For Tampa Bay Lighthing Fans, the push for the Stanley Cup — professional hockey's championship trophy for those completely immune to sportsball — starts tonight at the Tampa Bay Times Forum in downtown Tampa when the team hosts the Montreal Canadiens in Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs. It's a pretty momentous occasion, too.
The Bolts haven't tasted the post-season since their 2010-11 campaign, and it's been a solid 10 years since Tampa's first and only championship season. What's more, this year's squad is led by a first-year coach and — despite the presence of playoff "veterans" like Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman — is full of fresh (read: "rookie") talent like Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat.
Any butterflies or nervous feelings can all be traded in for pure crunk now though thanks to Jinx. The Tampa-based emceee — who has performed with Talib Kweli and Dynasty— has taken Lil' John's "Turn Down For What," flipped it around, and created what could become the anthem for the Lightning's playoff push.
The clip for "We Want The Cup" finds Jinx teaming up with Tampa hip hop icon DJ Sandman as well as DJ Casper and the Ol' Dirty Sundays crew for a video that visits other Tampa landmarks like Bayshore Boulevard, downtown's Bro Bowl, the Florida Aquarium, The Lodge in SoHo, and even that Marriott where people post Instagrams of their feet chilling poolside. There are shout-outs to Stamkos, goalies Ben Bishop and Anders Lindback, and Justin Bieber may or may not make a cameo as well (I really hope it isn't him).
Have a look at the clip below, and cheer for your hockey team in person tonight by grabbing your ticket here. The game — puck drops at 7 p.m. EDT — will also be on television (Sun Sports, CNBC) and radio (WFLA 970 AM).