The Heart Behind the Voice: Grieving Stella Mishkin

Image Credit: Michelle Gordon | Thunderstruck Sports

As free agency opens and the summer off-season heats up, we once again hear from NHL players who list Tampa Bay as a preferred destination. Why Tampa? The warm winters, winning culture, and the lack of state income taxes certainly play a role. But perhaps, one of the organization’s greatest strengths is something less tangible: the Lightning community. We function as a family— a family that includes the team, the fan base, and even those who cover it. We celebrate on-ice victories and personal milestones, and we support one another through losses both on and off the ice. For more than two decades, Dave Mishkin has been the radio voice of the Lightning. A few years ago, we got to know another side of him when he released his novel, Blind Squirrel. We celebrated his transition from broadcaster to powerful storyteller. Today, we see yet another side of Dave. The heart behind the voice is mourning the loss of a family member.

Introducing Stella Mishkin

Stella was a Bernese Mountain Dog. And although her life of eight years was much too short, it definitely was a life well-lived. In 2023, my own dog, a goldendoodle named Bolt, was going through the certification process to become a therapy dog. As I was signing him up for his testing date, I was asked, “Bolt as in the Tampa Bay Lightning?”

“Of course, Bolt as in the Tampa Bay Lightning,” I replied enthusiastically. I then began hearing stories about how active the Lightning organization was in the pet therapy arena. I quickly learned that the voice of the Bolts, Dave Mishkin, regularly took Stella to visit patients at Tampa General Hospital.

Getting to Know the Man Behind the Voice

In November of 2024, on my way out of the Pam Iorio parking lot, I ran into Dave Mishkin who was carrying a large collection of books and an easel. We struck up a conversation, and I learned that the books were copies of his first novel, which he had brought to the arena to promote before that evening’s game. I bought an autographed copy and saved it to read on my vacation the following month. Blind Squirrel was a wonderful book that really touched my heart. One thing I noticed was that at the end of the novel, in the “about the author” section, the picture Dave Mishkin chose was one of him with Stella. It was clear that this dog was an important part of Dave’s life and his identity.

As soon as I finished reading Blind Squirrel, I messaged Dave to let him know how much I’d enjoyed it, and I asked if I could interview him for the Lightning website I wrote for at the time. From that point forward, we shared a connection. Whenever I would see him in the press box of a Lightning game, he would update me on the progress of his novel, and then we would discuss our dogs and their volunteer experiences.

The Expanded Mishkin Family

A quick glance at Dave Mishkin’s Facebook page reveals the deep human-canine bond between him and Stella. Post after post highlighted Stella’s visits to Tampa General Hospital, including one from just one week ago. And then this morning, a different post about Stella. A grieving post.

In her life, Stella touched the lives of so many through her work as a therapy dog. But most of all, she touched the lives of the Mishkin family.

Dave Mishkin is a part of the Tampa Bay Lightning family. The family that supports one another through losses on and off the ice. Now, as Dave grieves the loss of his beloved friend, let’s return to him that same compassion that he and Stella gave so freely to others. Thank you, Stella.