Did the Lightning, Rays just give Tampa Bay its greatest sports day ever?

As certain because the shaved ice from Amalie Arena finds its way into local beer mugs, our group is having fun with essentially the most superb sports activities period it has ever identified.

Two Stanley Cups, a Tremendous Bowl and a World Collection berth by no means will happen in succession on our shores once more — no less than not in a dizzying span of 9 months and alter. And contemplating the Rays’ file and Bucs’ roster, this surreal wave we’re driving might not crash any time quickly.

However for deliberation’s sake, let’s slim our time span from eras to hours and pose the next query: What’s the finest sports activities day this space has skilled?

Was it July 7, when the Lightning clinched the Cup at residence hours after the Rays pulled off a pseudo-historic doubleheader sweep at Tropicana Area? Was it one of many Bucs’ two triumphant Tremendous Bowl Sundays? Does one other space twin invoice high the record?

We dug — and dug and dug — into our previous and got here up with what we deem the 5 most viable contenders. You received’t discover a single day that includes a win by the Bucs, Lightning and Rays; that trifecta by no means has occurred.

5. Aug. 11, 2020

If this wasn’t fairly essentially the most exhilarating day in native sports activities historical past, it definitely was the longest.

It started with the Lightning and Columbus Blue Jackets opening their Japanese Convention first-round sequence with the fourth-longest playoff contest in NHL historical past. Six hours and 13 minutes after the primary puck was dropped, Brayden Level introduced issues to a merciful finish with a aim halfway by the fifth additional time for a 3-2 Tampa Bay triumph.

The marathon would function an prolonged opening chapter for the Lightning’s Stanley Cup run. Meantime at Fenway Park, the Rays had been placing the ending touches on an 8-2 romp of the Crimson Sox for his or her fourth consecutive win.

4. Feb. 7, 2020

Had the pandemic not put a gentle damper on Tremendous Bowl 55 festivities (resembling restricted attendance), this evening might rank larger.

Because it was, recreation MVP Tom Brady and the Bucs accomplished the franchise’s mesmerizing one-year transformation with a 31-9 embarrassment of the Chiefs at Raymond James Stadium, making Tampa Bay the primary NFL staff to win a Tremendous Bowl on its residence turf.

Drawback was, solely 24,835 noticed the sport in particular person as a consequence of COVID-19 restrictions. Not that social-distancing pointers did a lot to stifle the raucous celebration alongside Dale Mabry Freeway afterward, or that nice little boat parade three days later.

3. Oct. 19, 2008

Poignance, pomp and a dude named Value converged on a magical Sunday evening to offer the realm one among its best sports activities evenings.

The Bucs honored fullback/folks hero Mike Alstott (pressured to retire the earlier yr as a consequence of a neck harm) at halftime of a nationally televised 20-10 triumph in opposition to the Seahawks, which improved Tampa Bay to 5-2.

Conveniently, Jeff Garcia completed his dissection of Seattle (27-for-36, 310 yards) in loads of time for he and his teammates to observe David Value and the Rays upstage him in Recreation 7 of the American League Championship Collection at Tropicana Area.

Certainly, many Bucs had been watching on locker-room TVs as Value was summoned with two out, the bases loaded, and his staff up by two runs within the backside of the eighth inning. The 23-year-old rookie left-hander struck out Sox all-star J.D. Drew with a 97-mph fastball to finish the menace, then retired the facet within the ninth to ship Tampa Bay to its first World Collection.

2. Jan. 26, 2003

Subtract a USF girls’s basketball loss to Louisville on the previous Solar Dome, and the realm’s second-greatest sports activities day was bereft of a house recreation. Irrespective of.

Three time zones away in San Diego, the Bucs staged a Tampa-2 defensive clinic (5 interceptions, three returned for touchdowns) in a 48-21 rout of the Raiders in Tremendous Bowl 37. With respect to the unique Rowdies (a North American Soccer League title in 1975), the triumph gave this group its first main sports activities title.

An old style avenue parade (bear in mind these?) was held two days later in downtown Tampa.

1. July 7, 2021

On another afternoon, the Rays’ doubleheader sweep of the Indians — which included 5 pitchers teaming for a seven-inning no-hitter in Recreation 2 — would dominate the native sports activities information cycle.

However on today, it regressed from preposterous to prelude in just a few hours.

That night, throughout the water at Amalie Enviornment, the Lightning clinched the franchise’s third Stanley Cup (and second in a row) with a 1-0 victory in opposition to the Montreal Canadiens in Recreation 5. The triumph set off a raucous celebration inside and out of doors the world, to not point out arguably essentially the most memorable press convention in native sports activities lore (see Kucherov, Nikita).

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