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RetroSeasons recaps past sports seasons through stories, photos, videos, and stats from every team, league, and stadium in history. Coverage includes the NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL, as well as vintage media from defunct teams and leagues.
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Tampa Bay Lightning logo

Tampa Bay Lightning
Seasons 1993-2021 (29 seasons)

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Teams Tampa Bay Lightning History Seasons

Recap

In the late 1980s, the NHL announced it would expand. Two rival groups from the Tampa Bay Area decided to bid for a franchise: a St. Petersburg-based group fronted by future Hartford Whalers/Carolina Hurricanes owners Peter Karmanos and Jim Rutherford, and a Tampa-based group fronted by Phil Esposito and his brother Tony, both members of the Hockey Hall of Fame. One of the Esposito group's key backers, the Pritzker family, backed out a few months before the bid, to be replaced by a consortium of Japanese businesses headed by Kokusai Green, a golf course and resort operator. On paper, it looked like the Karmanos/Rutherford group was better financed, but it wanted to pay only $29 million before starting play. In contrast, the Esposito/Kokusai Green group was one of the few groups willing to pay the full $50 million expansion fee up front. The Esposito group would win the expansion franchise on December 6, 1990, and name the team the Lightning, after Tampa Bay's status as the "Lightning Capital of North America."


Phil Esposito installed himself as president and general manager, while Tony became chief scout. Terry Crisp, who played for the Philadelphia Flyers when they won two Stanley Cups in the mid-1970s and coached the Calgary Flames to a Stanley Cup in 1989, was tapped as the first head coach. Phil Esposito also hired former teammates from the Boston Bruins of the 1970s, including former linemate Wayne Cashman as an assistant coach and former Bruin trainer John "Frosty" Forristal as the team's trainer. The inaugural team photo has him flanked by Cashman and player Ken Hodge, Jr., son of his other Bruins' linemate.

The Lightning played their first preseason game in September 1992 against the Minnesota North Stars, and then turned heads later that preseason when Manon Rheaume became the first woman to play in an NHL game, which also made her the first woman to play in any of the major professional North American sports leagues. She played for the Lightning against the St. Louis Blues, and stopped seven of nine shots.

The Lightning played their first regular-season game on October 7, 1992, in Tampa's tiny 11,000-seat Expo Hall at the Florida State Fairgrounds. They shocked the visiting Chicago Blackhawks 7–3 with four goals by little-known Chris Kontos. The team shot to the top of the Campbell Conference's Norris Division within a month, behind Kontos' initial torrid scoring pace and a breakout season by forward Brian Bradley. However, it buckled under the strain of some of the longest road trips in the NHL—their nearest division rival, the Blues, were over 1,000 miles (1,600 km) away—and finished in last place with a record of 23–54–7 for 53 points. This was, at the time, one of the best-ever showings by an NHL expansion team. Bradley's 42 goals gave Tampa Bay fans optimism for the next season; it would be a team record until the 2006–07 season.

The following season saw the Lightning shift to the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division, as well as move into the Florida Suncoast Dome (a building originally designed for baseball) in St. Petersburg, which was reconfigured for hockey and renamed the "ThunderDome." The team acquired goaltender Daren Puppa, left wing goal scorer Petr Klima, and veteran forward Denis Savard. While Puppa's play resulted in a significant improvement in goals allowed (from 332 to 251), Savard was long past his prime and Klima's scoring was offset by his defensive lapses. The Lightning finished last in the Atlantic Division in 1993–94 with a record of 30–43–11 for 71 points. Another disappointing season followed in the lockout-shortened 1994–95 season with a record of 17–28–3 for 37 points.

Close
Season Overviews Seasons List
2020-21 Tampa Bay Lightning Season
2020-21 Tampa Bay Lightning
36-17 (.679)
Won Stanley Cup Finals
2019-20 Tampa Bay Lightning Season
2019-20 Tampa Bay Lightning
43-21 (.672)
Won Stanley Cup Finals
2018-19 Tampa Bay Lightning Season
2018-19 Tampa Bay Lightning
62-16 (.795)
Lost First Round
2017-18 Tampa Bay Lightning Season
2017-18 Tampa Bay Lightning
54-23 (.701)
Lost Conference Finals
2016-17 Tampa Bay Lightning Season
2016-17 Tampa Bay Lightning
42-30 (.583)
Missed Playoffs
2015-16 Tampa Bay Lightning Season
2015-16 Tampa Bay Lightning
46-31 (.597)
Lost Conference Finals
2014-15 Tampa Bay Lightning Season
2014-15 Tampa Bay Lightning
50-24 (.676)
Lost Stanley Cup Finals
2013-14 Tampa Bay Lightning Season
2013-14 Tampa Bay Lightning
46-27 (.630)
Lost First Round
2012-13 Tampa Bay Lightning Season
2012-13 Tampa Bay Lightning
18-26 (.409)
Missed Playoffs
2011-12 Tampa Bay Lightning Season
2011-12 Tampa Bay Lightning
38-36 (.514)
Missed Playoffs
2010-11 Tampa Bay Lightning Season
2010-11 Tampa Bay Lightning
46-25 (.648)
Lost Conference Finals
2009-10 Tampa Bay Lightning Season
2009-10 Tampa Bay Lightning
34-36 (.486)
Missed Playoffs
2008-09 Tampa Bay Lightning Season
2008-09 Tampa Bay Lightning
24-40 (.375)
Missed Playoffs
2007-08 Tampa Bay Lightning Season
2007-08 Tampa Bay Lightning
31-42 (.425)
Missed Playoffs
2006-07 Tampa Bay Lightning Season
2006-07 Tampa Bay Lightning
44-33 (.571)
Lost Conference Quarterfinals
2005-06 Tampa Bay Lightning Season
2005-06 Tampa Bay Lightning
43-33 (.566)
Lost Conference Quarterfinals
2004-05 Tampa Bay Lightning Season
2004-05 Tampa Bay Lightning
0-0 (.000)
No Postseason
2003-04 Tampa Bay Lightning Season
2003-04 Tampa Bay Lightning
46-22 (.658)
Won Stanley Cup Finals
2002-03 Tampa Bay Lightning Season
2002-03 Tampa Bay Lightning
36-25 (.571)
Lost Conference Semifinals
2001-02 Tampa Bay Lightning Season
2001-02 Tampa Bay Lightning
27-40 (.417)
Missed Playoffs
2000-01 Tampa Bay Lightning Season
2000-01 Tampa Bay Lightning
24-47 (.351)
Missed Playoffs
1999-00 Tampa Bay Lightning Season
1999-00 Tampa Bay Lightning
19-47 (.313)
Missed Playoffs
1998-99 Tampa Bay Lightning Season
1998-99 Tampa Bay Lightning
19-54 (.287)
Missed Playoffs
1997-98 Tampa Bay Lightning Season
1997-98 Tampa Bay Lightning
17-55 (.268)
Missed Playoffs
1996-97 Tampa Bay Lightning Season
1996-97 Tampa Bay Lightning
32-40 (.451)
Missed Playoffs
1995-96 Tampa Bay Lightning Season
1995-96 Tampa Bay Lightning
38-32 (.537)
Lost Conference Quarterfinals
1994-95 Tampa Bay Lightning Season
1994-95 Tampa Bay Lightning
17-28 (.385)
Missed Playoffs
1993-94 Tampa Bay Lightning Season
1993-94 Tampa Bay Lightning
30-43 (.423)
Missed Playoffs
1992-93 Tampa Bay Lightning Season
1992-93 Tampa Bay Lightning
23-54 (.315)
Missed Playoffs

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Tampa Bay Lightning Media Guidepublication
Tampa Bay Lightning Media Guide
33 issues 1993-2025
This media guide is a comprehensive resource created by the team to provide detailed information about its players, coaches, history,...
/ This media guide is a comprehensive resource created by the team to provide detailed information about its players, coaches, history, and season schedule. Released annually, it serves journalists, broadcasters, and fans by offering accurate profiles, statistics, and historical records. The guide enhances media coverage, fan engagement, and promotional efforts.

Lightning History

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