John Franzone grips a stopwatch in his left hand. Its nylon Timex lanyard is wrapped tightly around his palm.

He’s counting the seconds in between videos playing on the 28-foot-tall Jumbotron over the ice at Amalie Arena, making sure the show stays on time. Tampa Bay Lightning players are already on the ice warming up for Game 6 of the NHL Eastern Conference final, and the seats are filling up with fans. Franzone and his team of 12 are in place all over the arena.

They’re gearing up for their big show — the eight minutes or so before the puck drops at the start of the first period.

Franzone, the vice president of presentation at Amalie Arena, is in charge of creating inspiring material to pump up the sold-out crowds. He grits his teeth as he points to the disc jockey seated next to him, signaling Thunderstruck by AC/DC to begin. A lightning bolt is projected onto the ice and follows a young hockey player who hoists a lit-up hockey stick to the beat of “Thun-der.”

“We didn’t have any of this when we won the cup in 2004,” Franzone said. “We didn’t have any of this five years ago.”

A small smile cracks Franzone’s lips when it’s all over — after the Tesla coils fire off bolts from above and the lasers from atop the impressive organ go dark against the arena’s ceiling. Nearly every fan is out of his or her seat cheering.

Read more in the Tampa Bay Times here.