Tampa Bay Lightning Tickets

Tampa Bay Lightning Tickets

Most people may not know that Tampa Bay is not a city, but a name of a bay! Tampa Bay is used to represent all the cities around the Tampa Bay area: Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, and Bradenton. The Tampa Bay Lightning, nicknamed the Bolts, were formed in 1992. They are in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference, where they play at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Florida.

The leader of the Lightning is Guy Boucher, who is one of the younger coaches in the NHL. Boucher started head coaching the Lightning in 2010 for his first NHL coaching experience. The team's general manager, Steve Yzerman, thinks he is one of the best young coaches in the NHL. Before the Lightning, Boucher was the head coach of the Hamilton Bulldogs in the American Hockey League.

The 2010-11 season brought the Lightning 46 wins and 25 loses, placing them at second in the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. They also were able to clinch the fifth playoff seed, where they went up against the Pittsburgh Penguins and beat them in Game Seven. They then went on to sweep the Washington Capitals, but their Stanley Cup dreams were cut short by the Boston Bruins in Game Seven.

The St. Pete Times Forum is the home for the Lightning. It was opened in 1996 and has the capacity to seat 19,758 people. A massive renovation will be completed before 2012 for the Republican convention, including new climate controls to improve the ice and bring more comfort to the fans.

The Stanley Cup has only been within reach of the Lightning in 2004. Taking advantage of the opportunity, the Lightning beat the Calgary Flames in Game Seven for the championship

The Lightning may not be the toughest team in the NHL, but they are a contender to look out for. With a great coach leading them in his second season, other teams should watch out for being struck by the Lightning.

Lightning Tickets