His lightning lights up the world; the earth sees and trembles. — Pslam 97:4
Florida man preaches the good news of the Tampa Bay Lightning’s playoff run.
Reverend Tyler Moore has earned the nickname “The Hockey Pastor” for the Lightning twist he has put on a series — 18 and counting — of clever church signs welcoming parishioners to Our Savior Lutheran Church and School in St. Petersburg.
“Slingshot Killed Goliath / Slapshot Saved By Bishop” and “Real Saints Don’t Demand Trades” are our personal favourites.
Moore’s signs have gone viral, he’s a local news star, and he’s been blessed with free tickets to two playoff games to go with the one paid for.
“I haven’t been able to afford more. Being a pastor, it’s not like I’m bringing in the big bucks,” Moore told Sportsnet in a phone interview earlier this week. “And we just bought a house too, so the old budget’s tight.”
We spoke with the Hockey Pastor just prior to the Lightning’s seventh game versus the New York Rangers as he piled up the letters for his next message.
SPORTSNET.CA: When did you first become a Lightning fan?
PASTOR TYLER: I’ve always been a fan. I grew up in St. Petersburg, which is just across the way from Tampa. But I started following them closely mid-season in 2011, the year they went all the way to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference final. Strange as it sounds, I was just getting out of my pastoral internship and I remember watching them unveil their new uniforms online live and I thought, ‘This is so cool.’ At that point I started following every move they made and learning about every player.
But you must not have grown up with hockey in the house?
PASTOR TYLER: Growing up in Florida, hockey was not that accessible. So when I started going to a lot games, I didn’t understand the rules or the subtle nuances. It wasn’t until I started playing the NHL video games that I learned the rules and the strategy. Even today when I watch, I think, “Hit left bumper and give him a poke-check!” With any sport, once you understand the subtle things, like the long shift, it opens the game up completely.
This is the first year you’ve put your passion for hockey on church signs, correct?
PASTOR TYLER: It is. I’ve been at this church for two years now. Last year I really wanted to put some signs up when they made the playoffs, but it was right around Easter and I couldn’t put up “Go Lightning” right before the biggest day of the year. I thought about it afterward, but they were down 3-0 to the Canadiens, so I decided to hold off. I’ve been doing this since April 7 or 8, changing the signs regularly.
Do you have a favourite?
PASTOR TYLER: The Marty St. Louis one – “Real Saints Don’t Demand Trades” – went crazy. It got like 44,000 hits. People like that one because it’s more edgy. But I really like “Hedman & Stralman As Swede As Milk And Honey” and “God Created Tyler Johnson And He Saw That Johnny Be Good.” That was the night he scored with 1.1 seconds left, and I was at that game. The Tampa Bay Lightning president [Steve Griggs] actually called me up and gave me his personal seats. It was a jaw-on-the-floor type of thing. There was no other option for that sign; it had to be about Tyler Johnson.
What did you think when Marty demanded the trade?
PASTOR TYLER: I heard it on radio and thought, “No way. He’s not whining about the Olympic snub.” But then it was, “Wow, he actually wants out.” There was a lot of hurt there. But to see the city rally around Stamkos, the new captain, the face of the team, that was really cool. That first game back from a broken leg, he comes out wearing the C on his sweater, amazing to see. This is a new era in Lightning hockey.
Are Tampa fans at peace with St. Louis’ departure now?
PASTOR TYLER: Ahhh… I think they’re ready to be over it, but they’re not there yet. Once this series is over, people will move past it. He was such a popular player, you still see fans wearing the 26 sweater, and you see modifications, like black tape over the name. One guy turned the 26 into an 86 for Kucherov.
How has the signs’ popularity affected mass attendance?
PASTOR TYLER: We’ve seen an uptick on Sundays for sure, but the bigger impact has been with our online presence, because the web address is right there on the sign. We were the lead-in for a second period on Hockey Night in Canada during the Montreal series, and that night we had 22,000 hits on our website in an hour. It was ridiculous. And we have two-minute online sermons, Rev Ups, and the views of those have gone through the roof. So this has increased awareness for our ministries.
Do you work hockey into your sermons?
PASTOR TYLER: I referenced Nikita Kucherov. I was talking about faith and I talked about the faith Yzerman had to have by drafting this Russian, because you have to deal with the Russian factor: Is he going to come to North America? All these teams passed him over. Yzerman took the risk. He had faith in him and drafted him. The night after that sermon, Kucherov had two goals. I tweeted out, “I preached on him!” and posted my sermon notes.
I did a video where I talk about Jon Cooper’s quote: “Our team had too many passengers.” I likened that to the Church, which can have too many passengers—people along for the ride instead of trying to live love, which is our mission statement.
Is there a parable that relates to this team’s playoff run?
PASTOR TYLER:There’s a great section in scripture about “run the race of perseverance.” Going through the playoffs, it’s such a slow, drudging toil. People are hurt and sick. So running the race of perseverance and throwing off the entangles, that speaks well to what the players are feeling right now. The calling we have to trudge through tough times and waiting for the moment where, OK, I’ve run the race and now I’m free.
Any negative response to using the church sign to promote the Lightning?
PASTOR TYLER:Any time you talk about religion on the Internet, you figure trolls will come out, but the response has been overwhelmingly positive. A lot of people write, “I’m not a religious person, but the signs are awesome.” Or, “I’m a Rangers fan, but this is hilarious.”
One person said, “There’s so much wrong in the world, and you’re praying for hockey. There’s human trafficking, hungry kids, and you’re worried about hockey.”
I responded to him, “Hey, we’re having fun with this hockey thing, but we have all these ministries we’re involved with. We feed over 200 kids. As a church, we’re part of the community and working to make it better. Whether that means feeding hungry kids or working with an anti-human-trafficking organization, working with migrant farms in the area, or putting up funny hockey signs and making people laugh and bringing the community together through the amazing sport, we’re looking to get love out in the community.
Tell me how Dave Andreychuk got you into a game.
PASTOR TYLER: I was asked by a local news team to come down to the game and do a live interview. I said, “Listen. I live in St. Pete. That’s 40 minutes away from Tampa. I’m not sure I want to drive all the way there if I don’t have tickets.”
They said, “We might be able to get you tickets.”
I said, “OK, if you say so.” So I did the interview, and they said, “Sorry, we couldn’t get you tickets.”
I tried my luck with the scalpers, but when I told them how much money I had, they literally laughed at me: “No way.” So I was hanging around Thunder Alley near the arena, and I saw a news anchor that had interviewed me in the past, and she said, “Hey! You’re the sign guy! Did you get tickets?” I said, “No.”
Standing two feet behind me was Dave Andreychuk, but I didn’t see him. One of the interns from the team store came running up to me and said, “Mr. Andreychuk has something to say to you.”
I said, “Dave Andreychuk? As in the guy whose statue is right there.”
He said, “I understand you’re looking for tickets, and I’m the guy who can get them for you.” Which is the understatement of the year.
You’re not going to post Lightning signs next fall, are you?
PASTOR TYLER: There’s no way I can keep up the frequency I’m at now. I was laughing with one of our parishioners. We can’t go back to the sign saying, “Join Us In Worship.” We have to have something witty.
Do you have one-liners ready for Chicago or Anaheim?
PASTOR TYLER: I had some lined up for the Capitals, but I was rooting for the Rangers because I had better material for them. There’s not a lot to work with for the Blackhawks and Ducks. Interesting: Did you know there’s not a single duck reference in the Bible? It talks about fowl but most people believe that a reference to a goose.
If we end up playing Anaheim, I love that a team from Southern California and the Gulf Coast of Florida will be playing for the Stanley Cup. Something beautifully poetic about that. Maybe Canadians might not love it so much.
If the Lighting end up playing the Blackhawks and beating the Blackhawks, they will have eliminated four of the Original Six from the playoff, and they also had a hand in knocking the Bruins out.
And the Leafs just knocked themselves out.
PASTOR TYLER: Toronto just shot themselves in the foot any chance they got.
OK, so what’s your prediction for Game 7?
PASTOR TYLER: I predict I will need some blood pressure medicine. The Lightning come out strong every time they lose the prior game. I looked it up. They were 9-3 in games following a loss of three or more goals. They respond well. It’s Bishop. When he has a bad game, he comes out strong. As to the victor? Only God knows.
Track the Lightning’s 2015 playoff run through the unabridged gospel of the Hockey Pastor:
