The Tampa Terror

Part 14: Sinikka

Watching the Tampa Bay Lightning celebrate beating my beloved Canadiens was difficult. However, my awareness that the Bolts were practically impossible to defeat even before I knew that the Habs would face them lessened the severity of the pain. In addition, the Lightning players, fans, and staff could hold their celebrations without worrying that Tom would harm them.

In fact, the actual situation was quite the opposite. Tom, who formerly despised both teams, joined the victory parade. Though most people could not see him, he did stand on the leading float with Steven Stamkos and the rest of the Tampa Bay leadership. He celebrated with them and even waved to the fans, and the ones with special abilities smiled and returned the gesture.

Tom's new attitude satisfied every member of the two teams he had previously tortured. In fact, when Nils Salvesen proposed to Gustav Nordin in the summer of 2024, Tom was one of the first people invited to the wedding. On June 26, 2025, while Gustav's father walked him down the aisle, Tom happily smiled and waved.

Cole Caufield and I remained friends, even after I was drafted third overall to his team's fiercest rivals, the Boston Bruins, in 2024. We spent time catching up after each game our teams played against each other. He would tease me when he scored a goal on me in those games, and I would tease him back when I made a flashy save on the next shot he took. He kindly named me a guest of honor at his wedding, and I returned the gesture when I invited him to mine.

Cole and I both retired in 2041. I had been planning to play for a couple more years, but I suffered the same torn hip labrum that forced my father to retire in 2022 when he was also about to turn thirty-five years old. Though it saddened me initially, I ended up enjoying my retirement because I could spend more time with my husband, Phillip, and our three children. In addition, I had more time to enjoy with my friends, including Cole. Recently, I started working again. Instead of fiercely competing against others on the ice, I am now helping them stay healthy as a nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital. This is the same hospital where my father, Dr. Tuukka Rask, is a prominent and well-respected pathologist.

It has now been twenty-five years since the events of the 2021 Stanley Cup Finals. Though the players involved have all gotten older and gained more life experience, they have not forgotten their terrible ordeal. They spent their entire careers encouraging fans to not hate others simply because they cheered for a different team, and they especially discouraged the use of violence in any argument about sports.

The Tampa Terror, as it is known by many, will live on in the minds of hockey fans and players alike as a horrible event that nearly turned deadly. However, it also taught many important lessons. It taught Tom that haunting was not the way to get rid of the anger he felt about his unfair death. It taught the players to protect and love one another, and it taught fans that rivalries could be put aside in times of shared crisis.

Most importantly, it taught us all that life is temporary, and we should enjoy it while we have it.