The NHL Eastern Conference Final between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Pittsburgh Penguins has gotten pretty serious. How serious? Controversies over rally towels, traitorous tourism bureaus, and mayoral candidates getting tattoos.
How did this start? With Elliott Falcione, a Pittsburgh transplant living in Bradenton who heads up the Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. Said bureau sponsored the towels given out in Pittsburgh at Friday night’s Game One.
Naturally, when word of this got back to Florida, folks weren’t happy, and Falcione’s mea culpa wasn’t enough. It led to the latest promotion: 102.5 The Bone’s “The Mike Calta Show” linked up with an area tattoo parlor and, on Wednesday morning, offered free Lightning tattoos to anyone who showed up.
Over 150 people took advantage of the offer, including host Calta and Bradenton mayoral candidate Warren Merriman. You can see video of the pair getting their tattoos here.
Don’t ever try to claim that Tampa isn’t into their hockey. If the Lightning go on to win the Stanley Cup, maybe they can immortalize that moment in ink as well, just like this fan did with another iconic sporting moment.
