Lightning fever doesn’t sleep.
A tired but triumphant Tampa Bay Lightning team was greeted by hundreds of fans who gathered at the Jet Center at Tampa International Airport in the wee hours of the morning to give the team a warm homecoming. Hours earlier, the Lightning punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final with a 2-0 Game 7 win over the New York Rangers.
Following the parade of players leaving the airport, head coach Jon Cooper and video coach Nigel Kirwan visited with the fans, starting a “four more wins!” chant. (A presidential-looking Cooper even kissed a baby.)
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“I can’t believe the fan support we have, to be here at this late at night to support us,” Cooper told The Tribune. “I know everybody on the plane, all the players were looking out the window and were so excited to see these fans. It’s overwhelming.”
Kirwan carried the Prince of Wales Trophy through the crowd, and while team captain Steven Stamkos steered clear of the Eastern Conference champion trophy, the fans certainly didn’t.
The best part of the video comes near the end, as Cooper corrals some of the fans in a group shouting of “Nigel, we gotta go!” in an attempt to head home.
Everyone in Tampa will surely be watching Saturday’s Western Conference Final Game 7 between the Anaheim Ducks and Chicago Blackhawks to see who they’ll face off against in the Cup final, which commences June 3.
