Lightning Stars Help Celebrate Opening Of Street Hockey Rink

TAMPA, FL -- Three Tampa Bay Lightning all-stars were on hand for the recent dedication of a street hockey rink at the Jeff & Penny Vinik Family Boys & Girls Club at Winston Park in Clair-Mel.

Children attending had an opportunity to meet Lightning stars Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point, and Andrei Vasilevskiy.

After remarks from National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman, Lightning owner Jeff Vinik, Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister and Boys & Girls Club President Chris Letsos, the two dozen kids grabbed hockey sticks and charged onto the rink's surface, passing an orange rubber ball up and down the playing surface toward opposing nets.

The rink was donated by the NHL as a "Legacy Project" to benefit the community where the league staged its annual all-star spectacle Jan. 27-28.

In his comments, Bettman called the new rink, "something that will keep alive all the positive energy of the weekend … and extend the celebration for all of us."

The rink, with a rubberized surface, side boards, metal roof, scoreboard, and penalty boxes, is adjacent to a new Boys & Girls Club the Viniks are building through a partnership with Hillsborough County Parks & Recreation at Winston Park, 7605 Destin Drive, in Clair-Mel.

Video via Hillsborough County