Despite all that history, the big topic this week has been "bandwagon" Bruins fans. The Boston Globe published a lengthy feature on Tuesday that documents why some Bostonians were rooting hard for the Bruins. The list included "to meet girls," "to impress a boyfriend" and to "fit in with the rest of the city."
The conversation has extended beyond that story, though, as Twitter, sports talk radio and even a story or two on this here website have sent messages (mostly welcoming) to those who've never watched hockey intently until last week.
So, if there's this much bandwagon jumping going on in a Northeast city with nearly 100 years of hockey history, imagine what's going on down in Tampa, Fla.
Tampa is a lovely little city on the west coast of Florida. It's full of nice people, for sure, but it may not be full of people who spent their early years traveling to freezing cold rinks at 5 a.m., or who know what a two-line pass used to be, or who don't know what "running the goalie" is, and so on.
But you can bet they're fired up for the Tampa Bay Lightning.
And luckily for them, they have a self-proclaimed captain.
Ben Montgomery of the St. Petersburg Times has deemed himself to be Capt. Bandwagon down in Tampa.
"I haven't paid attention to as many Canadians since the Barenaked Ladies debuted," Montgomery wrote. "And [the Lightning] haven't lost yet. Seven wins in a blink. I suddenly want to buy some gloves just so I can throw them off. Does this sound familiar to any of you other late arriving 'fans'? I'm not just interested in hockey, I'm obsessed. I'm the ultimate bandwagon jumper."
Montgomery might actually be a little late, as the Lightning's run to Lord Stanley's Cup in the spring of 2004 likely got thousands upon thousands of newfound fans hooked on the sport for life. Seven years later, it's happening again, with residents of the sunny Southern city flocking to the St. Pete Times Forum to go crazy for the Lightning.
While you could argue that the fans in Edmonton, or Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa or Colorado might deserve this moment more, it's ultimately a great thing for hockey that the sport is being welcomed with such zeal in Tampa. Sure, Capt. Bandwagon may not know Guy Lafleur from Guy Ritchie, and he may know Wayne Gretzky as "that guy from the Skechers Shape-Ups" commercial, and "Winter Classic" might mean a trip to the beach in January, but hey, at least his interest is growing.
That was the goal when the NHL added the franchise to Tampa in 1992 — to spread hockey to folks who had yet to fall in love with the greatest game on earth. It may not have been a rousing success from start to finish (the Lightning sold just 87.8 percent of their tickets this year, and they finished 26th out of 30 in that department last year), but they're showing up now, when it really counts.
Make fun of people like Capt. Bandwagon all you want. Tell them they don't know jack about hockey and they're all frauds. But people like Capt. Bandwagon are the ones necessary for the NHL to thrive, and they're the ones who can help hockey regain its footing in this country as a legitimate member of the four major sports.
So thanks, Capt. Bandwagon, for leading the charge. We just hope you and all your friends will still be around next year.
