“Thunder, feel the thunder. Lightning and the thunder!” – Imagine Dragons, Thunder

Arena: Amalie Arena (1996)

Location: Near Downtown Tampa on the Banks of the Hillsborough River

Game Attended: March 14, 2015 vs. Winnipeg Jets

Game Result: 2-1 Jets victory

Seat Location: Upper Level Corner

Overall Impression: Way Better Than I Expected

Welcome to the second stop of the Tour de National Hockey League’s Sun Belt circuit: Tampa, Florida! This stop is much like our first Sun Belt stop in Raleigh. Like the Canes, the Tampa Bay Lightning came into existence in the mid-90’s during our Brilliant Commissioner Gary Bettman’s push into non-traditional hockey markets (please note the extreme sense of sarcasm attached to the words Brilliant Commissioner). Like Raleigh, hockey isn’t the first thing to come to mind when you think of Tampa. Like the Hurricanes, the Lightning have a catchy, appropriate name for a team in a state susceptible to thunderstorms on every day that ends in the letter Y. But the comparisons with PNC Arena stop at the fan experience. Hooooooooboy do the Lightning have if figured out!

My trip to Tampa coincided with a spring break trip to visit high school friend George, who attended the University of Tampa. We got upper level seats for a Bolts game on a sunny Saturday afternoon in March, so naturally it was 80 degrees or so. And the city was buzzing with excitement for the evening’s game. Tons of fans in blue and white jerseys (and a few black jerseys from the pre-lockout era). Outside Amalie Arena, fans gathered in a large courtyard to enjoy pre-game music and video clips of previous games. Inside, 19,000 fans packed the building for a sellout against the Winnipeg Jets.

Ah, the building. High school friend George clued me in that new Lightning owner Jeffrey Vinik (of hedge fund fame) invested a lot of money into Amalie Arena and the Lightning fan experience. And to you, Mr. Vinik, I say, “well done.” The building looked brand new even though renovations were completed in 2012. Concourses were wide open with vaulted ceilings, views of Downtown Tampa, and a variety of concessions. And after the game, fans are welcome to head out to Amalie’s rooftop deck for food, drinks, and nice views of Downtown Tampa and the Hillsborough River. Really cool amenity that was packed for at least an hour after the final whistle. (Side note: also heard Lightning season ticket holders get custom jerseys with built-in chips to pay for concessions and merchandise at member discounts, pretty cool!)

The in-rink amenities were nice too, from the jumbotron that spans the entire neutral zone and is very easy to read, to the large organ for in-game music, and of course, the unexpectedly terrifying features in the ceiling above the corner faceoff circles. Because, naturally, when the Lightning score, what do the fans get? Lightning! (Editor’s Note: Jumped a solid foot out of my seat the first time they turned on the lightning, still not convinced it’s totally safe.)

As for the neighborhood, Amalie is kind of separated from Downtown Tampa, so most of the nightlife will require a bit of a walk after the game. And apparently traffic getting around Tampa sucks, so I’m not entirely sure how easy it is to drive in/out and park (we walked from the University). But the Florida Aquarium is just two blocks away, so that’s a fun option before the game. We settled for a nice sports bar called Hattricks for an early dinner about six blocks away, which was fine.

Even though the Bolts lost to Winnipeg, the in-game experience was still great, and much better than I expected from a Southern market. No doubt talented players like Stamkos, Hedman, Kucherov, and Johnson helped the cause, but I’d imagine it would still be a fun arena in a Lightning “recession”. For those of you up North, it’s a great winter getaway. Tampa’s a fun city, and Amalie is a gorgeous, fan-friendly arena. Definitely excited to go back for another game!

Building: 5 / 5

Atmosphere: 3.5 / 5

Neighborhood: 3.5 / 5

Overall: 4 / 5