TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — It’s playoff hockey time at Amalie Arena, and the Bolts have new exclusive food and merchandise for fans to check out.
“This is the Hawaiian Tropic Thunder Grilled Cheese,” said Executive Chef Waylon Nelson, gesturing to a box stuffed with Hawaiian rolls. “It’s 12 full slider rolls, a whole slab of Hawaiian bread, about a pound-and-a-half of ham, a half-a-pound of cheese, fresh jalapenos and charred pineapples in there. It’s awesome.”
That mouth-watering dish is just one of many menu options that might only be around during the playoffs.
There’s also a barbecue hot dog and a new take on chicken tenders the team is calling the ‘cluck drop.’
But don’t forget about the drinks!
“This is one of the ones I’m most excited about,” said Nelson, pointing to a smoky glass. “Clearly, Jack Daniels. There was a group of us that actually went out to Tennessee, we sampled a bunch of different barrels and we picked this one exclusively for Amalie Arena. And this is our single barrel smoke.”
If new clothes are more your style, the Tampa Bay Sports Store has playoff swag, too.
“This year, what’s completely new for all of that is our Kuuuch for MVP line of shirts,” said retail store manager Antonio Cintron. “Obviously, with him having an incredible season he has, we wanted to do something to celebrate that and push forward with that campaign and help him out a little bit.”
The store has sunglasses and water bottles for your watch party essentials, plus ‘Be The Thunder’ t-shirts.
“When it comes to this time of year, you know, there’s few places you’re able to go to get some actual hockey going on,” Cintron said. “So we do see quite a boom in people coming in, grabbing stuff, gearing up for watch parties, gearing up for games.”
Puck drops tonight at Amalie Arena at 7 p.m., and the sports store is open from noon to 6 p.m. every day except Sunday.