Chuck Muller thought it would be a great idea to be the first in line to buy student Lightning tickets.
Days before Tampa Bay takes on the Chicago Blackhawks at Amalie Arena in the first game of the Stanley Cup Final, Muller arrived Sunday around 9 p.m. The student tickets go on sale Wednesday.
“It was raining really hard. My best friend Mike dropped me off, and I was lucky enough to get everything set up while the rain was subsiding,” Muller said while taking shelter from the sun at Thunder Alley.
The game sold out, but Muller anticipates buying one of the 100 “Subway Student Rush” discount price tickets the Lightning are making available to high school or college students.
“Ticket prices are real expensive, and I am a broke college student, and this is the most affordable way for me and any other college student to be able to get in the building. That’s the most important thing for me,” the Hillsborough Community College student said.
Muller is taking two online classes at HCC. While waiting for tickets, he was studying for a test he had to complete by midnight. “I’m literally finishing up my associate’s degree out here on the patio … I’m actually finishing up my last two courses for my degree out here in Thunder Alley,” he said.
Muller is such a diehard fan that he has already been to seven playoff games this year.
“It’s one of those bucket list things. It’s up there with the Super Bowl and the World Series … I have been fortunate enough to come to a game for every series so far so to be able to go to a game during the Final would be a nice culmination to the efforts this year,” he added.