Hockey Day in Tampa Bay showcases wide spectrum of sport
TAMPA, Fla. -- The former player and his old coach met in a corridor deep in Amalie Arena and shared a smile on a day of celebration. Early Sunday afternoon, former Tampa Bay Lightning captain Dave Andreychuk encountered his former coach John Tortorella near an entrance to the ice before both led teams in the Lightning Conference All-Star Game as part of Hockey Day in Tampa Bay.
Tortorella made a crack about Andreychuk's aging body, now 51 years old. The former winger answered back with wit of his own.
"Yeah, my shoulders, they're not made for hockey anyway," Andreychuk said. "It's good. It's good. It's real good."
Bonding moments like the one shared between Andreychuk and Tortorella were at the heart of Hockey Day in Tampa Bay activities, which included youth street hockey, a game between USF and the University of Tampa, a sled hockey contest, the Lightning Conference All-Star Game, a "Battle of the Badges" contest between local firefighters and police officers, a game between two local high school teams as part of the Lightning Cup and a watch party for the Lightning-San Jose Sharks contest that began Tampa Bay's five-game West Coast swing.
No matter the age or level of experience, each hockey lover could leave pleased.
"More than anything else, we're all coming here together in this area," Andreychuk said. "We're all hockey fans, whether you're watching your 10-year-old or you're playing hockey as one of the police and fire (personnel). So it's kind of cool that all of us get here together in one day. It's going to get bigger and better. It really is. But today is really a fun day for all of us."
The fun began at 8 a.m. with youth street hockey on Ford Thunder Alley near Amalie Arena. Late Sunday morning, Jason Guerra, a club director at the Tampa-based Nick Capitano Boys and Girls Club, sat near one of the four rinks and spoke about the day's deeper benefits.
His team, the Nick Capitano Power Surge, had practiced since about late August with guidance from the Lightning organization. His group includes 15 fourth- and fifth-graders, though seven played Sunday. Most had never held a hockey stick before their introduction to the sport, but in their development, they learned key life lessons like teamwork and perseverance.
"It's great. Our kids are excited about it," Guerra said. "They've never had an opportunity to do anything like that. It got them excited, and they're doing well. They're getting outside and they're exercising -- that's the key component. Get them outside. Get them playing. It's just a great experience for them. They don't get to do this kind of stuff."
Added Jean Decimus, a defenseman on Guerra's team: "It's so great to play right now. We're just all having fun."
Inside Amalie Arena, the event allowed for a reunion with a familiar franchise face. Tortorella, who coached Tampa Bay from 2000 to 2008, said he was eager to play a part in giving back to the region with the organization that captured a Stanley Cup with him behind the bench during the 2003-04 season.
The event was held with charity in mind. Tickets were $10, and all proceeds were donated to Sun Coast Law Enforcement Charities Inc., for the benefit of the family of fallen Tarpon Springs officer Charles Kondek, and to the Lightning Foundation, for the benefit of the Lightning Sled Hockey Program.
"The way I look at it, it's an honor," said Tortorella, whose team beat Andreychuk's squad 4-2 in the Lightning Conference All-Star Game, which featured area high school players. "I'm a part of the community. We always come back here in the offseason. To see some of the people in the building, and to just be part of this right from the grassroots -- kids' sled hockey, high school hockey, college hockey and all sorts of things going on here, it has been a blast."
Young and old alike shared the feeling. There was a common bond found among all: Love for a sport that Tampa Bay has embraced.
"It's incredible where it is now just compared to when I was here before, when I started back in 1998 with the team," said Jay Feaster, a former Lightning general manager and their current executive director of community hockey development. "It really is incredible. Now there's talk of a new rink going up in Pasco County. So we have a lot of work to do yet to grow the game. But certainly, we're making strides."
You can follow Andrew Astleford on Twitter @aastleford or email him at aastleford@gmail.com.
