Open Water Puts Plastic in Check — Becomes the Official Still & Sparkling Water Partner of the Tampa Bay Lightning

The partnership brings Open Water’s still and sparkling water to Lightning fans and introduces the “CanZam” Fan Zamboni to Benchmark International Arena.

Open Water, the sustainable aluminum bottled and canned water company focused on eliminating plastic bottles, announced a new partnership with the Tampa Bay Lightning, becoming the team’s Official Still & Sparkling Water Partner beginning with the 2026-27 NHL season. The partnership brings Open Water’s still and sparkling water to Benchmark International Arena while giving fans new ways to engage with the brand, including the introduction of the “CanZam,” a reimagining of the arena’s Fan Zamboni featuring Open Water’s can design.

The partnership gives Open Water category exclusivity as the Lightning’s still and sparkling water partner and makes its products part of the fan experience at home games and throughout dozens of concerts and shows held annually at the arena. The partnership also includes chest patch placement on the Lightning’s practice jerseys, along with digital and social activations designed to connect the team’s audience with recycling and reducing plastic waste.

One of the most visible elements of the partnership will be the CanZam. The arena’s Fan Zamboni, previously known as the FanZam, will be renamed and redesigned with an Open Water can-inspired design. The partnership will also introduce a series of “Recycled Plays” social media posts, using Lightning content to highlight recycling and the role that infinitely recyclable aluminum can play in reducing reliance on single-use plastic bottles.

For Open Water, the partnership represents an expansion of its work with sports organizations, where high-volume events create an opportunity to address the millions of plastic bottles used to serve fans. The company says it has eliminated the need for more than 200 million plastic bottles since launching. The Lightning partnership puts Open Water products in one of the Southeast's largest sports venues and places sustainability messaging directly within the fan experience. “Sports are one of the places where culture and everyday behavior actually meet,” said Nicole Doucet, co-founder and CEO of Open Water. “We started Open Water because we knew there had to be a better answer than making billions of plastic bottles for something people drink every day. Partnering with the Lightning gives us a chance to make that idea tangible for hundreds of thousands of fans, from the water they pick up at a game to the CanZam driving around the ice.”

“Fans will see the difference in very practical ways,” said Jess Page, co-founder and Chief Brand Officer of Open Water. “We’re excited about the big moments, but we’re just as interested in the small ones — choosing an aluminum bottle, seeing what happens to it after it goes in the recycling bin and realizing that all of these small choices at each game really matter.”

“We're always looking for ways to enhance the fan experience while partnering with organizations that share our commitment to innovation and community impact,” said Steve Griggs, CEO of Vinik Sports Group. "Open Water brings a unique sustainability mission to our organization, and activations like the CanZam and Recycled Plays create engaging ways to connect that mission with our fans. We're excited to partner with Open Water and bring their products and sustainability mission to fans throughout Benchmark International Arena.”

The partnership will roll out throughout the 2026-27 season, with Open Water featured across the Lightning’s home-game environment and select team and digital programming.

ABOUT OPEN WATER

If Open Water were a "normal" water brand, this is what it would talk about bazillion year volcanic filtration, cloud vapor, or maybe a remote South Pacific water source untouched by man. But Open Water is different — and while their water is crafted to taste crisp and pure, they’re also on a mission to be the planet's most sustainable water brand...and that means talking about stuff that actually matters: ditching plastic, sourcing water responsibly, reducing emissions, and contributing to healthier oceans.

With the first ever aluminum bottled water, the company pioneered the canned water category and offers a lineup of still and sparkling water in infinitely recyclable aluminum bottles and cans. Open Water has eliminated the need for over 200 million plastic bottles.

Open Water donates 1% of every sale to ocean conservation projects through its Sea Change Grants program. The company is also a certified Women-Owned business (WBENC) and a certified B Corporation.

ABOUT VINIK SPORTS GROUP & TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING

Vinik Sports Group (VSG) is an entity established by Jeff Vinik to manage the three-time Stanley Cup Champion Tampa Bay Lightning (2004, 2020, 2021) of the National Hockey League and hold the leasehold rights to Benchmark International Arena, the 19,092-seat downtown Tampa home in which the team plays its games. The venue opened in 1996 and became Benchmark International Arena in 2025 when Benchmark International partnered with Vinik and the Lightning. Since 2010, Vinik has led a complete brand and business transformation of the Lightning and the arena. Doug Ostrover and Marc Lipschultz joined the expanded ownership group of Vinik Sports Group in 2024, alongside Arctos, which initially joined in 2021. In addition to owning the Lightning and managing Benchmark International Arena, Vinik Sports Group, through TBSE, manages the Yuengling Center on the campus at the University of South Florida.