TAMPA, Fla. — A new Lightning season means the Tampa Bay 28 Fan Zone segment is back. Every week of the regular season, Tampa Bay 28 will talk with fans who embody the spirit of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
To kick things off, Tampa Bay 28 Anchor Lauren St. Germain met a father-daughter duo who have been going to games together for more than two decades.
Stephan and Cheyenne Yucatonis have been Lightning fans since day one.
“When did your Lightning fandom start?” asked St. Germain.
“At birth,” laughed Cheyenne.
“Mine started in ’92 with the inaugural season. I went to some games out at the barn at the fairgrounds, and I’ve been a fan ever since,” said Stephan.
“This is my first Lightning jersey ever from when I was five or six. It was big on me then, and I can still fit into it actually,” said Cheyenne.
“Honestly, I am impressed with how clean that still is because you had it when you were five,” said St. Germain.
“It’s been through a lot,” said Cheyenne.
“We haven’t missed a season in over 20 years,” said Stephan.
“We were looking at our pictures, and we have a lot of selfies. Her and I with our heads together, you know, at a game,” said Stephan.
“When we are not here [Benchmark International Arena], we are watching at home. If we are not watching at home together, we are texting each other like, 'Did you see that?'” said Cheyenne.
Like every good fan they of course have their own superstitions and traditions.
“When I was younger, we used to dye our hair blue for the playoffs. Any year we made the playoffs, we would dye our hair blue, and I don’t think my mom liked that very much, but we didn’t care,” said Cheyenne.
“I also remember every game as a kid he would get me Dippin’ Dots, because I loved ice cream, and now I think it’s turned from just liking Dippin’ Dots to it being a superstition, like I have to get Dippin’ Dots every game or it’s bad luck,” said Cheyenne.
“What’s it like to have this family bonding experience, having the Lightning, something you guys can just enjoy together?” asked St. Germain.
“It’s awesome. I don’t know what we would do without it. Now that Cheyenne is older, she works, and I work, and we don’t live together anymore, so it’s really good to be able to get together and have a great time,” said Stephan.
“I look forward to it, even when I have other people to go with. I’m like, I want to go with my dad. He gets it, and we’ve been doing it for so long. It’s more fun when we go together,” said Cheyenne.
Nearly all Lightning games will be broadcast live on The Spot – Tampa Bay 66 (WXPX-TV) and will also be streamed here.
The Spot Tampa Bay 66 is the official broadcast partner of the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Spot and Tampa Bay 28 are both owned by EW Scripps.
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