By Jake Ricker
As we officially enter the start of 2024 and are amid a four-day break, we thought it would be an excellent time for another edition of Meet Bolts Nation, where we explore all the amazing fans worldwide and their stories. If you want to be featured in one of our future installments of Meet Bolts Nation, tweet us @BoltReport_TB with your pitch and the #MeetBoltsNation. Today, we meet Taylor.
Becoming a Lightning Fan
At ten, Taylor watched the 2006 Olympics and was in awe of Vincent Lecavalier and Marty St. Louis flying across the ice for Team Canada. Once the Olympics came to a close, he followed them back to their NHL team, the Tampa Bay Lightning; unfortunately for Taylor, watching Lightning games wasn't easy since his dad, who was a big hockey was always watching the Calgary Flames!
"I asked to watch the Lightning games consistently and just gradually became a fan."
Living in Victoria, BC, it hasn't been easy for Taylor to make it out to games or even get his hands on Lightning merchandise. But despite the long distance, he has still become a massive fan of the Lightning, and his favorite memories are watching the team climb to the top of the mountain in back-to-back years, winning the Stanley Cup.
Taylor has seen the Lightning in person once, back in 2016, when the Lightning took on the Vancouver Canucks.
"In 2016, I got to see them live for the first time in Vancouver, and Ben Bishop gave his stick to a little girl sitting next to me after warmups."
Favorite Player
Taylor's favorite player is none other than Vincent Lecavalier, who was one of the players who first got him into the sport during those 2006 Olympic games. He also owns a signed puck from Lecavalier, which may seem small, but as mentioned before, there is not a lot of Lightning merchandise Taylor can get in Canada, or that isn't expensive due to shipping. Taylor says his current favorite player is Andrei Vasilevskiy.
Standing out from the crowd
One thing Taylor says he loves is that being a Lightning fan makes him stand out since he only knows a few other Lightning fans in his area. But ever since the Lightning's two Stately Cups, he has started to meet some new Lightning fans.
Fantasy sports is often a staple for any sports fan, and Taylor is no different. He said he enjoys fantasy hockey to make watching the sport more enjoyable. His roster? It's filled with Lightning players, of course!
"I currently have Vasy, ABB, and Heddy ([I] send an offer for Hagel pretty much every other day, lol)."
So, despite being in another country, Taylor has become a massive hockey and Lightning fan by watching games and playing fantasy hockey. It shows you that the Lightning organization is genuinely a world-class brand. If you want to follow Taylor, you can find him on Twitter (aka X) @TFindlay96. And if you want to be the next profile in Meet Bolts Nation, send us a DM @BoltReport_TB on Twitter!
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