Did You Know...

The 2008-09 season wasn’t what the Tampa Bay Lightning had hoped for, ending with them in last place in the Southeast Division, but changes made in the offseason bring high hopes for the 2009-10 season. New head coach Rick Trocchet is entering his first full season with the team, and unlike last season, this time he has training camp to make sure all his players know his system. The blue line received a much needed boost with the additions of Kurtis Foster, Mattias Ohlund, Matt Lashoff and Victor Hedman (the No. 2 overall draft pick), and after a disappointing start from Steven Stamkos, he’s made significant improvements that predict a stellar sophomore season. Will the changes be enough to turn things around for The Bolts? Find out for yourself with tickets to St Pete Times Forum to catch the Tampa Bay Lightening in action!

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.