Belle, a pregnant hound dog, came to live with Suncoast Animal League at the end of March. And when she gave birth on April 6, the Tampa Bay Lightning were playing the Buffalo Sabres.
Introducing the Lightning pups.
Look, we're not saying the pups are why the Tampa Bay Lightning are in the playoffs, but we do think it's coincidence that right after the Lightning donated a signed Alex Killorn jersey (which Suncoast Animal League raffled to raise money to help defray their $50,000/month vet bill), the Lightning made it to the playoffs.
Belle had five female puppies: Puck (firstborn and, also, she has a puck-shaped mark on her head), Heddy (Victor Hedman), TJ (Tyler Johnson), Cally (Ryan Callahan) and Cory (Cory Conacher). She had four male puppies: Alex (Alex Killorn), Brayden (Brayden Point), Stammer (Steven Stamkos) and Kuch (Nikita Kucherov).
Brayden was the runt who was one-third the size of his brothers and sisters, but thanks to supplemental feedings and a strong spirit, Brayden's every bit as healthy as his siblings. He was also born as his namesake scored, so we're pretty sure he's going to be excellent at watching hockey on the couch with whoever adopts him.
Now, we're not telling you what to do, but if you really want the Tampa Bay Lightning to win the Stanley Cup (and how cute would these pups be, tumbling around it?), maybe you should make a donation to you favorite local shelter, or perhaps foster or adopt a dog.
Hey, it can't hurt, can it?
Contact Cathy Salustri here.
