NHL forces Lightning to cancel watch party for Game 7

May 24, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning fans gather to watch the game on a big screen in the Tampa Bay Lightning fan zone called Thunder Alley before game six of the Eastern Conference Final of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Pittsburgh Penguins at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports /

The NHL is shutting down the Tampa Bay Lightning’s plans to have another giant watch party outside Amalie Arena for Game Seven of the conference finals.

Thursday night, thousands of fans will pack Consol Energy Center for Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Tampa Bay Lightning, with the winner advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals starting Monday against the San Jose Sharks.

Back down in Tampa, the team was planning to hold another giant watch party for fans who wanted to watch with other supporters of the Bolts. The Lightning have been holding these events, where fans watch the games on a giant screen on a parking garage next to Amalie Arena.

Those plans have changed, as the team notified fans and vendors that no such watch party would take place for Game Seven thanks to the no fun police known as the NHL:

On tomorrow's #PITvsTBL Game 7: pic.twitter.com/gsHKbgtV4A
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) May 25, 2016

Immediately, fans of the Lightning were up in arms over the move. Many speculated that it had to do with pressure from the league and its broadcast partner, NBC, over declining ratings for this year’s Stanley Cup playoffs (which probably has more to do with no teams from Canada or hockey tradition towns like New York, Detroit or Chicago).

One reporter from FOX affiliate WTVT-TV got word from the NHL that it had to do with the Lightning breaking the rules about how many watch parties a team is allowed to have:

Response from NHL on TBL watch party: "NHL has a longstanding policy on watch parties, one per round per team." Seems like TBL violated that
— Evan Axelbank Fox13 (@EvanAxelbank) May 26, 2016

The NHL reportedly reminded all the teams of this rule before the postseason…but even if that’s the case, wouldn’t you want more fans watching your product (especially in areas that aren’t “hockey intensive” like, oh I don’t know, Central Florida). It’s moves like this that make it no surprise why commissioner Gary Bettman is in the running for worst league boss in all of pro sports.

For more NHL Playoffs news, check out our NHL Playoffs hub page.

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