The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Jonathon Naylor Editor When the National Hockey League announced its two newest members in late 1991, both were something of a surprise. Not only was the NHL entering another small Canadian market in Ottawa, but it was also headed to a city that could hardly be associated with a sport played on ice. The Tampa Bay Lightning won a spot in hockey's highest league thanks to the hard work and deep pockets of an ownership group fronted by the legendary Esposito brothers, Phil and Tony. Phil would become the first president and GM, Tony the chief scout and Terry Crisp, who led the Calgary Flames to a Stanley Cup in 1989, the head coach. For an expansion team, the Lightning cobbled together a fairly respectable team. Their offence was led by Brian Bradley, John Tucker and Chris Kontos, each of whom surpassed the 50-point mark. The blueline corps was weak but showed promise with rookie Roman Hamrlik, the team's first ever draft pick. The inexperienced Pat Jablonski, the mediocre Wendell Young and the unimpressive Jean-Claude Bergeron split the duties in net. Tampa allowed an average of 3.85 goals per game. The Lightning were the third-worst team in the NHL that year, but had more wins than both the Ottawa Senators and San Jose Sharks combined. With 53 points, they had done exceptionally well for a first-year squad. In 1993-94, the Lightning improved by 18 points thanks in no small part to the additions of forwards Denis Savard, Petr Klima and the highly talented Daren Puppa in net. By 1995-96, as their expansion cousins in Ottawa continued to flounder, Tampa made the post-season for the first time with 88 points. Bradley continued to lead the team in scoring, Puppa was a Vezina finalist and Hamrlik was an all-star. The Lightning put up a good fight against the Philadelphia Flyers but lost in the opening round series 4-2. Nonetheless, hockey had caught on in sunny Tampa, as evidenced by the more than 28,000 fans who crammed the Thunderdome for a playoff game. Hopes were high as the Lightning opened 1996-97 in a new arena, the Ice Palace (now the Tampa Bay Times Forum). By now their roster was highlighted by names such as Chris Gratton, Dino Ciccarelli and John Cullen, while original Bolt Rob Zamuner continued to gain league-wide respect as a reliable two-way force. Unfortunately, Puppa was limited to just six games and Bradley missed over half the season. Unimpressive goaltending and too many bad breaks left the Lightning out of the 1997 playoffs. With the team bleeding money off the ice, things got worse on the ice in 1997-98. With Puppa again missing most of the season and 40-point man Paul Ysebaert as their leading scorer, the Lightning finished dead last in the league. The only silver lining for Tampa: their dismal finish allowed them to pick Vincent Lecavalier first overall. New team owner Art Williams famously declared Lecavalier would become 'the Michael Jordan of hockey,' a statement that remains an exaggeration despite the centreman's undeniable star power. See 'Lecavalier...' on pg. 14 Continued from pg. 5 Even as Lecavalier, named team captain in 2000, began to find his footing, Tampa struggled. Poor goaltending and a limited offence were the key concerns as the Bolts won just 19 times in 1999-2000. The Lightning again missed the post-season in 2000-01, but by now there were signs of hope. Brad Richards led the team in scoring while Lecavalier, Fredrik Modin, Martin St. Louis and Pavel Kubina played reasonably well. By 2002-03, the Lightning were a force to be reckoned with. They won the Southeast Division with 93 points as the core of Lecavalier, Richards and St. Louis was bolstered by Vaclav Prospal, Dan Boyle, Dave Andreychuk and, in net, Nikolai Khabibulin. They downed the Washington Capitals 4-2 in the opening round before succumbing to the New Jersey Devils in five games in round two. The Bolts just kept getting better and in 2003-04 managed 106 points. Six members of the roster scored at least 20 goals and Khabibulin lived up to his nickname of The Bulin Wall. The Lightning lost just once as they won their first two rounds over the New York Islanders and then the Montreal Canadiens. In round three, it took them seven games to beat the Philadelphia Flyers by a one-goal margin, but the Lightning had lived up to their hype to reach the Stanley Cup Finals. The Lightning entered the final series as the favourites against the surprising Calgary Flames. And what a series it was. The series went the full seven games and again was won by a single goal. Some believed there was a conspiracy against the Flames, but none of it mattered as the Bolts hoisted their first Cup on June 7, 2004. Richards won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. It was the last time NHL hockey would be played in well over a year. Following the lockout season of 2004-05, the Lightning returned to the ice in 2005-06 with a new look in net, as John Grahame replaced the departed Khabibulin. The Lightning snagged the eighth playoff seed in the East and lost to the Sens in five games. The following season, 2006-07, Lecavalier finished with a franchise record 108 points but his team could only manage to place seventh in the East. They were bested in the opening round by the Devils. In 2007-08, the Lightning were already familiar with criticisms they had spent too much of their cap room to keep the goal-scoring trio of Lecavalier, St. Louis and Richards. With the 2008 playoffs out of reach, the Bolts shipped off Prospal, Richards and Jan Hlavac. Finishing last overall in the league, the team caught a break by drafting soon-to-be superstar Steven Stamkos. More struggles followed in 2008-09, but again the Lightning received a high draft pick, claiming the talented blueliner Victor Hedman second overall. Tampa missed the playoffs again in 2009-10, but things were beginning to turn around as Stamkos tied Sidney Crosby for the league lead in goals with 51. Detroit Red Wings legend Steve Yzerman was hired as GM in the spring of 2010, and would prove to be astute in his new role. In 2010-11, the Lightning were back in the game with 103 points. With Dwayne Roloson and Dan Ellis now in net, and Teddy Purcell and Simon Gagne helping out up front, Tampa came to within one game of the Finals. This year the Lightning are back to playoff longshots. And so continues a 20-year trend of ups and downs for fans of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
