ODESSA, Fla. — Throughout the hockey season, Tampa Bay 28 has been highlighting some of the community’s most passionate Lightning fans. We recently had one fan from Odessa reach out to us about his autograph collection, something he’s been building since he was a kid.
From cards, to sticks to jerseys, Chris Weisman has thousands of pieces of Lightning memorabilia, the majority of it is autographed.
“This is one of my favorite hockey sticks I have collected throughout the years; this one is game used by Marty St. Louis,” said Weisman, showing off all the gear he has collected over the years.
“This is a gift from one of my best friends, his mom got the newspaper clippings from when we won the first Stanley Cup then put a little collage together,” said Weisman. “Vinny Lecavalier was one of my idols, next to Marty St. Louis, he was a staple for the Lightning organization and meeting him throughout the years many times he signed many cards for me.”
Chris began his collection when he was seven years old.
“When I used to get good grades on my report card my dad would give me packs of cards to open, so it all started when I was not doing great in school and I started getting better grades, that was my motivation,” said Weisman.
Chris remembers hanging outside the old Ice Palace before and after games. He said the best part about getting an autograph, is meeting the player.
“I would go and I would get pictures with the players and then I would go get them developed and then go back and get them signed the next week,” said Weisman.
Chris started lacing up his own skates, participating in various Lightning community programs, so it was only fitting when he became an adult, he got a part time job with the team.
“It was a full circle moment, it really was,” said Weisman. “What we would do is go into the community, go into the schools, teach kids who have never held a hockey stick before how to play the game, how to hold the sticks, some of the rules of the game.”
He even received two championship rings, like what the players wear.
“It’s something no one can take away from me, I only wear it for special occasions,” said Weisman.
Chris stepped away from the team to focus on raising his own family, but his passion for the Bolts has never been stronger. He hopes to be a voice in the community for all those young autograph seekers out there, it’s more than just a signature, it’s a lifelong memory.
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