The mayor of Tampa got her wish. Mayor Jane Castor wanted the Lightning to win the Stanley Cup at home in Tampa, in front of the team’s fans.
HOT TAKE: Mayor @JaneCastor thinks the Bolts should ditch the sweep and win the #StanleyCup in 5. What do ya think, #bolts fans? #GoBolts @TBLightning @BN9 @SpecSports360 pic.twitter.com/edPLUlAR3H
— Adria Iraheta ⚡️ (@AdriaIrahetaTV) July 4, 2021
The only way for that to happen was for the Canadiens to win last night’s game in Montreal, so the series could shift cities, and that’s exactly what happened. Though it took the whole game and some overtime to be settled.
Related
Lightning lose in overtime, 3-2 as Montreal avoids the sweep
So now we all have to wait for the Cup to be handed out in Tampa on Wednesday, unless of course this wish turns into a nightmare and the Habs win again on Wednesday at which point the series goes back to Montreal for another game on Friday. As you probably know, the moment Gary Bettman passes off the Cup to the captain of the winning team a line of dominoes start to fall in the realm of league business, and the off-season calendar begins with all the pre-draft trades, signings, and contract buyouts that have been planned out for weeks are finally announced. But we now all have to wait for another game to knock over that first domino and see what all the teams have ready to go.
A very Florida wrinkle in all this is the arrival today of Tropical Storm Elsa in the state. It will pass the Tampa area sometime overnight tonight. We’ll see if and how this impacts the game schedule later today.
Related
Hurricane watch issued for Tampa Bay as Tropical Storm Elsa moves north
Matiss Kivlenieks
Blue Jackets goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks dies in accident - The Cannon
The Latvian goalie was just 24 years old when he died in a fireworks accident at a party in Michigan on July 4.
Life is so precious and can be so fragile. Hug your loved ones today. RIP Matiss, you will be dearly missed.
— Jarmo Kekalainen (@jkekalainen) July 5, 2021
David Savard says he learned of former teammate Matiss Kivlenieks' death in a text from Nick Foligno: "That was a brutal wake up this morning. He was a good kid with a lot of talent who was going to be a part of the team next year or in the future. It's extremely sad."
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) July 5, 2021
Other News
The new Seattle Kraken continue to fill out their staff roster.
Congrats to Jay Leach, new Seattle Kraken assistant coach. Great opportunity for one of best young coaches in the pro game
— Mark Divver (@MarkDivver) July 6, 2021
Sergei Mozyakin retires from the KHL - TSN
The 40-year-old, who spent the past 10 seasons with Metallurg Magnitogorsk retires as the league's all-time leader in goals and points.
Penguins’ analytic department takes hit with loss of departing Sam Ventura - PensBurgh
[SPECIES: I guess Brian Burke didn’t like their Pittsburgh Models.]
Her fight with NHL over, Kelli Ewen wants to help partners of struggling players - TSN
Ewen’s husband, Todd, a 12-year NHL veteran player, died by suicide in 2015 and Kelli argued in a lawsuit filed in 2019 in U.S. federal court in California that the league used Todd to wrongly cloud the science over brain trauma, and profited off his fighting ability while never warning him of the dangers of repeated concussions. The NHL responded by seeking intimate details of the couple's relationship.
