![]() ![]() The team picked up goaltender Daren Puppa, left-wing goal scorer Petr Klima and aging sniper Denis Savard. Petersburg, Florida (which was reconfigured for hockey and renamed "the Thunderdome") and where the team would play many home games in front of crowds of 25,000 or more. The following season saw the Lightning shift to the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division, as well as move into the Florida Suncoast Dome (a building originally designed for baseball) in St. Bradley's 42 goals gave Tampa Bay fans optimism for the next season it would be a team record until the 2006–07 season when Vincent Lecavalier passed it with a career-high 52 goals.Īs part of the Norris Division, Tampa Bay had rivalries with teams in Chicago, Detroit, and Minnesota, similar to how the National Football League's Tampa Bay Buccaneers were in the same division as the Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings. Their 53 points in 1992–93, however, was one of the best-ever showings by an NHL expansion team. However, they buckled under the strain of some of the longest road trips in the league (their nearest division rival), the Blues, were over 1,000 miles away-and finished in last place with a record of 23–54–7 for 53 points. The Lightning shot to the top of the Campbell Conference's Norris Division within a month, behind Kontos' initial torrid scoring pace and a breakout season by forward Brian Bradley. They shocked the visiting Chicago Blackhawks 7–3 with four goals by little-known Chris Kontos. The Lightning first took the ice on October 7, 1992, playing in Tampa's tiny 11,000-seat Expo Hall at the Florida State Fairgrounds. Louis Blues and stopped seven of nine shots. The team turned heads in the preseason when Manon Rheaume (from Canada) became the first woman to play in an NHL game (which also made her the first woman to play in any of the major professional North American sports leagues) she played for the Lightning against the St. Phil Esposito initially attempted to recreate the mystique from the powerhouse Boston Bruins of the 1970s he hired former linemate Wayne Cashman as an assistant coach, former Bruin trainer John "Frosty" Forristal as the team's trainer and the inaugural team photo has him flanked by Cashman and player Ken Hodge, Jr. The team was named the Lightning after Tampa's status as the "Lightning Capital of North America." Terry Crisp (who played for the Philadelphia Flyers when they won two Stanley Cups in the mid-1970s and coached the Calgary Flames to a Cup in 1989) was tapped as the first head coach. Phil Esposito installed himself as president and general manager while Tony became the chief scout. One of the team's limited partners was New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, who lived in Tampa during the year.Īccording to former NHL President Gil Stein, another factor was that the Karmanos/Rutherford group wanted to pay only $29 million before starting play while the Esposito group was one of the few willing to pay the entire $50 million expansion fee up front.Īfter being awarded the franchise, the team's management brought in star power before they had any players. The prospect of Japanese backing tipped the scales in the Esposito group's favor, and they were awarded an expansion franchise for the 1992–93 season, as was a group in Ottawa (which became the Senators). Esposito eventually recruited a consortium of Japanese businesses headed by Kokusai Green, a golf course and resort operator. Not only was the Karmanos/Rutherford group better financed, but one of Esposito's key backers, the Pritzker family had backed out a few months before the bid. On paper, it looked like the Karmanos/Rutherford group was the frontrunner. Petersburg-based group fronted by future Hartford Whalers/Carolina Hurricanes owners Peter Karmanos and Jim Rutherford, and a Tampa-based group fronted by two Hall of Famers: Phil Esposito and his brother Tony. Two rival groups from the Tampa Bay Area area decided to bid for a franchise: a St. In the late 1980s, the NHL announced that it would expand. 1.14 2015–16 season: Back to the Eastern Conference Finals.1.13 2014–15 season: Second Stanley Cup Final.1.11 2012–13 season: End of the Lecavalier Era.1.10 2011–12 season: Steven Stamkos Rises. ![]() 1.8 2009–10 season: Season of New Beginnings.1.5 2006–07 season: Another short post-season.1.4 Two Dream Seasons and the Stanley Cup. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |