Tampa's assistant captains will be Vincent Lecavalier and Brad Richards, the team announced Wednesday.

"From the time we brought Tim into the organization he has consistently brought a quiet, steady leadership influence, unnoticed by the outside, but respected in the locker-room," Lightning head coach John Tortorella said in a statement.

Former team captain Dave Andreychuk is rejoining the Tampa Bay Lightning as a Community Representative and will officially retire as a player.
...
"I never thought of myself being too far away from the game," Andreychuk said. "I'm excited to be back in the building, and to be able to watch hockey and contribute to this organization"

"We thank Craig for his seven years of service to this franchise and for his hard work and dedication in helping us become Stanley Cup champions," executive vice-president and GM Jay Feaster said in a statement.

Good for him. Its good to see him get a nice fat raise!

This news has now been posted in 3 threads

Nordy, if you hate it here and everyone here, you can always go to the AHL board and listen to labs babble on about how cool it is that she's slept with everyone on the WolfPack.

Never said I hate it here. I just love being a smartass. Seems you just love to be a jackass lately

It's my new "thing".

Never said I hate it here. I just love being a smartass. Seems you just love to be a jackass lately

A group led by former Florida Panthers coach Doug MacLean has agreed to buy the Tampa Bay Lightning. The NHL team says a group called Absolute Hockey Enterprises has signed a purchase agreement.

Sources tell TSN Jay Feaster will remain as GM while John Tortorella will stay on as head coach. The sale of the Lightning is subject to the approval of the NHL Board of Governors.

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Tampa to unveil new logo and jersey on August 25th.

As they watched the Anaheim Ducks celebrate their 2007 Stanley Cup victory, from MacLean's Ohio home, they could not resist thinking aloud what it might be like to one day own a hockey team and enjoy the same moment.

Two months later, Sherrin, 51, MacLean, 53, and Hollywood producer Oren Koules, 46, had bought a major league franchise that was not even for sale in June - the Tampa Bay Lightning, another Stanley Cup team.
...
"Right when Anaheim was raising the trophy, Doug and I looked at each other and said, 'Wouldn't it be incredible if we ever owned a great NHL team,'" Sherrin recalled.

The stunningly secretive sale of the Tampa Bay Lightning was consummated so quickly, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman didn't have time to put the kibosh on it.

Not that there was any reason for him to do so, because in the seven weeks it took the new ownership group led by former Columbus GM Doug MacLean, Florida real estate developer Jeff Sherrin and Hollywood producer Oren Koules to put the deal together, there was never any discussion of moving the franchise. Not to another American city, and certainly not to that area north of the 49th parallel that Bettman and his marketers dread so much.

Awesome! And I'll be at their practice rink for a tournament that day and the next, so I'll get to see it! Schweet!

As they watched the Anaheim Ducks celebrate their 2007 Stanley Cup victory, from MacLean's Ohio home, they could not resist thinking aloud what it might be like to one day own a hockey team and enjoy the same moment.

RDS.CA: reports Tampa Bay Lighting goaltender Marc Denis will be placed on waivers Friday and if he clears will be demoted to the AHL. (Spector's)

RDS.CA: reports Tampa Bay Lighting goaltender Marc Denis will be placed on waivers Friday and if he clears will be demoted to the AHL. (Spector's)

Wasn't the holdup in dealing Bryz to Tampa that they wanted us to take Denis back and/or were unwilling to put him on waivers?

IMO, they're clearing room for a trade with this move; one of the goalies coming from Ottawa (see the Sens thread about Emery's meltdown).

The problem is Tampa's defense.... or lack there of. Plus, Denis came from a Western Conference, Defense First team and went to a team with no defense and constant odd man rushes against. No goaltender will be able to play well in Tampa until Feaster gets some D. He would have been better off it he had let Brad Richards walk, or would just trade him.

Denis is officially on waivers. He's not a bad goalie, or at least he wasn't before he got to Tampa. I wouldn't be surprised to see a team take a chance on him. Maybe the Kings?

Nicolai Khabibulin did just fine in Tampa Bay. Tampa Bay did real fine with him, winning a Stanley Cup.

Though I acknowledge that the Lightening are not a good defensive club, the real problem they have is goaltending. Look at the stats. The goalies have not only the worst GA/G, but also the worst save percentage. The team is in the top half of the league in shots allowed, so they are not putting too much pressure on their goalies.

It's the goalies who aren't doing their job. They are not giving their team a chance to win.



Is there an echo in here?

The sad thing is the Kings SHOULD pick him up.

I doubt the Kings will pay $2.8 million a year to a goalie that is not better than either J.S. Aubin or Mathew LaBarbera. I'd be surprised to see them pick him up. Maybe on re-entry waivers for half price.

I hear Jason LaBarbara is available.

I'm sure you know that there's a difference between Spector reporting something and it being official. Yes, Khaibulin won a Stanley Cup in Tampa Bay but that was before the lockout when players were allowed to tackle skilled forwards, interference was rampant and scoring was more difficult. John Tortorella and his staff have not adjusted to the new NHL and his goalies are getting destroyed. Kelly Hrudey recently said that Johan Holmqvist has lost confidence in himself and as a result the team has lost confidence in him. If you want to make money, bet against the Lighting the rest of the season. More times than not, you'll win.

Nicolai Khabibulin did just fine in Tampa Bay. Tampa Bay did real fine with him, winning a Stanley Cup.

Though I acknowledge that the Lightening are not a good defensive club, the real problem they have is goaltending. Look at the stats. The goalies have not only the worst GA/G, but also the worst save percentage. The team is in the top half of the league in shots allowed, so they are not putting too much pressure on their goalies.

It's the goalies who aren't doing their job. They are not giving their team a chance to win.

Trust me, I would know.

OK

But what will you tell me if they bring in a decent goalie but don't make any major changes on defense and they improve, with the goalie having a .900 or better save % or a GAA under 3.00?

That the defense picked it up?

TAMPA - While sitting in last place in the Eastern Conference at nearly the halfway point of the season is something Lightning president Ron Campbell never expected, he is not entertaining thoughts of changing personnel in the team's front office...
Reached on Sunday, Campbell said there is no consideration on the team's part of firing General Manager Jay Feaster or Coach John Tortorella anytime soon...
Despite the current struggles - Tampa Bay is six games under .500 and carries a four-game losing streak into a four-game road trip that begins in Toronto on Tuesday - Campbell doesn't believe the team is out of contention this year, and he thinks Tampa Bay is set up well for the future...
"We have had to go out to get more affordable free agents and some youth, but our foundation is as good as any in the league...

Lightning captain Tim Taylor won't play a final game for Tampa Bay before retiring after the regular season ends.

The Toronto Star reports that ESPN hockey analyst and former Los Angeles Kings head coach Barry Melrose is set to return behind the bench for the Tampa Bay Lightning. TSN link

Despite persistent rumors that he will become the next coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning -- unhappy news, to say the least, for current Coach John Tortorella -- former Kings coach Barry Melrose denied that he's in line for the job.

"I don't know anything about it," said Melrose, a commentator for ESPN.

"I don't know anything about it," said Melrose, a commentator for ESPN.

... Melrose issued the obligatory non-denial denial after news broke Friday of these impending moves, but his name has been linked to this job for a while now.

Technically, Tortorella will remain the Lightning's coach for about 21/2 more weeks, but once Koules' takeover of the franchise gets league approval June 18, Torts will be gone.

Can General Manager Jay Feaster be far behind?

Koules will certainly have the right to run this hockey team his way, but hiring Melrose would be a huge gamble. He coached the Los Angeles Kings to the Stanley Cup finals in 1993 - the same season the Lightning began play - but he was gone two seasons later and hasn't been behind a bench since.

He's well-known through his work on ESPN, but if this is the guy he better bring more than good sound bites and nice hair. These Bolts have fallen into disrepair, mostly through front-office mistakes and their eternal, unfilled quest to find a goalie capable of replacing Nik Khabibulin... Tampa Bay link