New-look Lightning return with a win — and some perspective
The Lightning spent Family Day getting their first win in 712 days (not a typo). So much has changed since March 2020, when the NBLC last took the court, but basketball is officially back.
Chris Jones, in his Lightning debut, had 24 points (on 10-of-15 shooting) and six rebounds. (Photo: Dan Congdon).
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KITCHENER, Ont. – Check out the front page of any major newspaper on March 11, 2020. It all seems so far away now.
The New York Times balanced future President Joe Biden chasing the Democratic nomination through Michigan, Putin pushing to extend his power, and then-President Donald Trump downplaying the threat of a virus devastating Italy. The Toronto Star mentioned the province considering out-of-hospital COVID-19 testing centres – but the NHL’s Maple Leafs still ruled above the masthead. The National Post, in glorious Postmedia fashion, had an above-the-fold banner reading: “Glorious Grey: More and more women are saying goodbye to the salon chair and letting nature take its course.”
It wasn’t the last time non-pandemic news made the front page, but since then, anything unrelated to a pandemic has had to fight its way to the front. Starting on March 12, 2020, and running every day until, well, this morning, pandemic and pandemic-related matters have been our lives.
It has been so long since the London Lightning played that Prince Harry was still royal, Kim Jong Un was dead, and Alex Trebek was still alive. Did we ever stop those damn murder hornets? Can you even name the Academy Award winner for Best Picture from last year?
712 days is a hell of a long time.
On March 11, 2020, the NBA suspended its 2019-20 season after a game between the Utah Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder was postponed prior to tipoff after Jazz centre Rudy Gobert tested positive for COVID-19. That same night, nearly 3,000 km away, the Lightning shrugged off a slow start against the Sudbury Five to earn a 122-113 victory.
Lightning has not struck since.
Even still, when Bolts forward Cameron Forte scored a layup over a KW Titans defender at 11:11 of the first quarter Monday afternoon, the franchise’s first bucket in nearly two years, they didn’t stop the game or mark the occasion in any way. There were no parades, speeches, or commemorative NFTs issued.
They just played on like normal. Like normal – that’s a fun couple of words to write.
It sure felt normal. A vocal crowd of 2,282 in The Aud stayed locked into the back-and-forth action that ended in a 110-108 Lightning victory.
Admittedly, it was a slow and somewhat ugly fight back to normal for the visiting Bolts. Pushing the shot clock beyond its limits. Sloppy passing. Defense that made the Ottawa Police look competent.
But a win is a win, as they say.
Cameron Forte (left) had a big double-double in London’s season opener, posting 26 points, 17 rebounds and four assists. (Photo: Dan Congdon).
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“It was a little bit strange to be back. It feels like it was just yesterday we walked off the court. First and foremost, it’s great to be back,” said Lightning head coach Doug Plumb. “You take it any time you get a win on the road; it’s always better to win than to lose. But we have a long way to go. We had a lot of guys not on the same page. We made mistakes all over the place.”
But after two years away, and only two weeks of training camp (versus a usual six), success sits beyond the scoreboard after one game. This is a fun team, an athletic team, a bunch that will play with a lot of fire. It is also a team that needs more time together.
“I saw a lot of resiliency, a toughness you just cannot teach. After all we have been through, I am really proud of them,” Plumb said. “I know we have talent. But until the lights go on and the ball goes up, you never know. I had no idea what to expect. I am happy with the result; I am happy we won. But the process to get back wasn’t exactly seamless. We have a lot of work to do. But it’s great to be back – we all missed high-level basketball.”
On Family Day 2022, we can comfortably say that London sports are back to – almost – normal. We had a summer of Majors on the field. A fall of FC on the pitch. A winter of Knights on the ice. And now a spring of Lightning on the court.
A return to normal? Maybe not yet. But it felt like we were one shot closer.
There are some familiar faces, but there’s a sense of renewal in London as the Lightning embark on a new season. With a new coach and several new players, is a new era upon us? What to expect in 2024-25 …