Top 10 boat parade moments in Tampa Bay sports

TAMPA — It’s that time of year again, Tampa Bay sports fans.

On Monday, your favorite Lightning players will be on boats and personal watercrafts, making their way down the Hillsborough River. And after the water shenanigans conclude, the team will gather on land at Julian B Lane Riverfront Park to celebrate its second straight Stanley Cup.

It will be the third championship boat parade the bay area has hosted in less than a year, and it’s bound to leave an impact and be filled with plenty of memories.

So in case you forgot, here are 10 memorable moments from previous Tampa Bay boat parades:

Brady needs help after too much ‘avocado tequila’

It was one of those you-have-to-see-this moments as seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady needed assistance walking on land after docking. Why? Drinking too much “avocado tequila” during the Bucs’ boat parade.

Brady’s moment instantly went viral, prompting T-shirts and jokes on Twitter. And he still hasn’t heard the end of it.

After the Lightning clinched back-to-back Stanley Cups on Wednesday, Brady quote-tweeted the Stanley Cup’s Twitter account. The Stanley Cup account tweeted, “FYI, I’m too heavy to throw, @TomBrady.” Brady then quote-tweeted, “Idk … everything feels a bit lighter after some tequila (laughing emoji).” The back and forth was a reference to Brady tossing the Lombardi Trophy from his boat to another while cruising down the Hillsborough River.

Kucherov pours beer into Vinik’s mouth

Lightning owner Jeff Vinik made an impassioned speech to fans gathered at Raymond James Stadium following the team’s boat parade for winning the 2019-20 Cup, but it did not go uninterrupted. An “influenced” Nikita Kucherov joined Vinik on stage and shared a beer with the owner.

Brady chucks Lombardi Trophy, and it doesn’t make splash

It’s only 7 pounds worth of sterling silver, but the sports world had a cardiac-arrest-kind-of-moment when Brady chucked the Lombardi Trophy to tight end Cameron Brate, who was on a boat behind Brady’s. It was only about a 10-foot toss, but the trophy doesn’t float, and neither does the 34.5-pound Stanley Cup.

Killorn hoists Cup while riding his Seadoo

You had to know that after a summer spent on his Seadoo during episodes of Dock Talk, forward Alex Killorn was going to find a way to incorporate his watercraft into the Lightning’s boat parade. He created an iconic moment when he hoisted the Stanley Cup onto his Seadoo for a ride, and he even let team captain Steven Stamkos come along for a spin.

Maroon claims ultimate ‘Florida Man’ title

Lightning forward Pat Maroon took the stage at Raymond James Stadium donning a beige fedora, sunglasses and a Stanley Cup scarf. All he did was deliver one of the most memorable speeches of the night as the team’s only two-time Cup winner.

He encouraged fans to get their phones out and turn on their flashlights to celebrate the moment. He concluded by shouting, “I’m the Big Rig! I’m back-to-back!” His choice of attire also was popular among bay area residents dressing up for Halloween the next month.

Shattenkirk pulls a T.J. Oshie, guzzles beer through T-shirt

It was a memorable moment in 2018 when Capitals forward T.J. Oshie chugged a beer through his jersey on stage as Washington celebrated its Stanley Cup.

So Lightning defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk decided to take a page out of Oshie’s party book and do the same on stage at Raymond James Stadium, chugging a beer through his T-shirt.

Vea dumps cooler over Arians’ head

As Bruce Arians delivered his speech after the Bucs’ boat parade, defensive tackle Vita Vea decided to cool off his coach with a bath from a Gatorade cooler.

Hedman hoists Cup in front of UT minarets

What screams Tampa more than the minarets on the University of Tampa campus along the Hillsborough River. That’s why the image of Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman — and Conn Smythe winner — hoisting the Cup at sunset while facing the Tampa landmarks is picture perfect.

Godwin’s phone sleeps with the fishes

The most important item in the Bucs’ boat parade — the Lombardi Trophy — didn’t end up at the bottom of the Hillsborough River, but the same couldn’t be said of Bucs receiver Chris Godwin’s cellphone.

“Hey, Verizon! I know somebody going to get this to you. My boy Scotty (Miller) dropped my phone in the water at the Super Bowl parade. I need a new phone!” Godwin exclaimed on teammate Mike Evans’ Instagram live video.

Arians tells players they ‘ain’t going nowhere’

When reporters asked linebacker Lavonte David if he wanted to return to Tampa Bay after the 2021 season, Arians jumped in, grabbed the mic and answered, loudly: “Your ass ain’t going nowhere!”

Arians gave the same answer for Godwin, too. Those words came to fruition as the Bucs front office dominated the NFL offseason by retaining all 22 starters (and three specialists) from the Super Bowl roster for the 2021 season.

Contact Mari Faiello at mfaiello@tampabay.com. Follow @faiello_mari.

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