2008 Tampa Bay Lightning

It’s a hard fact of life that if there’s a first place that means there has to be a last place. Unfortunately for the Tampa Bay Lighting, they ended the 2007-08 season dead last in the league. On the plus side, the Bolts now have all the incentive they need to make the 2008-09 season a winning one. To that end the off-season was a busy one, beginning with the acquisition of first overall pick Steven Stamkos and then the replacement of head coach John Tortorella with Barry Melrose, a former Los Angeles Kings coach and ESPN analyst. Next came the additions of forwards Gary Roberts, Adam Hall and Ryan Malone from the Pittsburgh Penguins, goalie Olaf Kolzig from the Washington Capitals, defenseman Andrej Meszaros from the Ottawa Senators, right winger Mark Recchi from the Atlanta Thrashers and free agent right winger Radim Vrbata. Forward Vaclav Prospal was signed to a multi-year contract as was Vincent Lecavalier, and defensemen Dan Boyle and Brad Lukowich were traded to San Jose for prospect Ty Wishart, defenseman Matt Carle, a first-round pick in 2009 and a fourth-round pick in 2010. With all of these changes the Lightning are practically a new team, and they certainly have no where to go but up. Bolts’ fans pack the stands at St Pete Times Forum (known as The Ice Palace to locals) regardless of the team’s performance, so tickets are sure to go fast to see this newly renovated team. The Tampa Bay Lightning should have a very exciting 2008-09 season, so get your tickets and say you were there when the Lightning turned it all around!

Missing an entire season had to be particularly galling to the Tampa Bay Lightning, who had captured the Stanley Cup in 2003-04. The NHL's long-awaited return to the ice in 2005-06 was a solid yet frustrating one. The Lightning wrapped up the regular NHL season with a record of 43 wins to 33 regulation-time losses and 6 overtime losses, for a total of 92 points, well below a number of other teams, including the Carolina Hurricanes, who won the Southeast Division (52-22-8, 112 points). Just the same, the Lightning managed to acquire a ticket to the National Hockey League Playoffs and a glimmering dream of a repeat.

Seeded #8 among the eight Eastern Conference hockey teams in the 2005-06 NHL Playoffs, the Tampa Bay Lightning had made it to the postseason playoffs a total of three times previously since they were established in 1992. Not surprisingly, they were eliminated in the first round, managing only one win against the top-seeded Ottawa Senators, who were then upset by the Buffalo Sabres.

Tampa Bay joined the NHL as an expansion team in 1992, with Hockey Hall of Fame member Phil Esposito serving as the team's first general manager. The club placed last in its division in its first two seasons and second to last in its third year. Center Brian Bradley, formerly of the Toronto Maple Leafs, emerged as the Lightning's top scorer.

In the 1995-96 season Tampa Bay qualified for the playoffs for the first time. Important players included defenseman Roman Hamrlik and goalie Daren Puppa, whose save percentage and goals-against average each ranked in the NHL's top five. The Lightning lost to the Philadelphia Flyers in the opening round of the playoffs.

Tampa Bay has been swept up with hockey fever as the Lightning continue to strike the competition night after night. The Lightning play their home games at St. Pete Times Forum, also known as the Ice Palace, which also hosts special events and concerts.

Previous players include: Chris Kontos, Brian Bradley, Petr Klima, Denis Savard, Chris Gratton, Dino Ciccarelli, Mikael Renberg, Karl Dykhuis, Steve Kelly, Jason Bonsignore, Paul Ysebaert, Mike Sillinger, and Nikolai Khabibulin. Previous coaches include Terry Crisp, Rick Paterson, Jacques Demers, Steve Ludzik, John Tortorella.