Tampa Bay Lightning Say No To Chicago Blackhawks Fans

The puck hasn’t even dropped on the Stanley Cup Finals and we already have our first controversy thanks to the Tampa Bay Lightning: fans wearing Blackhawks gear will be asked to remove said gear in certain areas of the Amalie Arena upon entry. This is the same organization that also gave us 16 wonderful coaching games from Barry Melrose a few years ago, so this isn’t exactly their first rodeo with a “bad idea.”

In the organization and Amalie Arena’s defense, they are trying to create a home-ice advantage for the Lightning. It’s no secret that Blackhawk fans travel well and make their presence heard at opposing arenas (just ask folks at the Honda Center about that.) But Tampa is battling with decades of history and with Florida being the retirement home of choice of many from the north, it has its fair share of other fans living in close proximity to Amalie Arena (just listen to game six of the Conference Finals after every Rangers’ goal…it sounds like mini-MSG.)

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But to start banning people from the high-priced sections with Blackhawks gear? It comes off as insecure and looks amateurish for the organization and Amalie Arena. People are plunking down a pretty penny for those seats, so if they want to support the team from the Windy City, let them. This may be a fan’s only chance to see their favorite team in person this year, so why ruin the fun for them? The game or series isn’t going to be decided because the Mike Ditka-looking guy is wearing a skin-tight Ed Belfour jersey.

And let’s be real here Tampa fans: Amalie Arena wasn’t exactly a home-ice advantage in the Conference Finals against the Rangers, where your beloved Lightning lost two of three (and the losses weren’t particularly close.) So let’s pump the brakes about making this some kind of huge home-ice advantage.

Sure, it’d be nice to have 19,204 people wearing blue and white, but it’s never like that in any arena. That doesn’t make the good fans of the Lightning any less of a fan because there are people cheering the Blackhawks at the game. Right now all this little stunt is doing is giving non-interested fans a reason to root against Tampa and mock the fanbase for having to stoop to these levels to ensure no Blackhawk fans can be seen. You want to be considered a big time organization? Act like one.

You know how you silence opposing fans in your own building (besides throwing beer at them)? Score goals…lots of them. Give them no reason to be loud and obnoxious. Go put up a five-spot on Corey Crawford and Blackhawk fans will voluntarily taking their jerseys off. No silly prohibition is necessary.

Go to the game Lightning fans and cheer like hell for your boys. If a Blackhawks fan is being obnoxious, just shout him down. Have fun with it. Plus, isn’t a game more fun when the home fans have a common enemy they can all hate?

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