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Colorful History Of The Tampa Bay Lighting
One of the most successful expansion teams in the National Hockey League are the Tampa Bay lighting. They played their first game in 1992 and reached the playoffs only four years later. The Lightning story is full of drama including changes in venue, turmoil over ownership and of course, a championship. Here we will take a look at this unconventional, yet interesting team.
The National Hockey League expanded in 1992 with additions in Ottawa and Tampa Bay. In the late 80s there were two groups seeking the franchise in the Bay area. Much of the drama began with one group front man, Phil Esposito, former player and member of the Hall of Fame. Late in the game, he lost his financial backers but did not let that get in his way.
At the eleventh hour, Esposito got backing from a Japanese group. He also secured financial support from New York Yankee owner George Steinbrenner as a limited partner. With all of this, the group headed by Esposito was given the franchise.
The Lightening opening season was less than encouraging. But it was not as bad as many expected it would be. After the first month of the season, they were number one in their division. However, when the season came to a close, the Lightening found themselves dead last. However they did earn 53 points, the highest total for any expansion team's debut year.
What really makes that first year limited success remarkable is the where the team had to play. They played at the tiny Expo Hall. It was an indoor arena that could not accommodate even eleven thousand fans. The small crowds were not the worst of it. You see, the Expo Hall was located on the Florida State Fairgrounds. This venue was not exactly endearing to the hockey world. In fact it was the source of more than a few snickers.
The good news was that they would move out of the hall the next year. Now for the bad news. They moved to the Thunder Dome (initially called the Florida Suncoast Dome). This dome was built to house baseball games and was in St. Petersburg. Luckily they did move out of there too and the new baseball team, the Devil Rays (now the Rays) moved in in 1998. The Thunder Dome is now called Tropicana Field.
In addition to venue issues, the team suffered from ownership problems. By the mid-nineties the team was facing bankruptcy and was being investigated by the IRS. There was even talk that Japanese crime syndicates were involved in the money matters of the team. Finally, after a short-lived ownership by Art Williams, the club was sold to Bill Davidson, owner of the Detroit Pistons. It was at this point that Tampa's fortunes changed for the better.
It may have been the change in ownership, or it could have been the fact that they ultimately were given a legit venue in which to play. Whatever it was, things turned around for them. They now play in a huge arena that is suitable for hockey games and fans. It is the Ice Palace (now called the St. Pete Times Forum) in the channel side district. In 2004, the Lightening shocked everyone by bringing home the Stanly Cup with a victory over the Calgary Flames.
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