Lightning fans get ready for playoffs with drive-thru pep rally
TAMPA — Robert Matthews thought about going home after finishing his shift at St. Joseph’s Hospital but decided against it.
He was already wearing his blue Lightning Stanley Cup T-shirt and had a cup of coffee at the ready, so why not head to WestShore Plaza and get in line for Saturday’s drive-thru pep rally instead?
He pulled into the lot around 7:10 a.m. in his red sedan without any other cars in sight. His only wait would be counting down the minutes until 9, when the pep rally kicked off.
The 62-year-old Tampa resident was one of hundreds who stopped by the mall for the rally ahead of the Lightning’s playoff opener against the Panthers on Sunday night. Fans waited in line for koozies, yard signs, Pepsi products, coupons, Lightning-themed Dunkin’ doughnuts, playoff towels and other items.
Lightning mascot ThunderBug and home-game anthem singer Sonya Bryson-Kirksey helped keep spirits high.
This wasn’t Matthews’ first Lightning pep rally. He attended last year’s drive-thru ahead of the Stanley Cup final against the Stars and loved the enthusiasm and giveaways, making the decision to return easy.
“I have (Lightning) flags at home, and I forgot to put them on,” Matthews joked. “I was just so anxious to get here.”
It took Matthews only about six minutes to get through the parking lot maze once the party started.
For others, it took around 20 minutes once they arrived at the entrance. By 9:45, announcers said traffic was backed up to Interstate 275. By 10:30, the end of the line was wrapped around the mall to the front of the JCPenney store.
Nicole Miller and her friends Emily Lang and Tom Hains didn’t mind the wait. They rode in an open-door Jeep Wrangler, enjoying the weather and being around other die-hard fans for their first pep rally as horns sounded across the lot.
“It was great and fun,” said Miller, 31 of Tampa. “I got a lot more than I thought I would.”
Miller, who has been a Lightning fan since she was a child, said she is excited to celebrate this year’s postseason run in person since last year’s was spent in bubbles in Canada. She plans on going to the watch parties at Amalie Arena and Thunder Alley, too.
“It’s such a relief to be back,” she said. “I hated being so far away from them. I’m so stoked for them to be back.”
Sue Terebecki of Egypt Lake said she also loved the excitement of her first pep rally.
“I love what the Bolts do for the town,” Terebecki, 68, said. “I was excited to see my (ThunderBug).”
Said her husband, Dennis, 70, “It was worth every minute.”
Contact Mari Faiello at mfaiello@tampabay.com. Follow @faiello_mari.
• • •
Sign up for Lightning Strikes, a weekly newsletter from Bolts beat writer Eduardo A. Encina that brings you closer to the ice.
Never miss out on the latest with the Bucs, Rays, Lightning, Florida college sports and more. Follow our Tampa Bay Times sports team on Twitter and Facebook.
