Tampa Bay was a near direct hit from the historic hurricane last night. The area was projected to experience over 10 feet of flooding from storm surge, and with so much chaos in the area, the NHL just would not be able to play the game by Saturday night. Cleanup efforts are expected to take far longer.
Tampa residents and Lightning fans have begun to get back and survey the damage, and thankfully, Amalie Arena still looks to be in good shape. A fan walking by noticed small damages to the building, but it appeared okay and to still have power.
Unfortunately, the Tampa Bay Rays' Tropicana Field didn't get out of the storm unscathed. The Hurricane ripped the roof off the top of the stadium, one of the worst images of the storm so far. It's incredible to see a stadium be so ravaged by a force of nature.
Originally, the NHL was even considering postponing the Panthers home opener and Stanley Cup Banner ceremony due to the same Hurricane. The Panthers ended up playing their game 24 hours before the storm made landfall, and while they were greatly affected, they were on the other coast of the state.
The images coming out of the storm's aftermath are heartbreaking and incredible to see. Hopefully residents in the area are okay, and the are can soon get back to normal life - including the Lightning's home opener.
Were you surprised the Panthers played their home opener? Let us know in the poll below!
POLL | ||
Were you surprised the Florida Panthers played their home opener? | ||
Yes, thought it should have been cancelled | 27 | 58.7 % |
No, it was okay to play | 19 | 41.3 % |
See Results | 0 | 0 % |
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