Lets get started...
Pancake Breakfast
Saturday started out with us getting up a bit earlier than usual. Not only did we get to have a nice breakfast, it was hosted by the Tampa Bay Lightning! It was great, we got to eat at their new Firestick Grill, and on top of that the Lightning TV guys (including Bobby "The Chief" Taylor) were there answering fan questions. It was a pretty great time.
Vinny's Hockey Stick
Across from the entrance to the Firestick Grill, the Lightning were selling game used "gear." All money collected from sales went to charity, so we made a "donation." We purchased one of Vinny Lecavalier's used hockey sticks. It's was a pretty awesome purchase, and you'll find out why soon. As much as we wanted to buy more items, we didn't. :-)
Practice
Probably my favorite part of that morning was being able to watch the Lightning practice. I always find it really fascinating to see teams get ready for their games, all that work they put in to it, great stuff. Something you all don't know, Jennifer's favorite player is Steve Downie. He's no enforcer, but he loves to throw down.. even when he gets his butt beat. The cool thing was watching the head coach, Guy Boucher, work one-on-one with Steve. Next to Marty, I really feel like Steve is the hardest working guy on the team.
12 Autographs
After practice completed, we decided to head over to the East Parking Lot where the players park. We did this in the hopes that one or two players might stop and sign autographs.. 12 players stopped, sweet! We officially have autographs from the following players:
- Pavel Kubina
- Tom Pyatt
- Victor Hedman
- Nate Thompson
- Dominic Moore
- Ryan Shannon
- Mattias Ohlund
- Mathieu Garon
- Brett Clark
- Marc-Andre Bergeron
- Brett Connolly
- Vinny Lecavalier (and now you know the rest of the story ;-) )
Datz Deli
If you're looking for a great place to eat, and you're in Tampa, go to Datz Deli. Amazing food. I usually get the same thing when I go there, the Havana Hottie. It's their play on a Cuban Sandwich, not authentic, but amazing. Lets just say that they use honey mustard and horseradish sauce.. ok, I'm hungry now..
Tampa Bay History Center
I've been wanting to go to the Tampa Bay History Center for a while. I see it advertised all the time at Lightning games, and it looked pretty cool. So we went! It's a really nice place and full of information about Tampa Bay. However, the coolest thing they have their.. their MAMMOTH SIZED ELEVATOR! Just look at the picture below..
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Cocktail Party
Season ticket members for the Lightning were invited to a great little cocktail party before the game on Saturday. It was nice all on it's own, because we met some really nice people, however, the best part was being able to meet the Lightning owner, Jeff Vinik. What a nice man. You would never know that this guy was a multi-millionaire while talking to him. So laid back and chill.
Game
To top off the night, we went to the game that night against the Florida Panthers, and kicked their asses 6-3! The only issue, Mason had been up all day and in his car seat for most of the day. Long story short, we left half way through the 2nd period. I thought I would be bummed about leaving early, but I really wasn't. I was too concerned with Mason. :-)
Birthday Dinner
Believe it or not, everything up to this point was Saturday, long day. On Sunday, we took it pretty easy. We had a really nice lunch with my parents at The Pub. This was originally going to be an event for Jennifer & Angela's (my sister-in-law) birthdays, but with my niece & nephew getting over being very sick, we decided to do things a little separately. Jen & I have really enjoyed eating at The Pub. We love it so much, we had our wedding rehearsal dinner there.
Another great weekend with my amazing family. :-)
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