Hurricane Milton forces Lightning to postpone home opener against Carolina

As if the weather and hockey gods were conspiring against the Tampa Bay Lightning, yet another hurricane has forced the team to postpone its highly anticipated home opener against the Carolina Hurricanes, originally set for Saturday, October 12, at Amalie Arena. 

The irony is palpable: first, Hurricane Helene postponed their pre-season meeting with their former captain’s new team, the Nashville Predators, and now their home opener against the Carolina Hurricanes needs to be rescheduled because of another hurricane—all while the Bolts are trying to add some major upgrade to their arena. After a hectic offseason filled with roster changes, it seems even the weather isn’t ready to see this team officially take the ice without it’s longtime captain, Steven Stamkos.

Making landfall as a Category 3 hurricane on Wednesday night, Milton left a trail of destruction across Florida, and the devastation is being felt far beyond the hurricane’s immediate impact. So far, NBC has reported 12 fatalities and over 3.4 million people left without power, while tens of millions more deal with damages from flooding and tornadoes.

In a recent statement, the NHL confirmed that a make-up date will be announced as soon as logistics are figured out. Although nothing was mentioned about refunds or whether tickets for the postponed game will be honoured on the new date, we hope this will be done to help avoid making hockey fans' lives in Florida even more difficult during these already challenging times.

Tropicana Field roof torn by Hurricane Milton's devastating winds

The Lightning weren’t the only team in Tampa negatively affected by Hurricane Milton and may actually be considered lucky when compared to what happened at the Tampa Bay Rays’ stadium. Tropicana Field’s roof was ripped apart by Milton’s powerful winds. Videos of the roof flapping in the storm have gone viral, and the team has stated that it will take weeks to assess the full extent of the damage. Thankfully, no injuries were reported at the stadium, but the roof will need serious repairs before any home games can be played inside.

In the grand scheme of things, sports will always take a backseat to safety and well-being. But in the midst of this storm, we can still find moments of levity, like the irony of a hurricane postponing the Lightning's highly anticipated home opener against the Hurricanes.

At this challenging time, we send our thoughts and prayers to all those affected by Hurricane Milton, as we hope for a full recovery for both the teams and the communities they represent. It is during these trying moments that we witness the true character of a community, and we are confident that the strength and determination of the people of Florida will drive their recovery and help them rebuild for a brighter future.