Lightning To Break Ground On Outdoor Hockey Rink In Oldsmar

OLDSMAR, FL -- Oldsmar area kids with a hankering for hockey will soon have a new outdoor rink where they can hone their skills.

The Tampa Bay Lightning and the City of Oldsmar will break ground on a new "Lightning Made" public outdoor hockey rink, the first facility of its kind in Pinellas County.

The Oldsmar rink, located at 3120 Tampa Road, will be one of 10 to be built in the five-county Tampa Bay area as part of the Lightning's Build the Thunder initiative.

A ground-breaking ceremony is set for Friday, May 17 at 4 p.m. and will include Lightning CEO Steve Griggs, vice president of community hockey development Jay Feaster, Lightning alumni Dave Andreychuk, Ruslan Fedotenko, Jassen Cullimore and Mathieu Garon, City of Oldsmar Mayor Eric Seidel, City Manager Al Braithwaite, Heritage Insurance CEO Bruce Lucas as well as Thunderbug and the Lightning Girls.

The Tampa Bay Lightning's Community Hockey Department, led by 2004 Stanley Cup-winning General Manager Jay Feaster, manages the Lightning High School Hockey League, all Lightning Made camps and clinics, the Lightning Sled Hockey Program as well as the Street Lightning program.

The Build the Thunder initiative is the Lightning's most extensive hockey outreach. Its goal is to grow the sport by providing opportunities for 100,000 children in Tampa Bay to play hockey.