TAMPA, Fla. — The much-anticipated Stadium Series game between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Boston Bruins is Sunday, and fans are ready to rock the ice with fashion at Raymond James Stadium.
“Everything from beanies to hoodies, to long sleeves, to short sleeves, are being bought up at Heads and Tails in Tampa this week. In some cases, fans are going to wear all the gear all at the same time in an effort to stay warm.
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Store manager Mary Lou Ortiz says the phone has been ringing constantly with questions and orders.
“Things they can layer with, do we have any long sleeve t-shirts, do we have any quarter zips in stock, if we have beanies or any hats, we definitely do, they are selling quickly,” said Ortiz.
Ortiz says merchandise sales leading up to Sunday’s Stadium Series game are comparable to the playoffs and maybe even the Stanley Cup.
“It’s really exciting, it’s got all of the Lightning fans really ramped up, and of course, with Gasparilla, it’s just another excuse for them to party,” said Ortiz.
Fans will notice the new Stadium Series logo ties into Tampa Bay’s legendary pirate parade.
“It’s not actually hockey sticks here, it’s swords for the pirates, so I think they did a great job,” said Ortiz, holding up a hat with the new logo.
Then there are the new Stadium Series t-shirts, filled with symbolic, detailed artwork.
“All the writing is made to be in the font of what it would look like on a treasure map,” said Ortiz, holding up one of the shirts. “This pays ode to Jose Gaspar and then you’ll see this ship is meant to represent the ship that is over at Raymond James Stadium.”
A fan named Debby was picking up gear for the whole family. They’ll all be attending Sunday’s game.
“My daughter attended it when they played in Nashville, so we are excited for it to be here,” said Debby. “Love it to be around Gasparilla because it’s a big weekend, just like when we had the Super Bowl, so I’m sure it’s going to attract a lot of people to Tampa Bay.”
Debby said she plans to wear her silver and blue Gasparilla beads.
Even fans who can’t make it to the game will want a Stadium Series souvenir, because it’s just such a unique event.
“It is something that they are going to continue into the season, and I think anyone that is a true Tampa fan, Gasparilla fan, Lightning fan, is going to love grabbing anything that has to do with it,” said Ortiz.
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