As you might know from watching Tuesday's game three of Lightning-Avalanche, Charles Barkley made his way onto the Jumbotron clanking his noisemaker in support of the Lightning.
But what you might not know, Sir Charles and Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper are good friends. The two met at a bar in California about seven years ago, and as Charles tells Christine Simpson of SportsNet in Canada in a 2021 interview posted below, Cooper kept his identity a secret until the end.
Additionally, Charles talks about his Lightning fandom with Steve Levy, Mark Messier and Chris Chelios on ESPN's set between the first and second periods of Tuesday's game.
Charles jokes that Mess owes him $500 for getting kicked out of the game the night Barkley came over to greet Messier during a Rockets game some years back!
Cover Photo: Getty Images