TAMPA, Fla. — A hodgepodge of items stuffed in a custom Lightning bolt. They are all meant to help bring home another Stanley Cup.
“I hope it works, I really do,” Lightning fan Carol Rylander said.
Rylander donated a pin she got at a Lightning game in the 90s, commemorating former player John Cullen who beat cancer.
“They gave out these pins that had a four-leaf clover on it with his number, number 12, to all the fans when he returned from his cancer bout,” she said.
The Lightning collected many special good luck charms from fans as part of the Call to Charms promotion. There are family pictures, a stuffed Stamkos doll, a giant rubber band ball, a custom gnome, and much more.
“We’ve got a collectible badge from the mayor herself that’s in here," Lightning Chief Marketing Officer Matt Corey said. "And, a lot of other fun items, whether it’s a Yoda, there’s a book on the backside of this that was donated by a nurse, when she was going through cancer treatment. It was an inspirational book that she read. She’s cancer-free now. And she wanted to give that to the team."
The newest dolphin at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium gave the Bolts his first buoy. And, Alison Miller parted ways with her lucky Kermit the frog sneakers.
These Lightning lucky charms will be on display on the concourse during home games. There’s a smaller version that goes on the road with the team.
“Their superstition and belief play a part in all of sports, certainly hockey," Corey said. "We really wanted to play into that a little bit."
When the Bolts season is over, the fans will get their items back and they hope for another championship to celebrate too.
To see all the good luck charms, click here.
