TBO · Sep 25, 2018
Lightning journal: Vinik pushing for outdoor game
Lightning owner Jeff Vinik said he is pushing for an outdoor game in Tampa and the NHL is close to allowing one. (DIRK SHADD | Times)As he sat back in his chair facing the stands in the middle of the two benches, Lightning owner Jeff Vinik could not help but remember the first time he sat there.
A young Steven Stamkos sat next to him as he spoke in front of a crowd of about 30 people.
"We're going to change this," Vinik recalled thinking to himself.
And they did, if Sunday was any indication. Vinik spoke these words in front of not 30 fans, but thousands who attended Lightning Fan Fest at Amalie Arena.
10,164 to be exact.