Thirteen Tampa Bay Lightning players have collectively donated $180,000 worth of tickets to home games for the 2025-26 season, the most in franchise history. The contributions support a range of area nonprofits focused on causes like afterschool programs, mental health support, and first responders. Each player will also host five postgame meet-and-greets with beneficiaries.
The Tampa Bay Lightning's player ticket program continues to grow, with players purchasing bulk tickets through the Lightning Foundation before the season starts and donating them to local organizations. This year, the initiative reached a record $180,000 in value, benefiting nonprofits across 26 impact areas curated by the foundation.
"It's really great," said Sarah Costello, Lightning Foundation and Community Events Director. "It's a fun challenge for us to have that many more tickets to give out to the community. We go in with kind of no expectation, and we just let the players, their generosity and what they're talking to their families about dictate how the program goes year over year. We've loved to see the growth."
Players select from a foundation-provided list of organizations or suggest their own causes close to their hearts. Tickets are distributed for every home game, ranging from 40 to 250 per contest, allowing impacted families, staff, and volunteers to attend and participate in postgame interactions. Each of the 13 participating players commits to five such meet-and-greets during the season.
Supported causes include afterschool programs, the Special Olympics, mental health organizations, military families, first responders, and the Humane Society. Mental health support has seen particularly strong backing in recent years. "Over the last several seasons, mental health has been one of the strongest supported player ticket program causes," Costello noted. "Over the last three to four seasons, we've had at least three players supporting mental health, either with their whole program or with a portion of their program."
The program, which stands out in the NHL for its high player involvement, has expanded post-pandemic, driven by veteran leadership and younger players eager to contribute. "It's totally driven by the players," Costello emphasized. "This is something unique and special that the players are coming to us and committing to participate in at a significant financial contribution."
This initiative is the first in a series highlighting the Lightning's efforts to recognize community contributors through ticket donations.
