ANNA MARIA ISLAND – Champa Bay now has a Super Bowl win, an American League Championship and back-to-back Stanley Cup victories as of Wednesday, when the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Montreal Canadiens 1-0.
On Saturday, Lightning Coach Jon Cooper and the Cup came to visit AMI.
Cooper owns a home on the Island, and he and the Cup made multiple stops here, including at The Blue Marlin in Bradenton Beach and D Coy Ducks in Holmes Beach. After the 2020 victory, he brought the Cup to D Coy Ducks and Duffy’s Tavern for a meet and greet with Island fans.
“We were having dinner at the Chateau and a couple of my buddies that worked at D Coy’s said the cup was there,” said Trey Standifer, who was trying his best to get a moment with the famed trophy on Saturday. “By the time we got there, they said it had gone to Bridge Street, so we headed down there just in time to see it being loaded on a private bus with Coach Cooper outside Drift In. I got a picture of it through the bus window, but we were too late to get up close.”
According to Standifer, the Cup had a police escort, and seeing it go by was impressive. The Stanley Cup also travels with private security to ensure its safety anytime it is taken out in public.
Whether or not the Lightning makes another run at the Stanley Cup won’t be known for a while, but the location of the Cup itself is pretty clear. After a team wins, each player and coach gets to possess the Cup for one day. It’s a long-running tradition that has seen the Stanley Cup in places that are pretty hard to imagine. The Cup has been found at the bottom of a swimming pool, players’ babies have been baptized in it, it’s been left by the side of the road and used as a dog bowl, and plenty of beer and cocktails have been consumed from it.
“After the Bolts insane repeat run to win the Stanley Cup, the pressure is on Tom Brady and the Buccaneers to make this the center of the sports universe,” said Allen Collins of Cortez, minutes after the Lightning secured a second title. It’s all over talk radio, social media and barstools throughout the area. The Rays and Buccaneers are now feeling the pressure to do it again – or are they?
“I played minor league baseball for the Mets and the Dodgers and I can assure you that these teams want to win every year whether it’s a repeat or not, said Doug, who asked that his last name not be published. “Sure, they hear the talk, but you’re paid to win, that’s why organizations spend so much money on talent. These guys aren’t feeling any more or less pressure than any other season.”
