NHL leans into pirate theme for outdoor game in Tampa during Gasparilla

Sunday’s NHL Stadium Series game at Raymond James Stadium between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins might feature the most unique design surrounding the rink.

Coinciding with Tampa’s annual Gasparilla parade, which begins on Saturday, the NHL has gone all-in on the pirate fest and there will be a treasure map with hockey-themed landmarks as the focus of the field design.

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The landmarks will feature specific references such as “Brayden’s Point of No Return,” after Lightning forward Brayden Point, and “McDonagh’s Marsh,” after Tampa defenseman Ryan McDonagh. There will also be props such as barrels, boats, a shipwreck scene that will have the names and logos of both teams, and probably a few real pirates involved.

“We’ve got props everywhere,” NHL president of content and events Steve Mayer said, via NHL.com. “There’s 120 barrels coming. We’ve got boats coming. We’ve got a lot of pieces you’ll see in the far side of the field, behind both benches. It’s a shipwreck that will actually be the identifiers of both the Bruins and the Lightning. So we’re really leaning into the pirate theme. And on Sunday, you may see a few live pirates as well as we open up the game and really lean into Gasparilla. This is what Tampa Bay is all about.”