Tomorrow, Tuesday December 10, the Washington Capitals will welcome the Boys from the Bay – otherwise known as the Tampa Bay Lightning – to Verizon Center for what we can only hope will be a savage beat-down. Of them. From us. The Caps, I mean.

Also that night, there will be another group of boys coming to Verizon as well, although perhaps more accurate to say “boiz.” And maybe some “ladiez,” too! Organized by local pal Kevin Morris, with the tiniest of help from us, about 50 or so GLBTQXYZ hockey fans will be on hand to watch the wee Martin St. Louis and his gang get handed their lids by a resurgent Caps squad.

Craig and I have debated the size of the gay hockey fan base – real and potential – for years. Heck, a few weeks ago we even did a science to try and settle the issue. A few years back, we purchased a block of about 40 tickets and sold them all, and this year apparently was no exception.

Personally, I think the appeal of hockey (*coughKeslercough*) is obvious no matter who you are. We’ll have a good bunch at Verizon for the Bolts and maybe in a year or so we can bring in numbers that will rival the National’s Night Out. Anyway, we’ll post much more from tomorrow’s frolic later in the week, including some ideas about more, and potentially even larger gatherings of the flock. In the meantime, if you think you can join us – there may be a spare ticket or two – or if you’d just like to meet up with us tomorrow, drop us a line. We’ll see you in section 411 tomorrow night to light up Bolts!