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 Cup in 1989) was tapped as the first head coach. Phil Esposito installed himself as president and general manager while Tony became the chief scout. One of the team's limited partners was New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, who lived in Tampa during the year.Īccording to former NHL President Gil Stein, another factor was that the Karmanos/Rutherford group wanted to pay only $29 million before starting play while the Esposito group was one of the few willing to pay the entire $50 million expansion fee up front.Īfter being awarded the franchise, the team's management brought in star power before they had any players. The prospect of Japanese backing tipped the scales in the Esposito group's favor, and they were awarded an expansion franchise for the 1992–93 season, as was a group in Ottawa (which became the Senators). Esposito eventually recruited a consortium of Japanese businesses headed by Kokusai Green, a golf course and resort operator. Not only was the Karmanos/Rutherford group better financed, but one of Esposito's key backers, the Pritzker family had backed out a few months before the bid. On paper, it looked like the Karmanos/Rutherford group was the frontrunner. Petersburg-based group fronted by future Hartford Whalers/Carolina Hurricanes owners Peter Karmanos and Jim Rutherford, and a Tampa-based group fronted by two Hall of Famers: Phil Esposito and his brother Tony. Two rival groups from the Tampa Bay Area area decided to bid for a franchise: a St. In the late 1980s, the NHL announced that it would expand. 1.14 2015–16 season: Back to the Eastern Conference Finals.1.13 2014–15 season: Second Stanley Cup Final.1.11 2012–13 season: End of the Lecavalier Era.1.10 2011–12 season: Steven Stamkos Rises.1.8 2009–10 season: Season of New Beginnings.1.5 2006–07 season: Another short post-season.1.4 Two Dream Seasons and the Stanley Cup.Stats reflect time with the Lightning only. † Denotes player spent time with another team before joining the Lightning. Player stats Skaters Regular season Player January 30, Minnesota North Stars ( 1992–93)įebruary 3, Vancouver Canucks ( 1992–93)įebruary 17, Detroit Red Wings ( 1992–93)įebruary 19, Toronto Maple Leafs ( 1992–93) January 11, Toronto Maple Leafs ( 1992–93) January 9, Minnesota North Stars ( 1992–93) November 23, Detroit Red Wings ( 1992–93) October 28, Montreal Canadiens ( 1992–93) October 15, Toronto Maple Leafs ( 1992–93) October 10, Minnesota North Stars ( 1992–93) Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold. Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against Tampa Bay's 53 points was actually more than the combined totals for that season of the Senators and the San Jose Sharks (who were then in their second season), both of whom recorded only 24 points each. Īlthough the Lightning finished well out of playoff contention, their 53 points was by far the best inaugural season performance of any of the three expansion teams that joined in the early 1990s. On Friday, November 13, 1992, Pat Jablonski recorded the first shutout in Lightning history, as Tampa Bay blanked their fellow expansion cousins the Ottawa Senators 1-0 at home. In the Lightning's very first NHL game on Wednesday, October 7, 1992, Chris Kontos scored the first hat trick in Lightning history as Tampa Bay defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 7-3 (the 7 goals would be the most that the Blackhawks would allow in a regular-season game that year). The Lightning finished last in penalty-kill % during the regular season (74.43%). On September 23, 1992, Manon Rhéaume became the first woman to play in an NHL exhibition game as the Tampa Bay Lightning played against the St. They finished sixth in the Norris Division with a record of 23 wins, 54 losses, and 7 ties for 53 points. ![]() The 1992–93 Tampa Bay Lightning season was the team's inaugural season in the National Hockey League (NHL).
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