Tampa Bay Lightning's season-opener begins with Stanley Cup championship banner-raising ceremony

TAMPA, Fla. - The Bolts officially began their quest for a third-straight Stanley Cup Tuesday night at Amalie Arena.

The defending champions took on the Pittsburgh Penguins in their season opener, but all the fun started before then. 

All Time Low headlined the NHL Faceoff Concert along the Tampa Riverwalk. After the concert, the Stanley Cup was escorted by police boat to ESPN's stage, right outside Amalie. 

Then, the moment Bolts fans had all been waiting for, the newest Stanley Cup championship banner was raised above the ice.

Meanwhile, fans will also experience a new purchasing system, right from their seats.

MORE: Amalie Arena to debut new in-seat purchasing system for fans

"Essentially, it's providing a single-click check-out process that's very frictionless for our fans to purchase merchandise," said Jarrod Dillon, chief marketing and revenue officer for the Vinik Sports Group. 

He's talking about the QR codes on the seats and around the building.  You can scan it with your phone and within seconds you can make made a buy.  No lines, no waiting, and no missing the big play.

The season-opener comes one day after the Lightning announced they signed head coach Jon Cooper to a three-year contract extension through the 2024-25 season.