Ten years ago the Tampa Bay Lightning won the 2004 Stanley Cup 4-3 in Game 7 of the series at the Tampa Bay Times Forum (formerly the St. Pete Times Forum) by a score of 2-1 over the Calgary Flames. It was the evening of July 7, 2004 and was the crowning achievement of the franchise to that point, just 12 years after entering the National Hockey League.
I was there to root them on at all of their home playoff games and subsequently the Stanley Cup game. After they won the game, confetti was falling and Queen's "We are the Champions" was playing, thereupon where I recorded it as the background to my cell phone voicemail with a greeting of "Sorry I can't get to the phone right now...The Lightning just won the Stanley Cup!” It was one of the best moment of my sports-watching life.
To celebrate their 10th anniversary of the franchise’s 2004 Stanley Cup Championship, Lightning fans will have the chance to see the Stanley Cup on Ford Thunder Alley beginning at 11:30 a.m. prior to the ‘Sunday with Stanley’ event being held at the Tampa Bay Times Forum this Sunday.
The Cup will also make stops at Florida Blue Hospital, Chase Bank, the Children’s Medical Center at Tampa General Hospital and the Children’s Home Visit.
The Lightning also announced today the alumni from the 2004 Stanley Cup Championship team that will be attending this weekend’s events. Forwards Fredrik Modin, Andre Roy, Cory Stillman, Tim Taylor, Ben Clymer, Chris Dingman and Dave Andreychuk, along with defensemen Nolan Pratt, Stan Neckar, Brad Lukowich, Jassen Cullimore and Pavel Kubina. Current Canucks head coach and 2004 Lightning Stanley Cup winner John Tortorella will be in attendance, along with his former assistant Craig Ramsay. 2004 Stanley Cup general manager Jay Feaster and Lightning president Ron Campbell will also be honored on Monday evening.
Another highlight of "Sunday with Stanley" will be an instructional Hockey 101 session taught by Lightning owner Jeff Vinik.
If you can’t make it to “Sunday with Stanley”, fear not as the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the franchise’s 2004 Stanley Cup Championship continues on Monday, March 17, when the Tampa Bay Lightning take on the Vancouver Canucks at the Forum. The puck will drop at 7:30 p.m. All fans in attendance will be given a replica of the actual Stanley Cup ring that was distributed to the players following the championship, courtesy of Chase Bank.
The night will feature appearances by a number of alumni from the 2004 team as well as the trophy they captured, the Stanley Cup. Alumni expected to attend are captain Dave Andreychuk, Ben Clymer, Jassen Cullimore, Chris Dingman, Pavel Kubina, Brad Lukowich, Fredrik Modin, Stan Neckar, Nolan Pratt, Andre Roy, Tim Taylor and Cory Stillman. Fellow alum Martin St. Louis will be skating for the Lightning that night. The staff will be represented as well, as Vancouver is coached by then-Lightning bench boss, John Tortorella. Also participating will be former team president Ron Campbell, general manager Jay Feaster, associate coach Craig Ramsay and assistant athletic trainer Adam Rambo. Current staff members, video coach Nigel Kirwan, head medial trainer Tom Mulligan, head equipment manager Ray Thill and others, will also be recognized.
Prior to the game outside the Times Forum, the alumni will be available for autographs and pictures, while the Stanley Cup will also be on display for photos. Fans will be given a commemorative poster, presented by Chase. All alumni will also be part of a pre-game ceremony on the ice. This will take place from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
The Lightning Girls will model one of the commemorative shirts during the game and will be available for purchase. Additionally, the third period of Game 7 of the 2004 Stanley Cup Final will be shown on LightningVision following the game.
“Sunday with Stanley” is free and open to the general public.
