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As you may or may not know, Raw Charge has a few partnerships with vendors. BreakingT is one of those vendors and they are known around the sports community as a company that capitalizes on in-the-moment trends. Remember the “Bunch of Jerks” shirt? Yeah, that was them.
So when the euphoria of the Lightning’s 8-0 rout of the Islanders led to the Tampa Bay crowd chanting, “You Got Tampa!” they quickly whipped up a shirt. As a trusted partner we let y’all know that it was available. Something, that was liked by quite a few folks, but also seemed to strike a few folks as a premature gesture. Or also a jinx.
Look I get it. No one wants to assume the Lightning are going to advance to their second Stanley Cup Final in a row. At the same time, c’mon....it’s a t-shirt. If the Lightning should, god forbid, lose the next two games it ain’t going to be because of this shirt. We will have plenty of other things to talk about before we get to the shirt.
Superstitions are weird. We all know that what we do has absolutely no effect on the performance on the ice. Just because you wear the same shirt on game day or eat the same meal before the game doesn’t mean the Bolts are going to win. Still, as logical as it all seems, there is that nagging little voice in the back of the your head that says, “Yeahhhhhh, but.”
Even I succumb to it. I have to wear a face covering at work. In the early rounds I wore a Lightning mask. They went 1-3 on games that I did that. Guess what, haven’t worn it since. I live in Utah, roughly 2,100 miles to the closest game the Lightning played. At no point did I have an effect on the game, yet here we are. That mask is in the closet and I rock an Orioles mask instead (yeah, no superstition needed for that team this year).
So, I ask you - do you have any game day superstitions? If so, go ahead and list them in the comments.
Poll
Do you have a game-day superstition?
Lightning Links
Matt shares his thoughts on Game Five. The most promising aspect, in his opinion, was the dominance of the second line. Steven Stamkos got all the press, but Alex Killorn and Anthony Cirelli also played pretty well.
Lightning don’t expect the Islanders to go gently in the night
It was a big win for the Lightning, not only by score, but by gaining control of the series. Still, it’s just the third win and the Bolts need four. They expect the Islanders to come out strong in in Game Six.
With Erik Cernak out due to his undisclosed injury, Luke Schenn had to step in to a hotly contested series. He did pretty good.
The biggest take away from the game was that the Lightning played with pace and forced the Islanders to chase them. That and a few lucky bounces.
Hockey Headlines
I know we all wanted him suspended for Game Six. It wasn’t going to happen. The hit, while not cool, wasn’t suspension-worthy. It just wasn’t. The fine is a nice gesture and will go to good use.
Ranking the free agents (subscription required)
Four fan bases are still focused on this season (and all have a pretty legit chance of making it to the Stanley Cup Final). The other ones are looking forward to free agency and the draft. ESPN breaks down the players that might be looking for a new team next season.
Lou Lamoriello is the GM of the Year
The Islanders are back in the conference finals. Lou made a nice deal at the trade deadline to bring in some veteran depth. Still, if I had a vote, it would have gone to Florida’s Bill Zito.
Robert was part of the Sabres legendary “French Connection” line from the 1970s.
The NHL’s slow skate to change
“On the one-year anniversary of the murder of Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer, [Gary] Bettman wrote an op-ed on NHL.com saying that the league’s handling of matters of race in the past had been at times “awkward and uncomfortable.” He went on to say that players and team personnel no longer have the desire to “shut up and play hockey” and no longer want people to feel unwelcome in the sport.”
Last Night’s Game
Nick Suzuki posted three points (one goal, two assists) as the Canadiens took a 3-2 series lead in the semifinal match-up. They will be heading back to Montreal with a chance to advance to the Stanley Cup Final. Perhaps it’s time to stop doubting this team.