there’s an instant community that can be seen and felt with Bolts fans. For example, my first time at Amalie Arena, an older couple could see that I was looking for my seat and made a point to show me where to go and even offered to buy me dinner as a welcome to the stadium. I’ve never experienced something like that anywhere else.