SPRING HILL, Fla. — There are loads of jersey-wearing, autograph-collecting, flag-flying Bolts followers on the market who will do something for his or her favourite hockey team. However, there’s one super fan in Spring Hill who has made it his objective to attach the team with the community.
Every week all through the season Joe D’Angelo talks every thing Lightning, which is definitely the title of his podcast, Everything Lightning.
“The referees just conveniently turned their back and didn’t see that Colorado had an extra man on the ice,” stated D’Angelo throughout his newest episode recapping Wednesday evening’s game-winning objective.
When D’Angelo isn’t broadcasting about the team, he’s writing about them on his fan web page Tampa Bay Thunder Strikers.
“There’s a lot of people who say to me, ‘we read what you write all the time, we read your injury report, transactions, whose traded, whose not,’” stated D’Angelo.
Over the years D’Angelo used his super fandom to offer again to the community, gathering memorabilia from the gamers for the Thunderstrikers Annual Christmas Toy Drive.
“They will donate hockey sticks signed, pucks signed, as soon as I get them they go out the door, they go right to where they need to go, the kids,” stated D’Angelo.
D’Angelo additionally makes needs come true, like when he organized a Zamboni experience throughout a sport for a younger fan dying of most cancers.
“Knowing that he was going to die, side by side with his mom and him, he smiled,” stated D’Angelo.
D’Angelo even drives a Lightning blue automotive. He stated the team’s dedication makes him need to work simply as laborious in terms of being the greatest fan he may be.
“Dive and take that puck, at 80-miles-an-hour, 100-miles-an-hour, our guys are getting hurt left and right, they are sacrificing their bodies for this cup,” stated D’Angelo.
Whether the Lightning deliver residence one other cup or fall brief, D’Angelo stated he couldn’t be extra happy with his favourite team — they’ll all the time be champions to him.
“They feel the pressure, they know the fans want to get that Stanley back for the third straight time, but it’s not going to be easy, we knew that, so if this goes seven hopefully the ticker can absorb,” stated D’Angelo.