Lightning Does It Again: Stanley Cup Stays In Tampa

TAMPA, FL — The cheers at Amalie Arena were repeated in hundreds bars across Tampa Bay on Wednesday night as the Tampa Bay Lightning won the Stanley Cup for the second straight year.

Only one point separated the Lightning from the Canadiens, but it was enough to keep the Stanley Cup in Tampa.

"It's unbelievable. It's cliche to say, but there are no words," team captain Steven Stamkos minutes after the victory. "And to be able to win in front of our amazing fans was just fantastic."

"This is an incredible accomplishment," National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bruce Bettman said.

The Lightning became the 17th team in NHL history to win at least two consecutive Stanley Cup trophies. They’re the first team to do it since the Pittsburgh Penguins won it all in 2016 and again in 2017.

Stamkos was presented the Stanley Cup in Edmonton in 2020 and received it again Wednesday night from Bettman, kissing it before holding it over his head for the cheering crowd.

It was a double honor for goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, who also received the Conn Smythe Trophy, given to the team's most valuable player during the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Game 5 was Vasilevskiy's fifth shutout, making 22 saves Wednesday.

The game's lone score was made by a Lightning rookie, forward Ross Colton. A recruit from the American Hockey League this season, it was Colton's fourth goal of the playoffs.

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor called it "a great day for Champa Bay."

It's her third time to make that declaration in less than a year. She said it when the Lightning won the Stanley Cup last September and again when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the Super Bowl in February.

Earlier in the night, she posted an encouraging tweet to the team: "Keep the cup and Stanley keeps his tan!"

The Lightning sent out a simple four-word tweet that summed it their victory: "We did it again."

Tampa Bay Bucs head coach Bruce Arians promptly tweeted his congratulations to the team, calling it "one hell of a series."

The inevitable victory celebrations have yet to be announced, but Tampa residents can most likely look forward to another of Tampa's signature boat parades with Lightning players and head coach Jon Cooper leading.