Canadian government may once again deny the Lightning their special moment.

On Monday night the Tampa Bay Lightning will have the chance to capture their second straight Stanley Cup Championship in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final, but if they do so their championship celebration will once again be diminished by the absence of their loved ones.

On Saturday Tampa Bay Lightning insider Joe Smith reported that, in spite of the fact that Game 4 could be a series clinching game, the National Hockey League and the Lightning have been unable to secure special exemptions for family members of the players to travel to Canada for the game. This means that should the Lightning capture the Stanley Cup for the second straight year on Monday, they will also celebrate without their loved ones on hand for the second straight year as well.

The Lightning's last championship title came inside of the NHL's bubble in Toronto and like in this scenario the Lightning were unable to have members of their families attend the big moment. That bubble experience proved to be particularly difficult for some members of that organization, most notably captain Steven Stamkos, and after another difficult season under the NHL's covid protocols it would have been nice to see the Lightning receive their just reward for all their hard work should they manage to triumph in Game 4.

It may seem like a small thing but for some of these families the sacrifices that have been made over the last two seasons have truly been enormous. I mentioned Stamkos' trials and tribulations during the NHL bubble, the Lightning captain left the bubble to be with his wife after she miscarried a pregnancy while he was there with the Lightning. To think that he will not get to share arguably the greatest moments of his career, both of them, with his wife is a terrible injustice.

Of course none of this will matter if the Lightning fail to capture victory in Game 4, with the series set to make its way back to Tampa Bay for Game 5. The Lightning would also get another chance to win at home in Game 7 should the Canadiens manage to rally back in this series.