By Michael Wax
The Lightning’s season may be over, but the passionate fan base in Tampa still remains all year round. In the latest article of #MeetBoltsNation, Lightning super fan Shelby Schmitt (@shelbsdamook) looks back on her time getting into hockey, the growth the game has seen, and the Lightning fans and hockey fans, in general, she’s interacted with all over North America.
Becoming a Lightning Fan
(Shelby and her sister attending a Lightning game)
Back in the 1990s, hockey was still experiencing its first growth in the Tampa Bay market. While they attracted many new viewers, many still focused on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Orlando Magic. For Shelby, Lightning hockey was the place to be from day one.
I grew up in Tampa Bay my entire life… I was born in 1996,” said Schmitt. “They were always on the TV. We were always going to games. My dad used to take me to Lightning games when I got good grades, like as a reward.”
With a mid-2000s renaissance that saw the Lightning have their first sustained playoff success, the first wave of the fan base that included Shelby became enthralled with early iconic moments in the franchise's history.
“I feel like my first conscious memory of the Lightning is Marty St. Louis’ 2OT goal in game six of the finals,” said Schmitt. “I remember that excitement in that moment, and then obviously, watching them win. Fedotenko’s goals, all that is so clear in my mind.”
From Blogging...
(Shelby with Seth Kush)
We all reach that point where the fandom translates into something else. Whether it’s playing the game that we grew up watching and loving or getting into the sports media side of things. Shelby's start was a lot like us here at The Bolt Report: writing. And she did it with a familiar face to Bolt's nation.
“I worked with Seth Kushner, who used to do the Block Party podcast,” said Schmitt. “We did a blog together. Seth actually started it, and then I saw it going around on Twitter, and I reached out to him.”
Quite the time for Shelby to get involved in the Lightning writing space, as they were in the midst of their modern-day dynasty.
“It was super, super fun, said Schmitt. “We covered the 2022 season when they lost to the Avs. It was so fun.”
Even though her time writing has taken a bit of a backseat, and Seth is no longer on the Block Party, their friendship has remained intact and started through the power of Bolts’ Twitter.
"We ended up becoming, like, really good friends, said Schmitt. "Seth and I talk all the time still."
...To Playing...
(Shelby playing in the Atlanta beer league)
The COVID-19 pandemic was tough on a lot of people, but he also provided an opportunity for people to learn new things. Shelby was one of these individuals that took the opportunity and jumped into something that she loved watching growing up.
“I started playing hockey after COVID,” said Schmitt. I used to play street hockey with my brother, but, youth hockey was not as big in Tampa when I was growing up, so I never had a chance.”
Even if she’s not living in Tampa anymore, Shelby is still involved in one of the biggest growing hockey markets in the United States.
"Atlanta actually has the second-largest adult Hockey League in the country after Dallas," said Schmitt. "That's what I'm a part of."
...To Winning
(Shelby with the AAHL A-3 Championship)
"Just like the biggest high of my adult life."
As previously mentioned, Atlanta is experiencing a hockey boom. With this in mind, a lot of people are starting to play for the first time now. Couple those players together, and you can create some magic.
“We all kind of started playing hockey at the same time, and then kind of rose up the leagues” said Schmitt. “It was our second season in this new higher league.”
Not even Disney could’ve written a script as good as this one.
“We were down two goals, 5-3, with like seven minutes left in the third and you know, hopes lost at that point, right? Like I'm having a panic attack,” said Schmitt. “We ended up tying it up, forcing overtime and then winning in overtime. I don't know like you can't script it any better for adult beer league hockey.”
And whether it’s lightning players winning the Stanley Cup, or a beer league team winning their first championship, all winning reactions have that signature moment.
”It was the whole cliche of when you throw your gloves in the air, and you rush on the ice… definitely the highlight of my adult hockey career for sure.”
Her plans with the Cup might sound familiar to Lightning fans.
I want to bring it home to Florida," said Schmitt. My dad has a boat, and I really want to create a little boat parade atmosphere... I want to take it into the Pinehurst Pub in Dunedin, where all my high school friends are, and just truly act like a delusional person. I think it'll just be a blast.
Memorabilia
(Shelby’s memorabilia collection)
Every Lightning fan has their own set of memorabilia. For Schmitt, her range and items is vast and a little perplexing.
“I have a signed Matt Carle stick, which is so random,” said Schmitt “I don't even like Matt Carle, but Seth gave that to me.”
Her other items, she likes a little bit more.
“I have a Brayden Point signed puck, which I love. And then the coolest thing I have is I have a keychain, and it is the leather from Vasilevskiy goalie pads, but turned into, like a little keychain,” said Schmitt. “It's got a little, like puck mark on it, the little black mark for when they stop it with their pads. So it's really cool. And one of my friends that I play hockey with got that for me. So yeah, those, I would say, are my top three. And then I also, I save all the Tampa Bay Times newspaper headlines for when they won the cup.”
Favorite Player
As she grew up with hockey in the mid-2000s, Shelby saw a multitude of phenomenal players dawn the black-and-white with the Lightning. Ultimately, it was the small undrafted winger out of Quebec, Canada, that caught her eye.
I that was my OG," Shelby said. "Loved him, and I love the position he played... I just thought he was so cool. He was so small and fast."
Translating the legend's play style into a modern-day scenario can be extremely tough, but the Lightning have found many players with the stature and play style of St. Louis.
"That probably explains why I like Brayden Point so much, said Schmitt. "I think Point reminds me a lot of him, like with the quickness and the speed, and not so much like a physical style of play, but more so like just agile."
From favorite players to least players, one name in particular stands out: Calgary's old captain
"The first player I ever hated was Jarome Iginla Jr," said Schmitt. "I just remember absolutely hating Jarome Iginla Jr. from the Finals."
Acts of Kindness
(Shelby, on the right, appearing on Toronto’s Global News)
Shelby has been no stranger to finding her way into the crosshairs of many interesting characters in the hockey world. As TNT desk analyst Paul Bissonnette continuously disrespected the Lightning on their 2022 playoff run, Shelby was among the first to speak up about the team. ⬇️
(Shelby’s back-and-forth with TNT panelist Paul Bissonette)
In a much lighter back-and-forth, Shelby and Toronto Maple Leafs superfan Jason “Dart Guy” Maslakow placed a wager on the first-round matchup between the two teams in 2022.
“If they had won, I was going to have to stand on the street corner outside of AMALIE with a sign that said, like, go Maple Leafs,” said Schmitt. “But thank god we won game seven.”
A couple of weeks later, Maslakow paid up on his end of the bargain.
“He had to stand outside, Ball Arena with Lightning face paint on and playing Thunderstruck by ACDC,” said Schmitt.
Even after the friendly wager, Lightning fans showed their kind hardness by donating over $3000 to Street Health Toronto, a Toronto-based charity. A kind hand all started with a friendly wager between two rivaling fans. Shelby appeared on a local Toronto news station here if you’d like to see the bet in action.
Moving Forward
As covered before, youth hockey in Tampa is now miles ahead of what it was when Shelby was growing up. The growth of players, rinks, and overall tournaments has skyrocketed over the past two decades, thanks in part to the Lightning's continued success that kids have been able to watch every season.
“Youth hockey has exploded there… I'm imagining that it'll just continue to expand,” said Schmitt.
With all this success, Shelby proposed one more thing that could drive the value in Tampa youth hockey even further in the future.
“Hopefully, girl's hockey will continue to grow as well,” said Schmitt. “Maybe even a PWHL team, with how great that market is.“
Huge thanks to Shelby for taking the time to talk with us about her fandom and Bolts Nation. If you want to follow Shelby, you can find her on Twitter (aka X) @shelbsdamook. If you want to be the next profile in Meet Bolts Nation, send us a DM @BoltReport_TB on Twitter!
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