TAMPA, Fla. — At a radio station booth set up near the entrance of Thunder Alley, the sun-splashed plaza outside Amalie Arena on Saturday, Paul Damato — wearing a John Tavares All-Star jersey — raised a replica of the Stanley Cup over his head as his family recorded the moment on their cellphones.
For Paul, his dad Anthony, and two brothers, Justin and Vincent, it was their first game of the second-round series, but the trip wasn’t easy.
“We got here Wednesday because we all heard that Game 1 was on Thursday and we get here and it was too late to get tickets,” said Anthony, who lives in Marlboro, N.