Monday Commentary: I Like It I, I Love It

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Well that was a wild one!

As luck would have it, they’re calling Sunday night’s NHL Outdoor Game in Tampa Bay – as part of the Stadium Series – the greatest outdoor game the league has ever seen.

I can’t disagree, for a lot of reasons. Chiefly, the hometown Lightning came back from a 5-1 deficit to beat Boston 6-5 in a shootout on a goal by U.S. Olympian Jake Guentzel.

What spurred the comeback? Only a second period goalie fight between Tampa’s Andrei Vasilevskiy and Boston’s Jeremy Swayman which had the crowd of 64,000-plus out of their seats!

But wait … there’s more. The NHL teams in these outdoor games have become notorious for their outlandish “team arrival” outfits and this was no different. The Bruins were adorned in early US settler/Patriot uniforms while the Lightning came dressed in Tampa Bay Buccaneer football uniforms, from head to toe. I inadvertently walked in with the Bruins, thinking they were the anthem singers or flagbearers.

Oops!

Oh, and Tampa coach Jon Cooper was dressed as a Florida druglord complete with a fedora and chains. When his team was down 5-1, I wondered how soon it would be before “Coop” ditched the outfit, but that turned out not to be a concern.

Afterwards, the Prince George, BC product and former Notre Dame Hound was seen smoking a fat cigar at ice level. Sports are about confidence – in fact, all of life is – and the Lightning feel they can win any game they play. Lately, they always do.

Oh, and did I mention the first intermission featured a performance by Tim McGraw? I was in country music heaven, and we even got to interview him before the game. (I may have broken the rule of “No cheering in the press box” when they announced McGraw would be available to the media 90 minutes before faceoff).

I hate the either/or mentality we have in society or the fact that we always gotta “pick a winner” but the game wasn’t even over yet before people were asking which outdoor game was better: Tampa Bay’s, or the Winter Classic in Miami last month?

In truth, they were both spectacular but people won’t settle for that these days. (i.e. “Pick one!”)

It pains me a bit to say it, but Tampa wins by a nose for all the reasons listed above. Plus, it was just a far better game than the Rangers/Panthers tilt last month.

But what a gift to have been able to be at them both. 

That’s today’s Rod Pedersen Commentary.

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