Volume 28 Issue 21 October 13, 2020
Inside:
Those Delicious Treble Makers Are Open! See pages 30-31!
Locals Help The Bolts Bring Home The Cup! Tampa Bay Lightning head trainer Tom Mulligan & chiropractor Tim Bain may not have laced ‘em up, but they did contribute to the second Stanley Cup in team history!
By JOHN C. COTEY & GARY NAGER
The first Tampa Bay Lightning game of the NHL postseason went to one overtime, then two, three, four and five. In between periods, Arbor Greene resident Tom Mulligan, the team’s head trainer, scrambled to tend to cramps and injuries, keep the players hydrated and their energy levels up with grilled chicken, slices of pizza and bananas. “It was controlled chaos in between periods,” Mulligan says. And, unbridled joy afterwards. When Brayden Point scored the gamewinning goal to give the Lightning the 3-2, five-overtime win over Columbus, it set off a raucous celebration and catapulted Tampa Bay on a run that would eventually lead to the team’s second Stanley Cup championship. “That night, I felt this could be something special,” Mulligan says. “It was six hours, and just to see the controlled chaos in between periods was something. It really was all hands
“We won it in my second year in the NHL, and I thought, ‘This isn’t so bad,’” Mulligan says, chuckling. “We had most of the team back, we’re going to have more chances. Then the years start ticking by, players come and go, and you realize: it’s not that easy.” Mulligan is still coming down off the high of his second cup. There are few things like hockey celebrations, and Mulligan says Tampa outdid itself with the homecoming boat parade along the Hillsborough River and subsequent party held at Raymond James Stadium. The most recognizable trophy in sports, Mulligan says he is hoping to be able to bring the Stanley Cup to New Tampa. It is a tradition that each member of the organization gets to spend at least a day with the trophy. In 2004, he took the Cup to MassachuTampa Bay Lightning head trainer Tom Mulligan (holding the Stanley Cup) and his family (l.-r., Tyler, Abby, Zachary & Kellie) finally got to celebrate Tom’s second Cup win setts to share with his parents. While he is not sure of the paramwith the Bolts on Sept. 30. (Photo provided by Tom Mulligan) eters this year, due to Covid-19, he For many, including Mulligan — on deck. We still needed 15 more and wife Kelly have some ideas for a one of the few staffers remaining from wins after that, but if that would have New Tampa celebration. the 2004 crew that took home the turned out differently, who knows “That’s the plan,” he says. team’s first Cup — it was a long time what happens?” But first, some family time is in coming. There have been a series of The Lightning ended up getting order. Mulligan spent 65 days in the those 15 wins. After dropping the first close calls in recent years, including NHL bubble, first in Toronto and then game of the Stanley Cup finals to Dal- a conference finals loss in 2018 and in Edmonton. mostly noticeably, a devastating sweep las, the Lightning won the next four, Counting a few days of quarantinby Columbus in the first round last including a 2-0 shutout pitched by ing before he left Tampa, he was away goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy to clinch year after the team tied an NHL record with 62 wins. See “Local Lightning” on page 4. the title.
Check Out The Exerscience Center’s Grand Opening! See the ad on pg. 25 for details!