TAMPA — The Lightning are keeping their fans in mind despite not being able to host them in Amalie Arena for the immediate future .Building off of last season’s Distant Thunder efforts for the postseason run , the franchise has found a new place for the fan-signed glass that traveled with the team to the Toronto bubble: behind the team bench.The glass will stay up through the first homestand with Chicago and be part of pre-game ceremony when the Cup banner is unveiled .Fans are familiar with the glass as a barrier that separates them from game action, and it also symbolizes the need to stay safe and distanced during the coronavirus pandemic.It was previously installed in Toronto’s Scotiabank Arena , when the Lightning played the Panthers in an exhibition game, then moved to the team’s hotels.Coach Jon Cooper said it will be different for players not having fans while playing at home versus playing in Canada.In the bubble, tarps covered the empty seats and clever signs rotated on the video boards. While the environment was created to look good on television, it helped the teams, too.“After the first 10 minutes of the first game, you didn’t really ever notice there was no fans,” Cooper said. “The difference being here, you’re going to see a lot more empty seats. We’ve gotten used to playing without fans. We don’t like it, but we’ve gotten used to it.”vs. Chicago, 8 tonight, Amalie ArenaTV/radio: NBC Sports, radio: 970-AM Contact Mari Faiello at mfaiello@tampabay.com . Follow @faiello_mari .
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