Pucks and Pirates - The Perfect Pair

By Joey Johnston

Pirates and hockey. It seems like the perfect match.

So don’t be alarmed if you encounter one of those bearded, badly scarred, swashbuckling scoundrels Sunday when the Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series hits Raymond James Stadium. After all, there’s a replica pirate ship in the stadium’s north end zone, so what else would you expect? Fire the cannons, anyone?

Tampa Bay’s residents and visitors will witness something completely new — outdoor hockey in Tampa; the Lightning taking on the Boston Bruins — amid the backdrop of perhaps the city’s most familiar tradition.

 On Saturday, the Gasparilla Pirate Fest will be staged just as it has been each year since 1904 (except for intermittent breaks, such as during World Wars). The pirates of Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla (YMKG) will “invade’' Tampa, forcing Mayor Jane Castor to surrender the keys to the city, a predictably theatrical routine that still can’t be missed.

It will be followed by a victory parade down Bayshore Boulevard — an all-out party attended by more than 300,000 people most years — filled with beautifully designed floats from the city’s top organizations and pirates creating fun-filled havoc down the parade route. Of course, to everyone’s delight, the buccos will toss colorful beads and coins.

And the next day? The marvel of outdoor hockey — with a decidedly Gasparilla pirate theme. What to expect? Longtime Lightning executive Jay Feaster remembers the 2018 NHL All-Star Game in Tampa, also held on Gasparilla weekend.

“A couple of the hockey players were dressed in full Gasparilla gear,’’ Feaster said. “My gosh, they looked just like real pirates. They were perfectly at home in that role. I just think the whole thing is a marriage between two incredible events, so this will be a weekend to remember.’’ 

Meanwhile, the actual Gasparilla pirates can’t wait, either.

“This is going to be outstanding,’’ said Matt Moss, a Delta Air Lines pilot and former amateur hockey player who’s preparing for his 16th parade as part of YMKG. “It will be organized chaos. We’re pairing up two of the biggest passions in Tampa — the love of Gasparilla, our waterfront, the invasion and the parade … along with our love of hockey. To combine those two on a world stage, it will be an unprecedented experience, even for the longtime Krewe members who have seen it all.’’

You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone with more Gasparilla tradition running through his veins than Pete Lackman, a Tampa CPA who’s in his fourth decade of pirating with YMKG. Lackman was the 110th Gasparilla king and a former captain. His daughter, Caroline, is a former Gasparilla queen, while his son, George III, was a Krewe member as well before he moved to Atlanta.

But that’s not all.

In 1954, Lackman’s father, George Jr., helped to design the 137-foot-long Jose Gasparilla II ship, the same one that will carry the pirates from Ballast Point into downtown Tampa on Saturday. Lackman’s father, grandfather and uncles all worked at Tampa Ship Repair in the 1950s, and they were tasked with building the majestic Gasparilla ship.

For 40 years, Lackman’s uncle Conrad, 90, skippered the front tugboat (named the “Dorothy’’) that escorted the Jose Gasparilla II to its final destination. The Dorothy will be retired after this invasion. For the first time, to his glee, Conrad will ride the main pirate ship.

“That is a lot of history in my family, but believe it or not, I’m still more of a bit player in this thing,’’ Lackman said. “We have fifth-generation pirates. Their great-grandfathers were in the Krewe. It’s crazy.

“I’m so fired up that Gasparilla is part of our outdoor hockey game. I mean, hockey has blown up in this town. Our arena (Benchmark International) is downtown. When there’s a hockey game, our downtown is juiced up a,nd the nightlife is kicking. This whole weekend will showcase the very best of Tampa.’’

The Gasparilla Tradition

For the uninitiated, here’s a public-service question:

What is Gasparilla, anyway?

“It’s a tradition, a party, something that’s so authentically unique to Tampa that you can read about it and hear about it, but until you’re part of it, you’re not going to know what this iconic event truly means,’’ said USF CEO of athletics Rob Higgins, the former executive director of the Tampa Bay Sports Commission, which was instrumental in bringing the NHL Stadium Series to Tampa. 

“It’s Mardi Gras with much better weather,’’ said Eric Hart, president and CEO of the Tampa Sports Authority. “It’s Mardi Gras with a beach.’’

“Quite simply, it’s a blast,’’ Feaster said. “You’ve got to experience it for yourself. The people who are here for the first time, they are going to absolutely love it.’’

Gasparilla partnered with Super Bowl XXXV in 2001, attracting a record crowd of 750,000 on SB Eve, and also worked in accordance with the NHL All-Star Game in 2018. The NHL enthusiastically welcomed the opportunity to infuse Gasparilla’s traditions into its Stadium Series event.

“As we did in 2018, we are incorporating the theme of pirates, Gasparilla and what Tampa stands for into the NHL Stadium Series,’’ said Steve Mayer, the NHL’s president of content and events. “It’s just a fun, playful way to incorporate the city of Tampa’s traditions into our traditional hockey game. I think the fans will see it and appreciate it right from the second they walk into the stadium. We really love that the folks at Gasparilla have been so happy to work with us.’’

Tampa’s Gasparilla, loosely based on the Mardi Gras festivities in New Orleans, began as a May Day festival in 1904 with costumed civic leaders participating in a land-based pirate “invasion.’’ It became a seaborne invasion in 1911 and a standalone event two years later.

The motley protagonist is a mythical pirate named Jose Gaspar, believed to be a figure from Florida’s folklore (his existence can’t be definitively proven). Gasparilla became a huge part of Tampa’s social order. It oversaw the annual selection of a king and queen, while spinning off into various galas and events during “Gasparilla season.’’

There is also an alcohol-free Children’s Gasparilla (one week earlier) and a Ybor City-based Knight Parade, administered by the Krewe of the Knights of Sant’ Yago. Over 65 krewes participate in Gasparilla Pirate Fest, and Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla has the most tradition. It funds various charitable causes, along with the Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla Community Fund, a college scholarship fund for local high school seniors.

Gasparilla is said to be the third-largest United States parade on most years, taking its place alongside the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, the Tournament of Roses Parade, and various St. Patrick’s Day events.

“I love the stories of Jose Gaspar and his group supposedly running up and down the West Coast of Florida, making it into his hunting ground,’’ Moss said. “It’s such a colorful, unique event. 

“People have the perception that it’s just this wild, uproarious party. I certainly acknowledge there’s a big party aspect, of course, but one of the things that pleasantly surprised me when I got into the Krewe was how family-oriented it is. We did more than 60 charity events last year. The Krewes do a lot of good in the community and are dedicated to service. It’s all an unmistakable part of Tampa, and having it on the same weekend as our outdoor hockey game will just take everything to another level.’’

The Evolution 

Back in the day, Gasparilla was held on a Monday, a school holiday. Children scrambled for warm shell casings discharged from a pirate’s firearm. The parade wound up and down Bayshore, and everyone eventually congregated at the old Florida State Fairgrounds on the University of Tampa’s campus. On Hillsborough County’s east side, the Strawberry Festival held a similar spell over the population.

“The age of innocence,’’ Lackman said. 

“Even back then, it was Tampa at its best and its most colorful,’’ said Lightning vice president of philanthropy and community relations Elizabeth Frazier, who grew up in Tampa. “Gasparilla has obviously evolved into something much bigger, but it still carries so much meaning for all the generations of families who have been here all along. This particular weekend, with an outdoor hockey game, will certainly be one of the most memorable we’ve ever had.’’

Pirates and hockey.

It seems like a perfect match.

“You could say there’s a correlation between old-time pirates and hockey players,’’ Lackman said. “I can definitely see a correlation in the dental work.’’

“It’s quite a rush to come riding in on that pirate ship,’’ Moss said. “You make that turn toward the Tampa Convention Center, and you see people stacked 10 deep. Then you walk the parade route and there’s what, like 300,000 people? They’re cheering and screaming for the pirates. You really do feel like a rock star or a pro athlete for a day. I guess it’s what the Lightning players feel when they come skating on the ice to begin a game.’’

Moss was born at MacDill Air Force Base, but when his military father was transferred to the Pentagon, he migrated to Virginia, where he learned how to play hockey. 

“I just love the sport in general, everything about it,’’ Moss said. “Some of my greatest times were participating in the Lightning fantasy camps. We’re just a bunch of fat, old beer leaguers, but you’re in the locker room, next to Jassen Cullimore, Vinny Lecavalier and these other guys who won the Stanley Cup. You get the inside story of what it’s like for these NHL guys. You’re skating with them and feeling like you belong.’’ 

“I was never a hockey player, but I’ve come to really appreciate the sport,’’ Lackman said. “Whoever thought that would happen in Tampa, Florida? But we are definitely a hockey-oriented town. It’s part of the fabric of this place, one of the ways we identify ourselves, sort of like Gasparilla.’’

It will all make for a memorable weekend.

The Gasparilla pirates will invade as usual on Saturday, a spectacle unto itself, setting the stage for an unprecedented Sunday.

“Gasparilla has always brought our city together in a unique way,’’ Moss said. “The Lightning and hockey have done the same thing. I get to dress up like a pirate and act like a little kid. 

“I tell the new guys in the Krewe all the time, ‘This is a marathon, not a sprint.’ The whole thing can be physically and emotionally exhausting and now we’re adding a layer of hockey. I’ll look forward to being inside Raymond James Stadium and being part of that. It will be something to remember. Watching those Winter Classic games on New Year’s Day was always a favorite thing to do, and now Gasparilla is right in the middle of it.’’