Hello, my name is Carrie. In 27 days I’ll be 23 yrs old. Well, hockey is the only sport I like, so there’s that. I became a Lightning fan, when they became a team in 1992, I was six years old. My brother got me really into them in high school. My dad still hasn’t gotten me a jersey and I’m still upset about it, it’s been five years. My most memorable Lightning moment was during the Stanley Cup, the interviewer asked Vinny what his strategy was to defeat Calgary and after a few thoughtful seconds he replied, “I’m going to smash them.” It was and still is hilarious. I wish he would start playing like that again. I believe in him. My favorite player now would have to be Stamkos. Last season, I was so back and forth, I couldn’t make up my mind whether or not I liked him, but over the break I realized i did like him and I could support him. It takes awhile to gain my trust with hockey players. Like Smith for instance, does not have my trust, St. Louis does. Tanguey does not have my trust, but Hedman does. Malone I kind of trust. My trust in Vinny is slipping, but I’m holding on for whatever he can give me. I could go on and on, but you get the point. My interests are reading, playing video games, watching movies, music and peanut-butter. I love peanut butter. I found raw charge through twitter, I’m pretty sure. I think hockeybay retweeted a post-game blog that I read. Anyways, consider me introduced. I’m going to take a nap. I’m anemic, it’s okay.

I’ve been a Bolts fan since 1992… Got better introduced to the sport of hockey by a local sports-card shop owner who just happened to be a Canadian transplant and a ref…

My name is Jonathan… and I am …. … a Lightning fan…

I live in New Zealand, which is almost as far away from Tampa Bay as you can get without having to learn another language.
Started following the Lightning during the 2004 Stanley Cup final, which got a bit confusing when the players were all locked out the following year and NZ stopped showing Ice Hockey on TV.

I enjoy following the team and the players (in a non-stalker like fasion) although I don’t try to be anying close to an expert in the game.

Me llamo es Geoff.

I became a fan of the Bolts when I got into hockey back about 2000. I was following the Pensacola Ice Pilots and the Bolts were the closest Florida NHL team so I followed them despite ATL being closer and me having family there.

Hi. My name is Cassie, and I have a problem. I love hockey. It’s my favorite addiction. I’d still play if I could (bad ankle – used to be a defenseman, once upon a time), but I’ll settle for watching others play the sport I love. I’ve been watching hockey since 1992, and I haven’t looked back since. I tend to follow players instead of teams, but when I lived in Clearwater, Florida, I adopted the Lightning as the hometown team and fell into blogging about it. And so there you are.

I’m a Stars fan, but watching the 2004 Cup finals with my dad is what really turned me into a hockey fan. I was only ten at the time, and guys like B-Rad, Vinny,a nd Marty made me love this sport. Even now, those three are still a few of my favorite players. Obviously B-Rad’s my favorite, though :)

Thought I’d join the community of fellow hockey fans in the ‘non-traditional’ market. We at OGA are big supporters of growing the game. While some may dismiss participation below the Mason-Dixon line, we believe it’s the next pool of talent for the future stars of the NHL. And we are excited to speak about this and all current Lightning strikes with Raw Charge’s own, Cassie McClellan this coming Sunday, Nov 8th 5.30PM EST on our talk show, JabberHockey. Go to www.ongoalanalysis.com, click on the JabberHockey page and follow the link to our blogtalkradio page where you can set an email reminder to join us this Sunday. Listen to Cassie, support Raw Charge, support your TBL and please call in with any topics you would like to discuss! We are very excited for this week’s show and hope some of you can join us as we lend our own gloves to growing the community.

…and I bleed the Black and Blue. And White. With a hint of Grey.

I’m Mike. I’ll be 27 in February. I’m a Tampa native who was introduced to this great sport through my stepfather, a transplant from Detroit who grew up watching legends like Howe, Lindsay and Sawchuk (who my step-grandmother loved to tell anybody who would listen that he once made a pass at her). He’d been here 30 years when the Lightning opened shop and his interest in the sport was rekindled. I was barely ten when I saw my first Lightning game at Expo Hall and was hooked.

I remember the good old days of my youth, cruising through school, going to the Thunderdome, and playing in the streets for hours. It became a craze in the neighborhood. A group of us went on to play roller and then moved to ice when the ISF opened up in 1998. There I played in the rec leagues, the initial and early years of the high school league and some metro/travel.

The Palace felt like home, even during the angst of seasons of futility. The All-Star game. Rick Tabarraci. I saw a lot of those games on school nights. I felt so grown-up (hah!) cruising into downtown. Feeling up my date in parking lot (TMI?), the Lightning, and the sport (you get a real education in the locker room), were a part of my coming of age.

I spent 2001-2005 at UF. I don’t know how I would have survived without the Sunshine Network on Cox Cable. My only regret is having to watch The Game 7 from Gainesville. Don’t even get me started on the lockout.

Anyhow, I came back to Tampa, I bought season tickets with my dad and I started playing again in the men’s leagues, which I continue to do to date.

I hope to see this community grow much like Boltprospects has over the years. Thanks John and Cassie for your diligence.

Go Bolts.

‘Lo all, I’m Chris a 35yo native Tampanian, Bolts fan since my senior year of high school in 1992. I’ve been married for two years and am a father of an 8 month old boy, so my local bars and Ice Palace(I refuse to call it by it’s paid name) time has turned into internet and couch time (to the tune of 20lbs gained in a year).
 I’ve been a sous-chef for about 15 years so I’ve always had the hook-up on tickets and free beer and no sport goes better with imported beer than hockey. I guess besides getting wrecked with Dave Andy a few times at a Bennigans after we won the cup,my claim to fame would be my best friend was roommates with the girlfriend (and now wife) of a former loved lightning D-man.
   While I did visit the fairgrounds and the Thunderdome for a few games in the 90’s my real interest didn’t peak until about 97-98 when V4 got drafted. Since then I’ve averaged about 15-20 games attended a season,with the peak being ironically (and luckily) enough our cup year which I attended 30 something regular season games and 7 playoff games including the clincher (which besides the game was an outrageous story in itself).
  Hoping by December our group of guys will have gotten enough ice time together to pull out a nice playoff run..

Let’s Go Lightning!

Hi my name is Shayla and I am originally for the Great North Woods of New Hampshire but am currently southern floridian…..As far back as I can remember I have had a love of hockey that has outlived all of my relationships! Seeing as though I am from what most would consider an extention of Canada my weekends were fill with arena time watching any hockey that going on. Everyone wonders why I am not a Bruins fan considering my love for the Celtics, Patriots and Red Sox’s. Well the answer would be Vinny Lecavalier. He was a big name in our town with kids wanting to play like him and then when he was drafted to the Lightning I couldn’t help but route for them! My old hockey boyfriends would make me sit and watch the lightning games just to see a glimpse of him and ever since then I have been hooked on the lightning. It certainly is harder now to embrace hockey when I can see the ocean but it is one love that will not die. i still have to justify why i am watching the lightning games at the bar instead of the miami heat games but i always stick up for a sport where you can punch someone! I just got back from a week in Montreal and there is just something about that city that makes you want to connect with everything hockey so here i am opinion in hand!!

Born in Ottawa, ON
Currently living in Vancouver, BC
Team preference is Ottawa Senators, Colorado Avalanche, and now Tampa Bay Lightning

Quick bio: I was born in Ottawa (thus Senators fan), and for many years my dad lived in Denver and had season tickets (thus Avalanche fan). I actually spent the majority of my life living outside of Carp, ON – the hometown of one Kurtis Foster. Actually, Kurtis lived about a minute form where I did. While Carp is listed as his hometown, the town is still technically a part of Ottawa, and is actually closer to Scotiabank Place than downtown Ottawa is.

My parents split when I was young, but my dad tried to get me to a hockey game whenever I saw him. Failing that, it was Hockey Night in Canada on a small TV in a hotel room. You learn to love the game pretty quick like that.

My connection to Tampa comes from Foster and Konopka (former captain of the OHL’s Ottawa 67’s), and also my girlfriend, who is now well-established as the cousin of James “Killer” Wright. Honestly, it’s the only team we can agree on.

I’ve also met Vancity Canuck/The Hockey Bay, and she is totally rad. You’re lucky to have her here.

Got around to this introduction thing. I’m not really good at it, so I’ll just introduce myself as Tina. Known on the Raw Charge threads as TB_hockey_fan. You can look me up on Twitter as TJ_hockeyfan426 if you wanna follow or be followed…. (only in the Twitter sense, NO STALKING! LOL).

I’ve been playing and/or watching hockey for the better part of 25 yrs. More watching now than playing because of bad knees (too many years of playing catcher in church league softball). My passion is hockey in general and the Tampa Bay Lightning in particular, although I’ll admit to a milr allegiance to the Carolina Hurricanes because they’re the closest to me and the Detroit Red Wings-I met the great Gordie Howe some years back and they man is fantastic to talk to. Has a wicked wit too.

My favorite player? Any of them that wear (or have worn) the Lightning bolt. I’ll discuss hockey anytime. No trash talking, just hockey talk. Stop by and see us on the game threads. You’ll be welcome by all (as long as ya behave yerself…LOL)

My name is Danny and I was born and raised in Tampa where I currently reside. My dad took me to my first Lightning game in the ‘92-’93 inaugural season against Winnipeg. Since then, I watched some pretty lean years pass with near bankruptcy, inadequate ownership, and a lack of core talent. The past six seasons have been promising and I look forward to bright seasons ahead.

My grandparents are from Quebec, and while i’m not sure if he was a Nordiques fan, I do know my late grandfather was a Rowdies fan. They defunct from the North American Soccer League when I was born in ‘84, so he didn’t have a chance to take me to a game. I would have loved to have gone with him to a Mutiny game and see the legendary Carlos “El Pibe” Valderrama. I am exstatic about the return of the USL Div-1 Rowdies to Tampa Bay in 2010, hopefully soccer is here to stay. I am very proud of my French Canadian roots with intentions of learning French and traveling abroad East Canada.

I wish everyone the best in life, because that is what we deserve and what we have to look forward to when we are born, die, reincarnate, repeat.