Tampa Bay’s own ThunderBug was voted the 2026 NHL Mascot of the Year, the NHL announced on Tuesday. The award recognizes excellence across innovation, community impact, social media, business growth, in-game involvement, and overall performance. This marked the first NHL Mascot of the Year Award in ThunderBug’s 33-year history.
Since debuting in 1992, ThunderBug has become a beloved ambassador for the Lightning and the Tampa Bay Community. This season he made more than 370 community appearances, went SCUBA diving at The Florida Aquarium, cut the ribbon on ThunderBug’s Emporium inside of Benchmark International Arena and promoted the Stanley Cup Playoffs from a helicopter high above Tampa Bay.
