50 Fun Facts About Tampa Bay Lightning

The Lightning were founded as an expansion team in 1990 by a group fronted by which brothers?

Phil and Tony Esposito: their group won the franchise because it agreed to pay the full $50 million expansion fee up front, unlike a rival St. Petersburg bid.

Which Lightning goaltender won the 2019 Vezina Trophy?

Andrei Vasilevskiy: the Russian goaltender won the 2019 Vezina Trophy after leading the league with 39 wins, and later backstopped the 2020 and 2021 Stanley Cup runs.

Who became the first woman in a major pro sports league by tending goal for Tampa Bay in a 1992 preseason game?

Manon Rhéaume: the Quebec goaltender played one period against the St. Louis Blues on September 23, 1992, stopping seven of nine shots.

The Lightning's first regular-season game, a 7-3 win over Chicago, was played at which unusual venue?

Expo Hall at the state fairgrounds: the roughly 10,400-seat exhibition hall hosted the Lightning's first season, 1992-93, including the 7-3 opening win over Chicago on October 7, 1992.

Which player scored four goals in the Lightning's first-ever game?

Chris Kontos: the journeyman forward scored four times in the 7-3 win over Chicago on October 7, 1992, and his hot start briefly put the expansion team atop the Norris Division.

From 1993 to 1996 the Lightning played in a St. Petersburg baseball dome renamed what?

The Florida Suncoast Dome later became Tropicana Field for the Devil Rays.

A 1996 Lightning-Flyers game in St. Petersburg drew 28,183 fans, a record crowd for what?

An NHL playoff game: the first-round game against Philadelphia in April 1996 drew 28,183 to the domed stadium, the largest crowd for any NHL game until the 2003 Heritage Classic in Edmonton.

The Lightning's original owner, the Japanese firm Kokusai Green, was primarily an operator of what?

Golf courses and resorts: Kokusai Green, a Japanese golf and resort company, was the team's original majority owner; its reclusive head reportedly never watched the team play in seven years.

Which insurance tycoon bought the Lightning in 1998, then sold at a loss a year later?

Art Williams: the Primerica founder paid about $117 million in 1998, fired the team's founding executives two games into the season, and sold to new owners at a loss in 1999.

The Lightning drafted which centre first overall in 1998?

Vincent Lecavalier: the 1998 first overall pick scored 52 goals in 2006-07 to win the Rocket Richard Trophy, then a franchise record, before a 2013 compliance buyout.

The Lightning became the first NHL team to do what across 1997-98 to 2000-01?

Post four straight 50-loss seasons: from 1997-98 through 2000-01 the Lightning never won more than 24 games in a season, bottoming out at 17-55-10 in 1997-98.

Which goaltender did the Lightning get from Phoenix in 2001, backstopping them to the 2004 Cup?

Nikolai Khabibulin: 'the Bulin Wall' arrived in a March 2001 trade, posted five shutouts in the 2004 playoffs, and signed with Chicago as a free agent after the lockout.

The Lightning beat which team in seven games to win the 2004 Stanley Cup?

Calgary Flames: Ruslan Fedotenko scored both goals in the 2-1 Game 7 win on June 7, 2004, giving Tampa Bay its first Stanley Cup.

Who won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2004 with 26 playoff points?

Brad Richards: he won the 2004 Conn Smythe with 12 goals and 14 assists, including a record seven game-winning goals, before being traded away in February 2008.

Which undrafted winger won the Hart Trophy and Art Ross with 94 points in 2003-04?

Martin St. Louis: the undrafted University of Vermont product led the league with 94 points in 2003-04 and also took the Lester B. Pearson Award that season.

Which coach won the 2004 Jack Adams Award with Tampa Bay and later called its owners 'cowboys'?

John Tortorella: he coached the 2004 Cup team and was named coach of the year that spring; the new owners fired him in June 2008 after a last-place finish.

The Lightning were bought in 2008 by a group headed by a producer of which horror film franchise?

Saw: Oren Koules, a producer of the Saw films, bought the team with former player Len Barrie in 2008; their meddling led GM Jay Feaster to resign that summer.

The Lightning's 2008 promotional campaign around their first overall pick used what slogan?

Seen Stamkos?: billboards around Tampa asked the question before the 2008 first overall pick's rookie season; Stamkos scored 51 goals in his second season.

Steven Stamkos set the Lightning's single-season goal record in 2011-12 with how many?

60: Stamkos's 60 goals in 2011-12 earned his second Rocket Richard Trophy, after he tied Sidney Crosby for the first with 51 in 2009-10.

Which Boston investor bought the Lightning during the 2009-10 season?

Jeff Vinik: the Boston hedge-fund manager, formerly of Fidelity's Magellan fund, bought the team in March 2010 and fired coach Rick Tocchet and GM Brian Lawton after the season.

Which Red Wings legend became the Lightning's general manager in May 2010?

Steve Yzerman: the longtime Red Wings captain was hired in May 2010, brought in coach Guy Boucher, and saw the club reach the 2011 Eastern Conference Final in his first season.

With the second overall pick in 2009 the Lightning selected which Swedish defenceman?

Victor Hedman: the Swedish defenceman went second behind John Tavares in 2009, won the 2018 Norris Trophy, and was named captain in 2024.

Jon Cooper was hired as Lightning coach in March 2013 from which AHL club?

Syracuse Crunch: Cooper had led the Norfolk Admirals to the 2012 Calder Cup before the affiliation moved to Syracuse; he was promoted to Tampa Bay in March 2013.

Before coaching, Jon Cooper earned a law degree where?

Cooley Law School: the Prince George native earned his law degree at Thomas M. Cooley in Lansing, Michigan, after an undergraduate degree at Hofstra, and practised as a public defender.

The Lightning lost the 2015 Stanley Cup Final in six games to which team?

Chicago Blackhawks: the Hawks clinched their third Cup in six years with a 2-0 win in Game 6 at the United Center on June 15, 2015.

The Lightning tied the then-NHL record for regular-season wins in 2019 with how many?

62: they matched the 1995-96 Red Wings' mark, since passed by the 2022-23 Bruins' 65, then became the first Presidents' Trophy winner swept in the first round.

Which eighth seed swept the Lightning in the first round of the 2019 playoffs?

Columbus Blue Jackets: the wild-card Jackets won all four games in April 2019, outscoring Tampa Bay 19-8; the teams met again in the 2020 bubble, where Tampa Bay won in five games.

Nikita Kucherov set a franchise record in 2018-19 with how many points, winning the Hart and Art Ross?

128: Kucherov's 41 goals and 87 assists that season set a franchise record he later broke himself, and made him the second Lightning player to sweep the Hart and Art Ross.

The Lightning won the 2020 Stanley Cup in the Edmonton bubble by beating which team in six games?

Dallas Stars: Tampa Bay clinched with a 2-0 win in Game 6 on September 28, 2020, its first title since 2004, played without fans in Edmonton's bubble.

The Lightning repeated as champions in 2021 by beating which team in five games?

Montreal Canadiens: Ross Colton's goal won Game 5 1-0 at Amalie Arena on July 7, 2021; Kucherov, who had missed the whole regular season after hip surgery, led the playoffs in scoring.

The Lightning's three straight Final appearances ended with a six-game loss in 2022 to which team?

Colorado Avalanche: the Avs won Game 6 2-1 in Tampa on June 26, 2022, ending the Lightning's bid for a third straight Cup.

Who captained the Lightning to the 2004 Stanley Cup?

Dave Andreychuk: the 40-year-old captain lifted the Cup in his 22nd NHL season, after a record 1,597 regular-season games without a title.

Steven Stamkos left the Lightning as a free agent in 2024 to sign with which team?

Nashville Predators: unable to agree an extension before free agency opened, Stamkos signed a four-year deal with the Predators on July 1, 2024, ending 16 seasons in Tampa.

The Bolts' downtown Tampa arena opened in 1996 under what name?

Ice Palace: the arena opened in October 1996 under that name, then became the St. Pete Times Forum in 2002, the Tampa Bay Times Forum in 2012 and Amalie Arena in 2014.

The Bolts' mascot ThunderBug is what kind of creature?

A firefly: ThunderBug is a lightning bug, a play on the team's name; the mascot has entertained crowds since the franchise's early years in the 1990s.

Who was the Lightning's first head coach, a two-time Cup winner as a Flyer who also coached Calgary?

Terry Crisp: he coached the Lightning from their 1992 debut and led them to the 1996 playoffs, their first, before being fired early in 1997-98.

The Lightning's first playoff series win, in 2003, came after falling behind 2-0 to which team?

Washington Capitals: after losing the first two games at home, the Lightning won four straight, clinching in triple overtime in Game 6, then fell to New Jersey in round two.

The Lightning opened the 2008-09 season in which European country?

Czech Republic: the Lightning lost twice to the Rangers in Prague on October 4 and 5, 2008, in the NHL Premiere series.

Which ESPN analyst became Lightning coach in 2008 after saying he missed 'having a dog in the fight'?

Barry Melrose: the ESPN analyst left the studio to coach the Lightning in June 2008 and was fired 16 games into the season with a 5-7-4 record.

The Lightning's 2011 playoff run included a comeback from 3-1 down against which team?

Pittsburgh Penguins: the Lightning won three straight, including an 8-2 Game 5 rout in Pittsburgh and a 1-0 Game 7 there, to take the series.

Which goaltender backstopped the Lightning to the 2015 Stanley Cup Final?

Ben Bishop: he posted back-to-back 2-0 shutouts in Games 5 and 7 of the 2015 conference final in New York before the Lightning lost the Final in six games.

The Lightning traded Jonathan Drouin to Montreal in 2017 for which defence prospect?

Mikhail Sergachev: the ninth overall pick of 2016 arrived in the June 2017 trade and anchored the 2020 and 2021 Cup-winning blue lines before a 2024 trade to Utah.

The Lightning's 2019-20 franchise-record winning streak reached how many games?

11: the franchise-record streak ran from late January into mid-February 2020, less than a month before the pandemic paused the season on March 12.

The Lightning's 2003 division title was won by how many points?

1: the Lightning finished with 93 points, a single point ahead of the division runner-up, to claim their first Southeast Division title and first-round home ice.

Which future star did the Lightning take 79th overall in the 2014 draft?

Brayden Point: the third-round pick from Calgary scored 14 goals in each of the 2020 and 2021 playoff runs, leading both postseasons, and scored the five-overtime series-opening winner in 2020.

The Lightning's 2013 compliance buyout of their captain was made for what stated reason?

His contract's salary-cap impact: the captain's 11-year, $85 million deal ran through 2019-20 at about $7.7 million a season, and the general manager said the cap, not his play, drove the buyout.

Which other NHL franchise shares the Lightning's home state?

Panthers: the Florida Panthers, based in Sunrise near Fort Lauderdale, joined the NHL in 1993, a year after the Lightning, and the two teams contest the 'Battle of Florida'.

Who became the Lightning's general manager in September 2018?

Julien BriseBois: the longtime assistant general manager was promoted in September 2018 when his predecessor stepped back, and assembled the rosters that won the 2020 and 2021 Cups.

Who was the Lightning's original Japanese owner, who never watched his team play in seven years?

Takashi Okubo: the reclusive head of golf-resort firm Kokusai Green owned the club from its founding until 1998, and some prospective buyers doubted he existed.

Which Detroit Pistons owner bought the Lightning for $115 million in 1999?

Bill Davidson: the Palace Sports and Entertainment owner paid $115 million in 1999, stayed in Detroit, and installed Tom Wilson as president, who hired GM Rick Dudley and coach Steve Ludzik.