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Stanley Cup visit scores big in Wesley Chapel

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The Stanley Cup trophy has made countless appearances across the region since the Tampa Bay Lightning have won back-to-back National Hockey League (NHL) titles.

It’s been on display for area police and fire departments, county commissions, mayor’s offices, hospitals, colleges, and nonprofit organizations, to name a few.

AdventHealth Center Ice staffers pose for a group photo with the Stanley Cup. The prestigious trophy was on display for about an hour in the afternoon on Sept. 27. (Kevin Weiss)

It was at one of its final stops — before the start of the Lightning’s 2021-2022 campaign — in Pasco County, at AdventHealth Center Ice in Wesley Chapel.

The appearance was impromptu on a Tuesday afternoon in late September, coordinated by longtime Tampa Bay Lightning team chiropractor Dr. Tim Bain.

Bain’s sports medicine and interventional pain practice — B3 Medical — is adjacent to the Center Ice complex.

Moreover, Bain is actively involved in Center Ice programming. He helps to run an in-house performance training center that primarily caters to the facility’s Global Prospects Academy.

His son, Josh, also is a member of the facility’s Tampa Bay Juniors Hockey Club.

As a contracted Lightning employee, Bain was able to spend a day — Sept. 27, to be exact — with the Cup, which the Lightning won in July after defeating the Montreal Canadians in five games in the best-of-seven series. (The Lightning also won the trophy during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, defeating the Dallas Stars in six games.)

Bain felt it fitting to share his coveted Cup time with others — allowing Center Ice staffers, members, and adult and youth guests to soak up the prestigious trophy and all its glory.

For roughly an hour, dozens upon dozens of people viewed the trophy, admired its history and snapped countless photos.

They were obviously having a great time.

Bain especially wanted the facility’s younger hockey players to get an up-close look at the Cup, which stands about 35 inches tall, weighs 35 pounds, and is made of silver and nickel alloy.

“It’s inspiring,” Bain said of the trophy. “The ultimate goal for any kid that’s ever picked up a hockey stick and put on a pair of skates is the Stanley Cup, right? I don’t think there’s any trophy in sports that is that iconic, and it’s just a really interesting way to be able to give back to the community, and it’s what I want to do.”

Center Ice owner Gordie Zimmerman echoed the “awesome” experience of having the Cup on hand at the facility, albeit for only a short period.

Members of the Tampa Bay Juniors Hockey Club pose for a group photo with the Stanley Cup at AdventHealth Center Ice in Wesley Chapel.

He pointed out many non-hockey fans visiting or working at the complex also were awed by the championship trophy that’s not only awarded annually to the NHL playoff champion, but is the oldest existing trophy (commissioned in 1892) to be awarded to a professional franchise in North America.

“It’s amazing how even people that are not hockey-related, how much attention it grabs,” Zimmerman said. “It just goes to show you the recognition it gets, even when you’re not related to hockey, so it’s pretty exciting.”

Lightning alumni relations coordinator Rachel Kilman was among the NHL officials who helped chaperone the careful movement and interaction of the Cup, at Center Ice.

Every stop around the community with the trophy has been “super, super special,” said Kilman, adding many people are in disbelief upon viewing the Cup in person.

“Everybody’s very, very excited that it’s there,” she said. “There’s nothing like it, there’s only one of them.”

Center Ice facility operations director Rory Mushlin was given short notice that the Cup would be making a special appearance to the 150,500-square-foot complex — the largest ice rink in the southeastern United States.

Mushlin has worked in facility operations for two-plus decades, including stints with the NHL’s San Jose Sharks and New York Islanders.

The New York native grew up on the ice sport, quipping, “I learned to drive a Zamboni before a car.”

While his work experiences have allowed him to view the Cup several times, he’s quick to note every chance to do so is quite memorable.

“Look, I think that is the hardest trophy in all of sports to win,” he said, “and I think that when you have the opportunity to see it up close and personal, it’s always special, no matter how old or how many times you’ve done it in the past.”

That particularly is the case for the younger generation of hockey players who practice and play at Center Ice, he said.

“For the youth hockey generation that we have now, it’s just more and more important for people to get that opportunity (to see the trophy),” he said. “Just like when you get a young kid that wants to be a firefighter, every time a fire truck drives up the street, their eyes light up — I think it’s the same thing for hockey players.”

Gearing up for another Lightning season
Bain has been the Lightning’s team chiropractor since 2011.

Tampa Bay Lightning team chiropractor Dr. Timothy Bain shows off his jewel-encrusted Stanley Cup ring at AdventHealth Center Ice in Wesley Chapel. Bain also brought the Stanley Cup to the facility for a brief period.

He assists Lightning players on injury prevention and body maintenance.

The scope of work includes neurological-based adjustments, post-concussion therapy, craniosacral therapy, plus other exercise therapies to help improve muscle tissue on extremities, such as feet and ankles.

Now, as the franchise begins its run for a Stanley Cup three-peat, Bain is upbeat the team can have yet another successful season — despite having to replace its entire third line, among other roster changes.

The Lightning begins its 2021-2022, 82-game regular season on Oct. 12 against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Amalie Arena.

“They’re a good team,” Bain said. “I think they’re a really solid group and returning a lot of guys…so it’s going to be a fun year. It’s always hard, these (championships) are super hard to even think about, so, the fun is in the chase.”

As to why the Lightning has been one of the model franchises in pro sports in recent years, Bain credits the organization’s “really, really good culture” that promotes teamwork over individualism.

“Everybody buys in, everybody’s part of the team,” Bain said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re the lowly chiropractor or the guy that brings in the food at night; we’re all part of the team and they’ve really embraced that.”

Published October 13, 2021

Fall season offers exciting local sports action

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The fall sports season is here, and there’s plenty of action on tap across The Laker/Lutz News coverage area.

Here’s a closer look at some notable storylines, events and other local happenings these next few months.

The Gaither Cowboys are poised to be one of the Tampa Bay area’s top football teams this year. (Courtesy of Gaither High School Athletics Department)

Which area prep football program will reign supreme?
Fall is synonymous with football — particularly the Friday night lights variety in many communities and small towns. There are about 15 high schools in The Laker/Lutz News coverage area in Hillsborough and Pasco counties. Several of those football programs are expected to have successful, winning campaigns in 2021.

Deciding which program is best is difficult, considering varying school sizes and classifications. However, it might be wise to pay close attention to the Gaither Cowboys (7A), Wiregrass Ranch Bulls (7A), Zephyrhills Bulldogs (5A) and Zephyrhills Christian Warriors (2A).

By year’s end, one or more of these programs could be showing gaudy records and an appearance in the state series for its respective classification.

Of course, winning an FHSAA (Florida High School Athletic Association) 11-man football title is extremely elusive. The last local program to do so was the Pasco Pirates some three decades ago — back in 1992 when they downed Tampa Jesuit 28-16 in the 3A state championship at the University of Florida’s Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

If you can catch just one regular-season game in person this season, check out the 64th edition of the 9-Mile War between rivals Pasco and Zephyrhills. This year’s contest is set for Nov. 5, at Bulldog Stadium at Zephyrhills High School. Pasco leads the all-time series, 41-22.

The Bishop McLaughlin Hurricanes varsity volleyball program has had an incredible three-year run. All that eludes them is a state title. (Courtesy of Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School Athletics Department)

Bishop McLaughlin volleyball expects to remain elite
The Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School varsity girls volleyball program has enjoyed one of the more dominant runs across any area sports program over the last three years — going 24-3 in 2020, 25-4 in 2019, and 30-1 in 2018, respectively.

The Hurricanes should again remain very competitive in the FHSAA’s Class 3A ranks, under longtime coach Doug Chinchar.

Despite the graduation of Florida Dairy Famers 3A state volleyball player of the year Audrey Koenig —now a freshman at Florida State University — the team returns several other All-State performers and Division I prospects. This includes junior outside hitter Maddie Snider (Florida State University verbal commit) and junior outside hitter Ali Waldon (Mercer University), among others.

What eludes the Hurricanes is a state crown. The program reached the state semifinals in 2020, the regional semifinals in 2019 and was state runner-up in 2018.

Will this be the year the Hurricanes are the last team standing in its class?

The Sunlake High boys cross country team finished state runner-up at last year’s Class 3A meet. (File)

Sunlake High cross-country keeps pushing the pace
The Sunlake High cross-country program looks to remain top dog among area schools.

The Seahawks boys squad finished second in the 3A state meet last season — representing the all-time best mark ever achieved by any Pasco County prep cross-country program.

The school’s girls squad performed well, too, posting a 10th-place finish at the state 2020 meet.

And, a majority of Sunlake’s top distance runners are expected to return.

Last season, there was only one senior among the boys team’s top seven runners and two seniors among the girls team’s top seven.

The Seahawks haven’t been complacent in the offseason, either. Athletes participated in a running camp at University of North Carolina-Asheville — which featured lots of challenging hills work.

Speaking of high school cross-country, pay attention to Land O’ Lakes resident Elli Black — a home-schooled student who runs for Tampa Cambridge Christian School. Black is coming off a second-place finish in the 1A girls state meet, posting 18:28.5, as a seventh-grader. She’s shaved several seconds off that mark since then.

Former Tampa Bay Rowdies head coach Stuart Campbell is leading the Pasco-Hernando State College’s upstart women’s soccer program. (File)

PHSC women’s soccer kicks off inaugural season
Pasco-Hernando State College launched a women’s soccer program earlier this summer, and will kick off its inaugural season in September.

The program is led by former Tampa Bay Rowdies head coach Stuart Campbell, a familiar face and widely known figure in the soccer ranks. The English-born Campbell played professional soccer from 1996 to 2013, before serving as the assistant coach for the Rowdies from 2014 to 2015 and head coach from 2015 to 2018.

Women’s soccer marks PHSC’s first new sport since 2005 — when it brought on women’s cross-country, under head coach Jackie Wachtel.

PHSC joins four other NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) women’s soccer programs in the state — Polk State, Daytona State, Eastern Florida State, and Asa College.

The upstart program had open tryouts in late June at the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus of Pasco County, in Wesley Chapel.

As for the style of play, players and fans can expect lots of action and high-scoring affairs, under Campbell’s tutelage.

Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Gabriel Fortier is expected to highlight the 2021 NHL Prospect Showcase at AdventHealth Center Ice in Wesley Chapel. (Courtesy of Tampa Bay Lightning media relations)

AdventHealth Center Ice to host 2021 NHL Prospect Showcase
Local hockey fans will get a taste of the National Hockey League’s (NHL) next generation of top-end talent later this month — in Pasco County no less.

AdventHealth Center Ice in Wesley Chapel is the site of the 2021 NHL Prospect Showcase, to be held Sept. 18 through Sept. 21.

Hosted by the back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning, the event will welcome prospect teams from the Carolina Hurricanes, Nashville Predators and Florida Panthers.

All four teams will play each other once over the four-day showcase.

Any skater or goaltender in each of the four organizations on an entry-level contract (or less), provided they are 24 years old or younger and have less than 20 games of NHL experience, are eligible to participate in the showcase.

Teams will dress 18 skaters and two goaltenders for each contest. Games are regulation length with three 20-minute periods. A five-minute, three-on-three overtime period will determine a winner if games are tied after regulation. Games will conclude with a five-player-per-team shootout regardless of the final score.

The Lightning roster will include a number of the organization’s top prospects, including 2018 second-round draft pick Gabriel Fortier, who recorded six goals and 10 points in 30 games last season for the Syracuse Crunch, the Lightning’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate.

Also participating for the Bolts is a pair of 2020 second-round draft selections in forwards Jack Finley and Gage Goncalves, who each made their professional hockey debut with Syracuse last season.

Meanwhile, three of Tampa Bay’s selections from the 2021 NHL Draft in July will be in attendance as well — defenseman Roman Schmidt (third round, No. 96 overall), forward Cameron MacDonald (fifth round, No. 160 overall) and forward Niko Huuhtanen (seventh round, No. 224 overall).

The contests will be open to the public. They’ll also be streamed live on TampaBayLightning.com.

Published September 01, 2021

Local chiropractor shares lessons from ‘life in a bubble’

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Like everyone, Dr. Timothy Bain, a chiropractor from Wesley Chapel, has had to adapt due to concerns about COVID-19.

Unlike the vast majority of people, though, Bain’s adjustments have been more extreme.

As the Tampa Bay Lightning’s team chiropractor, he was in a traveling party that spent a combined 65 days at hotels in Toronto and then Edmonton through the Tampa Bay Lightning’s  Stanley Cup title run.

Bain was “in the bubble” from late July through late September, while games were played without fans in attendance and measures were taken to allow teams to safely complete the NHL playoffs.

Tampa Bay Lightning team chiropractor Dr. Timothy Bain celebrates the organization winning its second Stanley Cup in franchise history. The Wesley Chapel resident spent 65 days with the team in the NHL playoff ‘bubble’ in Canada from late July through late September. (Courtesy of David Miles)

The chief executive officer of B3 Medical shared some of the lessons he learned from the experience, and other insights he’s gleaned along life’s way, during a Zoom business breakfast meeting on March 2, with members of the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce.

One lesson Bain shared involves the importance of learning from failure.

“You’re going to fail. Everybody fails. Everybody fails a lot. You’re going to fail more often as a business leader and a business owner, I think than the average person — because we’re willing to fail.

“We look at, ‘How am I going to succeed?’ And, the answer is, ‘You’re going to fail — a lot of times,” he said.

In the season the year before claiming the Stanley Cup, the Lightning failed.

“We failed. Really miserably. In front of everybody,” the team’s chiropractor said.

“We won the President’s Trophy, which meant we had the best record in hockey. In fact, we had a historic season, then we went to Columbus and we just got swept right out of the playoffs.

“Nobody could believe it. We couldn’t believe it. I’m sure none of the fans could believe it.

“It was embarrassing.

“But we learned.

“Some of the things that we learned were: Maybe we brought guys back too quickly. Maybe we didn’t bring them back fast enough. Some of our rehab didn’t work as well as we thought it was going to. Maybe we needed some different characters in the room.

“Maybe we needed some different character,” he said.

Failure can be a valuable teacher: The important thing is to fail forward, Bain said.

“Every time you fail, make sure you’re moving forward. You learn something from it, and you move forward to your ultimate goal,” he said.

“With the Lightning, I think, the obvious ultimate goal is a big, shiny Stanley Cup — which is the most revered trophy in sports,” he said.

Lumps and bumps, along the way
The story of the Stanley Cup championship season didn’t start off well.

“The beginning of the season, was truthfully ugly for us,” Bain said.

But the team picked up Pat Maroon, who was a catalyst in breaking up team cliques, he said.

“Sometimes, it just really takes one person to get those cliques to start to work together, so you can start to move forward,” Bain said.

The team made some deals at the end of the season, to bring more grit to its game. It had to go into the playoffs with a different attitude, and style, and that was a hard adjustment for some players, he said.

“Guys wanted to play the old-style of Lightning hockey, which is fast, furious, move it around, score tons of goals. And, in the playoffs, really you can’t do that,” Bain said.

He said he knew the team had reached a turning point when it won a game that had five overtimes.

One moment, in particular, stood out to him.

“I remember at the end of the fourth overtime, the guys came in, I’m thinking: ‘These guys are going to be exhausted.’ The first thing I see, is somebody said, ‘This is fun, isn’t it? I can’t wait. I hope we have another one of these things.’

“That was cool. Right then and there, I knew we were going to win that game,” Bain said, because of the players’ mindset.

“Our identity now was: ‘We’re not going to lose this thing. We’ve got this.’,” Bain added.

In today’s business climate, COVID-19 brings a lot of fear and anxiety.

The Lightning overcame challenges.

“We dealt with adversity upon adversity. Guys getting hurt. We lost our captain.

“It didn’t matter what the obstacle was. We had a notion that failure was not an option this year,” Bain said.

“We created a plan. We worked the plan. We trusted the plan,” he said. “We had to adapt. We adapted better than other teams.”

“Every business creates a plan at the beginning of year. ‘OK, I’m going to execute on the strategy,’” he said.

But, it’s important to periodically check back on that plan: What worked? What didn’t work? What needs to change?

During COVID, employers and employees have faced a multitude of changes.

Some employees work at home. Some are dealing with child care issues. Some are sick, or have family members who are sick. Some have lost loved ones to COVID.

Employers need to keep a pulse on what’s happening with their staff, he said.

“So, there’s got to be an element that we bring into our businesses, of empathy and trust. And,  we’ve got to make sure that we’re there for our employees and our team members, because they’re going through stuff as much if not worse than we are. They’re fearful for their jobs, they’re fearful for their life, they’re fearful for their families,” he added.

It’s important to stay focused on the company’s ultimate goal, and for staff to have buy-in.

“In a company, everybody is a cog in the wheel, and without each piece, you can’t really get anywhere,” Bain said. “If you’re having one person who is inside your team, who doesn’t know their role, or doesn’t understand their role, inside of the bigger picture — or doesn’t understand the big picture — it can really derail what you’re trying to do,” Bain said.

With the Lightning, “the mission was really obvious,” Bain said. They had to make it to the last game of the season, or they had failed.

“It was about putting the right team of people, on the ice. It was about putting the right team of people behind the people on the ice,” Bain said.

The same is true for companies that are in pursuit of a goal.

The shiny object may vary, but he said: “We all want to win our Stanley Cup.”

Published March 31, 2021

Street hockey rinks open in Wesley Chapel, Holiday

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Perhaps someday a future hockey star will be able to say he or she first learned to play hockey on the streets of Wesley Chapel and Holiday.

Pasco County has added to its assorted sports and recreational profile with yet another outdoor activity in check — street hockey.

Two new outdoor street hockey rinks have opened at Wesley Chapel District Park and the J. Ben Harrill Recreation Complex in Holiday. The rinks were created through a public-private partnership between Pasco County and the National Hockey League’s (NHL) Tampa Bay Lightning. The rinks are approximately 60 feet by 120 feet, with a full dasher-board system. (Courtesy of Pasco County)

Two public outdoor ball hockey rinks are now available for use at J. Ben Harrill Recreation Complex in Holiday and Wesley Chapel District Park, 7727 Boyette Road in Wesley Chapel.

The concrete rinks — approximately 60 feet by 120 feet, with a full dasher-board system — are part of a public-private partnership between the county and the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning, the defending Stanley Cup champions.

Designed with the idea of growing the game of hockey throughout local communities, the rinks will allow young hockey players in the area a place to train, whether it’s the grass roots level or in organized leagues and tournaments.

A virtual ribbon-cutting ceremony of the rinks was held Dec. 10, with several representatives on hand from both the county and Lightning, respectively.

“We are very proud to open these two rinks today as part of our pledge to build 10 ball hockey rinks across the Tampa Bay area,” Lightning CEO Steve Griggs said. “These two rinks that we opened will give local youth the opportunity to get outside and play the great game of hockey. The Lightning would like to thank Pasco County for their enthusiasm and support in helping us make this a reality for everyone in Pasco County.”

Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey tabbed the rinks “just one more wonderful thing that we’re bringing to Pasco County, to give our residents a really high quality of life.”

“This is another unique sport for kids to be involved in and learn all the good, life lessons you learn when you’re a part of a team,” Starkey said. “These rinks are a real value to the county and to the communities we serve.”

She also noted: “When (the Lightning) mentioned that they were going to put one (rink) in, knowing how large our county is and how much need that we have here, I asked them if they’d be kind enough to put in two.”

Count former Tampa Bay Lightning captain Dave Andreychuk among those “super, super excited” to witness outdoor ball hockey ramping up in Pasco.

“This place will be loaded with kids every night,” said Andreychuk, who serves as the franchise’s vice president of corporate and senior affairs. “As we know, having kids, giving them an activity, something to do, is a great thing.”

The county was responsible for laying out the rink concrete slabs, while the Lightning built out the remainder of the project, including the dasher boards, goal nets and electronic scoreboards. The pro hockey franchise also will be supplying equipment, such as sticks, balls and protective gear.

Lightning community hockey manager Josh Dreith, too, figures the rinks will be a score on both the east and west sides of Pasco: “I love Pasco County. There’s a ton of Lightning fans in Pasco County, and there’s a ton of engaged kids, as well.”

The Holiday and Wesley Chapel locations are part of 10 rinks being funded and constructed in the five-county Tampa Bay area — via a $6 million grassroots hockey development initiative from the Lightning’s Build the Thunder 2.0 and Connect the Thunder programs, and the NHL’s Industry Growth Fund. The other rinks are situated in Hillsborough, Manatee, Pinellas and Polk counties, respectively.

The rinks in Pasco are available upon request for open play now. There’s hope to have league play begin by March, depending on the COVID-19 situation, officials say.

Programming at the new rinks will eventually include:

  • Clinics run by Lightning alumni
  • Ball hockey leagues
  • Adult ball hockey
  • Ball hockey lessons

All essential equipment for teams playing ball hockey will be provided by the Lightning, including hockey sticks, balls and goalie protective equipment. Pasco County Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources will manage all programming and maintenance of the rinks.

Keith Wiley, the county’s parks department director, explained: “We’re going to have a combination of free play, obviously open to the public. And then, in coordination with the Lightning, we will be working on actual league play, where we can create some structured programming, depending on (the) season.”

With the partnership, the county contributed property and $240,000 toward the cost of the underlying concrete pads at the two outdoor rinks. From there, the Lightning have built out the remainder of the infrastructure, with dasher boards, scoreboards, penalty boxes, goalie nets, and more.

Engineering design on the rinks began in February. Construction began in August with the county’s portion of the work completed in late October.

Contracting through the Lightning, EnvironBuild LLC finished the dasher boards and scoreboards on Dec. 10.

Some minor improvements do remain, such as sheds, bleachers, and scoreboard electrical connections. Those touches are expected to be complete around March or so.

Published January 06, 2021

Local chiropractor keeps Lightning fit for ice

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Dr. Timothy Bain dreamed of someday hoisting the NHL’s Stanley Cup, as he grew up in the Northeast and played and watched hockey.

Little did he expect, however, to actually get that rare opportunity.

“Who knew at 53 (years old) that this would happen? I thought it’d happen at like 23,” Bain quipped, in reference to hoisting the Cup, after the Lightning’s Stanley Cup win after six games against the Dallas Stars.

The Wesley Chapel resident has been the Lightning’s team chiropractor since 2011.

Tampa Bay Lightning team chiropractor Dr. Timothy Bain celebrates the organization winning its second Stanley Cup in franchise history. The Wesley Chapel resident spent 65 days with the team in the NHL playoff ‘bubble’ in Canada from late July through late September. (Courtesy of David Miles)

He also runs his own practice, B3 Medical, with locations in Wesley Chapel, New Tampa, Carrollwood and Riverview, and works with a sports performance facility at Saddlebrook Resort & Spa designed for elite-level athletes.

Bain assists Lightning players on injury prevention and body maintenance.

The scope of work includes neurological-based adjustments, post-concussion therapy, craniosacral therapy, plus other exercise therapies to help improve muscle tissue on extremities, such as feet and ankles.

“Ultimately, it’s about getting the athlete better,” Bain said, describing his role with the team.

The chiropractor’s work to enhance players’ bodies for the ice was deemed so critical that he was included in the team’s 52-member traveling party (including players and coaches) to the NHL’s quarantine “bubble” for the postseason tournament in Canada.

“They were really great at saying, ‘We need you there, we want you there, you’re a big part of our team,’ and it made me feel really good and proud of that,” Bain said.

The traveling party spent a combined 65 days at hotels in Toronto and then Edmonton through the team’s lengthy title run, from late July through late September, where all games were played without fans in attendance. The great measures were put in place to safely complete the NHL playoffs amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

For Bain and other Lightning personnel, being away from family and home for so long was quite challenging. So, too, was being cooped up in a hotel room, ice rink or training room.

The Wesley Chapel physician made the best of it, however.

He approached it as a valuable bonding experience, particularly when the club shifted to Rogers Place in Edmonton for the conference finals, where rinks and hotels are intertwined.

He likened it to a kid’s summer camp, where everyone bunks together on the same floor and is around each other seemingly at all times.

“We lived on basically one floor, and we walked to the rink and walked back to the floor,” Bain said. “We had a really small, little treatment room, and all the guys kind of came in there and hung in there while they were getting treated, or waited to get treated, so we became a real close-knit group through this whole bubble process.

“I never want to have to leave my family again for that long, but it was a really great experience,” he said.

Boredom might’ve set in for some on non-game days, but Bain kept busy all throughout.

He worked with each of the 25-plus active players on various therapy regimens and body maintenance, all while keeping tabs on his medical businesses back in Tampa.

“Me, I really didn’t have a lot of downtime,” Bain said. “All of us therapists were extremely busy from sun up to 12 a.m., 1 a.m. We had guys working on different things and keeping them on track. You may have had an hour here or an hour there to grab a sandwich, but you really didn’t have a ton of downtime.”

Circumstances aside, seeing the Lightning win the Cup for the first time since 2004 ranks among his life’s most special moments.

“I was hoping to win a Stanley Cup since I can remember, and so this is a way to have that dream come true,” Bain said.

Like other staff members of the Lightning — Bain has since enjoyed some personal time with the Cup, like hugging it during the team’s plane ride back to the United States.

He’s partaken in other Cup traditions — kissing it, sharing drinks out of it, and otherwise marveling at it in the training room and lunchroom at team headquarters.  “We really had a lot of great time to spend with the Cup,” Bain said.

As a hockey lifer, Bain appreciates the significance of the moments.

The Tampa Bay Lightning won its second Stanley Cup in franchise history after downing the Dallas Stars in six games in the NHL finals last month. The NHL playoffs were played in Canada without fans.

Aside from playing hockey as a youth and working for the Lightning, Bain’s also been a longtime referee in the sport’s minor leagues.

The Cup is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America. Part of its lore is being the only trophy in major sports not reproduced each year.

When a team wins the Cup, they are allowed to hold on to the trophy for one year, and the name of every player, coach and front-office employee is inscribed onto it.

With that, it’s widely considered bad form for players and hockey fans to touch the Cup if their team didn’t win it in a particular year.

Naturally, Bain had never touched the Cup until now.

“There’s no trophy in the world like it, right?,” Bain said. “There’s only one of these things, and part of that joy is being able to spend some time with it.”

 

Talent, grit, leadership carried Lightning

The Lightning had its fair share of opportunities to claim an NHL championship since Bain began working for the club nearly a decade ago.

Before this banner season, Bain was sure the 2018-2019 team would win the Cup following its 62-win regular season — which tied the 1995-1996 Detroit Red Wings for most by a team in the regular season in NHL history.

That squad, however, was shockingly swept in four games by then No. 8 seeded Columbus Blue Jackets in the first round.

Bain had a front row seat to that squad’s April 2019 playoff meltdown.

“We had the superstars,” he said, “(but) we didn’t necessarily have the grit and the determination and the size to get through the way that the game is (loosely) officiated and played differently throughout the playoffs.”

Bain also viewed the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 teams capable of winning a title, until key injuries to goalies and others hit at the wrong time.

This year was different though. A couple circumstances gave Bain unwavering confidence the Lightning would finally pull off a Cup win.

He credited the organization’s respective acquisitions of forwards Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow and defensemen Zach Bogosian, Pat Maroon and Luke Schenn.

Those players, Bain said, “changed the culture enough” by bringing some toughness to the club to complement its offensive-minded skill players.

The team chiropractor singled out Maroon for his leadership in bringing the team together during a critical weeklong trip to Sweden back in November.

“Where there may have been cliques before, Pat Maroon changed that,” Bain said of the 32-year-old defenseman who also won the Cup in 2019 with the St. Louis Blues, becoming the third player in the NHL expansion era to register back-to-back titles with different teams.

Another watershed moment, Bain said, came when the team was exacting revenge over Columbus in a five overtime 3-2 victory in Game 1 in the Eastern Conference first round on Aug. 11 — the fourth-longest game in NHL history.

“When we won that game, that’s when I thought, ‘This is gonna happen,’” Bain said of the possibility on the Lightning winning the Cup.

Besides the outright win, it was the team’s composed locker room between each period that opened his eyes: “When the guys were coming out or going in, they were all laughing and having fun, and there was not a guy in there that was nervous, and they kept it that way through five overtimes.”

He added: “Everybody was on the same page, they all bought into a system and put aside their own personal stuff to win a goal, and it was an amazing thing to be a part of.”

Now that he’s hoisted the Cup, Bain already has a new goal — defending the Cup in 2021, hopefully at Amalie Arena, in front of 20,000 or so screaming Lightning fans.

“That would be nice, wouldn’t it? That was the hardest part, is we weren’t able to do that with all the fans,” Bain said.

Published October 14, 2020

Coronavirus cancels many sports events

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As fears regarding coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) continue to ramp up, so do cancellations on the sports landscape — nationally, regionally and locally.

The FHSAA (Florida High School Athletic Association) announced there have been no final decisions concerning state series or state championship events. Furthermore, spring sport rankings will not be released until further notice. (File)

The unexpected cancellations began on March 10 when The Ivy League, a Division I collegiate athletic conference comprised of private schools in the Northeast, announced the cancellation of its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, and it said it would limit the number of spectators that can attend spring sports — as a direct response to accelerated coronavirus cases across the country.

In short order, many other sports organizations — professional, collegiate, amateur, recreational and youth — followed suit by postponing or canceling events during ensuing days.

The NBA and the NHL League suspended their seasons indefinitely. The MLB canceled spring training games and pushed back the start of the 2020 regular season.

Even WWE’s WrestleMania 36 — scheduled for April 5 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa — has been moved to a “fanless” venue at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando.

Meanwhile, the NCAA on March 12 canceled Division I men’s and women’s basketball tournaments (more widely known as March Madness), as well as all remaining winter and spring NCAA championships, in light of ever-evolving news regarding the public health threat of COVID-19.

In a similar move, the NJCAA (National Junior Collegiate Athletic Association) on March 16 canceled all upcoming basketball championships, as well as spring competition, effective immediately.

The NCAA and NJCAA decisions means that Saint Leo University (Division II NCAA) and Pasco-Hernando State College (Division II NJCAA) have canceled the remainder of the spring season, as well as all activities for all fall, winter and spring sports until further notice.

The Saint Leo athletic department, in a release, said: “The health, safety and welfare of all of our staff and student-athletes is paramount. Taking these precautions now will help keep our student-athletes healthy so they can successfully complete their academic coursework and resume competition in Fall 2020.”

In accordance with the NCAA, Saint Leo University has canceled the remainder of the spring sports season, affecting such sports as softball. Meanwhile, all activities for all fall, winter and spring sports have been suspended until further notice. (File)

Postponements and cancellations also have affected high school sports.

All athletics activities at Hillsborough and Pasco county public schools are canceled until at least April 15, as part of a statewide directive from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Academy at the Lakes has canceled all sporting events, including games and practices, through at least March 29. Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School also has canceled athletic practices, games and non-school functions until at least April 15.

The FHSAA (Florida High School Athletic Association) also announced there have been no final decisions concerning state series or state championship events. Furthermore, spring sport rankings will not be released until further notice.

“As we receive information from state authorities and health departments, the FHSAA will continue to make decisions for each sport individually, moving forward,” the statewide athletics organization said, in a release.

Many local youth and adult sports leagues have postponed or canceled their spring seasons, too.

Pasco County Parks announced all events, activities, youth and adult sports leagues, field reservations and so on have been canceled until at least May 1.

County parks will continue to remain open for day-use only, however recreation complexes and community centers remain closed until further notice. That includes the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex, Heritage Park Community Center, James Irvin Community Center, Odessa Community Center, among others.

Likewise, Hillsborough County recreation centers are closed and athletic activities have been canceled until at least April 13, but Hillsborough County parks are open.

Meantime, large sports leagues put on by local churches also have been postponed or shuttered.

Idlewild Baptist Church in Lutz has canceled the entire spring season for youth baseball, youth softball and men’s softball. Pending developments with the coronavirus, the church plans to ramp up sports registration on July 1 for its fall youth soccer and adult coed soccer leagues.

Grace Family Church, which has campuses in Lutz and Land O’ Lakes, has postponed its basketball, kickball and softball leagues, until further notice.

Published March 25, 2020

Ice arena offers plenty of room, action

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There’s no shortage of activities — or room— at the newly minted Florida Hospital Center Ice.

From learning to skate, to playing hockey and curling, there’s plenty to do at the much-ballyhooed facility, which measures 150,500 square feet.

On Jan. 28, during the facility’s opening weekend, hundreds of youth and adults packed into what has been described as “the largest ice sports facility in the Southeastern United States.”

During a water break, Mason Cessna, 9, of Valrico, gets a quick swig during the 9- and 10-year-old session. Coaches were watching the individual abilities of each participant in the ‘Squirts’ division.
(Fred Bellet)

Patrons came from as far away Brooksville, Valrico and Lithia to check out the complex, at 3173 Cypress Ridge Blvd., which is off Interstate 75 at the State Road 56 interchange in Wesley Chapel.

Others visited from nearby Lutz, Land O’ Lakes and New Tampa.

And, while two of the complex’s five rinks remain under construction, there were plenty of options to accommodate ice enthusiasts of all kinds.

The Olympic rink, which measures 200 feet by 100 feet, was fully occupied with public skaters and learn-to-skate participants.

Two NHL-sized rinks (200 feet by 85 feet), meanwhile, were teeming with hours of youth recreational hockey evaluations and adult pickup games.

During breaks in ice action, spectators marveled at the fully stocked pro shop and other amenities at the two-story facility.

Gordie Zimmermann, managing partner of Florida Hospital Center Ice, is one contented man.

“We’ve exceeded our expectations from the get-go,” Zimmermann said. “Like participation for the Learn to Skate, everything’s almost double of what we thought it would be coming out of the starting block, so it’s been terrific.”

That, too, applies to registration figures for the center’s adult hockey leagues.

Florida Hospital Center Ice has attracted a large number of skaters, taking to the ice.
(Fred Bellet)

The initial eight-week “reduced” session has 25 teams signed up, consisting of beginner, intermediate and advanced leagues.

“We thought we would maybe get 10 teams in the first adult (league),” Zimmermann said. He’s elated with the current registration figures.

Additionally, more teams are anticipated to sign up once 12-week sessions commence.

Besides recreation league offerings, the center also will be home base for several other area-based teams and organizations.

The Wiregrass Ranch and Freedom high school club teams have signed up. The same goes for the University of South Florida Ice Bulls, of the American Collegiate Hockey Association.

The Tampa Bay Junior Hockey Club, an elite training development program, also has jumped aboard.

Consequently, a bevy of regional and international tournaments and camps are in the works, Zimmermann said.

One of the more intriguing on the docket is the World V-Red Prospect Advanced Camp, from July 16 through July 21.

Labeled as Canada’s No. 1 hockey program, it’s the first time ever the weeklong event will be hosted in the United States.

“The biggest thing that we’re doing,” Zimmermann said, “is that we’re bringing in major tournaments through the summer, and we’re going to bring in another one that’s going to be huge for the area for hockey.”

Rob Passante, left, of Wesley Chapel, has the duty of tying ice skates for 10-year-old Tucker McKinney, of Seffner, as Tucker’s brother, Luke McKinney, 4, looks on. Tucker is friends with Passante’s son, Dominic.
(Fred Bellet)

The complex, too, has drawn the eyes of the Tampa Bay Lightning, who’ve signed on as program rink sponsors.

No plans are in the works for the Lightning to relocate their practices from the Ice Sports Forum in Brandon, however.

Other visiting NHL teams, though, may practice at the Wesley Chapel complex during their road trips to Florida; multiple NHL organizations have already expressed interest in doing so, Zimmermann said.

Still, there will be ample ice time for everyone — even the average skater or recreational hockey player.

“We can do a lot more…and still keep our public skate and our learn-to-skate program going; we don’t have to cancel it,” Zimmermann explained.

Other key features of the complex, interestingly, don’t even require ice.

Rinks can be converted to accommodate large corporate events and dry floor sports, such as basketball, volleyball and box lacrosse.

“We have a sub-floor that goes over the ice,” Zimmermann said, “and a sport court goes on top of one of the NHL rinks. We can put it on any one, and we can also do it on the mini-rink.”

There’s also a six-lane, 90-yard running track, and a 2,600-square-foot fitness facility.

All those features, Zimmermann said, set the facility apart from other complexes.

Kim Payne, communications director at Florida Hospital Center Ice, watches a practice session from an observation area on the second-floor.
(Fred Bellet)

“Really, there’s nothing comparable to this south of New York all the way through the West Coast,” Zimmermann said. “It’s pretty amazing.”

Shari Klutz, skating the center’s program director, agrees.

“I love this facility,” said Klutz, who previously served as figure skating director at the Ashburn Ice House in Virginia. “They thought of a lot of key things, and made it unique. It has every training aspect you could need.”

The ice complex has been a long time coming for the area.

Previously, many Pasco and north Hillsborough residents would trek to Brandon to get their hockey and skating fix. Others may have used the Clearwater Ice Arena or the Tampa Bay Skating Academy in Oldsmar.

Florida Hospital Center Ice was expected to open in October 2015. However, various permitting and technological setbacks stalled the $28 million capital investment project.

Zimmermann pointed to a lengthy commissioning period, balancing of the building and “other things out of our control.”

“I wouldn’t say they were necessarily delays,” Zimmermann said. “It’s a very complicated building.”

He added: “We would have loved to be open before the (Christmas) holiday, but we’re going to be here a long time, so we wanted to do it right.”

With a relative dearth of ice complexes in the Bay Area, Center Ice is forecasted as an economic driver for both Wesley Chapel and Pasco County.

The county already has five hotels in development, including two directly adjacent to the complex.

Officials believe the massive facility will attract 1.5 million to 2 million visitors annually, with 40 percent coming from outside Tampa Bay.

Though open and operable, the entire complex is still not fully complete.

Finishing touches are still being made to the fitness center and two rinks. The full-service restaurant, Top Shelf Sports Lounge, is slated to open sometime this month.

Published February 22, 2017

In Print: Ice, summer school and young interns

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Last week was a big one for Pasco County, especially the Wesley Chapel area, when developer Z Mitch LLC unveiled its plans to build a 150,500-square-foot ice and sports complex just off State Road 56.

It shows how far this stretch of road between Bruce B. Downs Boulevard in New Tampa and State Road 54 on the edge of Land O’ Lakes has come in the past decade or so since it was first built. And it’s just one piece of a rather large and prosperous future for the area.

Pasco County commissioners Pat Mulieri, left, and Ted Schrader listen as commission chair Jack Mariano introduces the new ice and sports complex planned for Wesley Chapel. (Photo by Michael Hinman)
Pasco County commissioners Pat Mulieri, left, and Ted Schrader listen as commission chair Jack Mariano introduces the new ice and sports complex planned for Wesley Chapel. (Photo by Michael Hinman)

The new facility will feature four ice pads — two of them designed to NHL standards, while another will be at Olympic standards — as well as other courts for sports like basketball, a restaurant, and even a second neighboring hotel. It’s a way to bring in people from all over the region, just like what similar ice complexes in Brandon and Oldsmar do there.

“Two rinks would’ve been great, three rinks is phenomenal. But with four, everyone is going to want to come here and play this from all around the world,” Pasco County Commission chair Jack Mariano said during a press event last week attended by reporter Michael Hinman. “If you had to go to Canada or down here to play hockey, where would you want to go?”

The answer to that question seems obvious, but read the full story in this week’s print edition of The Laker/Lutz News, or read the free e-edition by clicking here.

The ice complex is at least a year away, and summertime is here, and ice is the last thing on most people’s minds. Instead, some kids might have to think about summer school.

Those programs through Pasco County Schools will cost $1.3 million, but serve 6.580 students — including younger children.

“The need is there,” school board member Steve Luikart told reporter B.C. Manion. “We’re doing everything we can to help more kids.”

This year’s classes will include two pilots addressing literacy and mathematics, which will help nearly 800 students primarily from economically challenged neighborhoods.

To read more about the program, pick up this week’s print edition of The Laker, or check out our free e-edition right here.

This week, the Lutz News begins its profile series by reporter Michael Murillo looking at each of the candidates running for the honorary office of Guv’na.

This ceremonial role is a way for the Lutz community to raise money for charities. And candidate Jerome Smalls might not live in Lutz yet, but feels the community has given so much to him that it’s time to give back.

“The people are probably the No. 1 thing,” Smalls said of those residing and working in Lutz. “The people are really friendly and outgoing.”

What does Smalls have planned for his run at the Guv’na position? Find out in the print edition of the Lutz News, or read our free e-edition by clicking here.

Finally, Ashley Schrader is just 13 years old, but you wouldn’t know it by her professional attitude and excitement about jumping into a journalism career.

Schrader was an intern recently at The Laker/Lutz News through a program set up by Countryside Montessori Charter School — one of several eighth-graders checking out the real world from the business perspective.

“Internships are like an opportunity for us to see the real world,” Devyn Dacus, 13, told her classmate, Ashley. “Since we are not yet adults, internships are one of the few chances we have to see the work force.”

What else did these interns learn? You’ll just have to pick up this week’s print edition of The Laker/Lutz News, or read our free e-edition right now by clicking here.

All of these stories and more can be found in this week’s The Laker/Lutz News, available in newsstands throughout east and central Pasco County as well as northern Hillsborough County. Find out what has your community talking this week by getting your local news straight from the only source you need.

If The Laker/Lutz News is not coming to your door, call us to see where you can get your copy at (813) 909-2800, or read our free e-edition by clicking here.