I became a Lightning fan when they drafted Lecavalier (and Richards) in 1998. I followed Lecavalier's junior career in Rimouski and thought he would be the next Lemieux (unfortunately hasn't happened) and decided to support whichever team he went to. I suffered through the three consecutive 50-loss seasons and then watched as the team finally developed into a powerhouse with the legendary Tortorella (I created a John Tortorella fan group on Facebook, which still exists, albeit not very actively) at the helm. I caught so much flak (and received actual physical threats) for supporting the Lightning during their 2004 Cup run, esp when they played Montreal and Calgary.
My argument then (and to a large extent now) was that the Lightning actually had more Canadian players on their team than Calgary (or Montreal) did, featuring stalwart Canadian national team players like Lecavalier, Richards, St Louis (and now Stamkos). Also, Khabibulin, who was tending for them at the time, is a former Winnipeg Jet. They played an exciting, up-tempo brand of hockey (not so much now, but they still have explosive offensive talent). Guy Boucher as a coach was someone I admired for his work with Hamilton in the AHL (routinely getting the best of my Manitoba Moose) and Steve Yzerman is a legend to me and was always one of my favourite players growing up. Having him as General Manager makes me so pleased and he has done fantastically this season. Finally, two members of the Tampa coaching staff were born and raised in Winnipeg. The last couple seasons have been rough as a supporter but this playoff run has been outstanding so far.
I also like their jerseys.... 😀
If Tampa manages to make the Finals, I'm planning on going down there and getting tickets to Games 3 and 4. Best case scenario for me is a Vancouver-Tampa final.
Actually, the closest NHL team to me, geographically, is the Minnesota Wild, followed by Chicago (unless Phoenix or Atlanta move to Winnipeg, which is where I'm from originally). I usually wish the Canadian teams well (bar Toronto, whose consistent misery makes me happy) but don't feel a particular allegiance to any of them. So the question is somewhat similar to asking a Liverpudlian why they wouldn't support Tottenham or Chelsea in the Champions League, really.
