Off the topic of the Lightning and pro sports, as a heads up to locals and Tampa Bay-originating people’s far-far-away… Creative Loafing (aka the Weekly Planet) has their Best of the Bay awards voting going on right now. This covers a wide variety of topics such as best restaurants, best clubs, best players on each major sports team, best and worst local personalities, best local blog, etc. You need to be able to vote for 35 of these subjects at the minimum if you’re going to have your vote registered at all…

Voting closes August 8th, so hop to it people!

As a big fan of Entourage on the HBO cable network, I always saw something oddly familiar about Kevin Connolly (aka Eric “E” Murphy — Vincent Chase’s manager):

I knew Connolly from his earlier work in unpopular shows and movies (Rocky V, Unhappily Ever After among others) but that wasn’t why the guy looked so damned familiar, like I saw him more regularly than just on TV…

Maybe it’s just me? Maybe if I had a more candid shot of Mr. St. Louis you could see the similarities.

Oh well… just a thought.

Happy New Year to readers and Lightning fans everywhere (along with the rest of the Tampa Bay and Hockey blogosphere)!

So it’s 2007. It’s January 2007. As the St. Petersburg Times Eduardo A. Encina points out, if history repeats itself — this is where the Lightning will (and must) perform:

I’ll let the team’s past 3 seasons records in January do the talking:

2002-03 17-13-5-3 / 4-7-3-1 conference semifinal
2003-04 15-13-6-1 / 11-3-0-2 Stanley Cup champion
2005-06 19-17-3 / 8-4-1 conference quarterfinal

(order reversed and emphasis added by me)

Words like “Desperate” and “urgency” were tossed around in the above posted article — and there is an urgency indeed. In January of the past 3 seasons, the Lightning have played with that urgency. Here’s a little reminder of what else they played with: The notion that playing it safe was not going to cut it if they wanted to win.

That’s a wider notion than just on-ice play. Safe is death — makign sure your locker room situation remains passive and unchanged can lead to a negative, atrophic effect on the team’s resolve to win.

Safe is Death, but for the sake of saying so — same can be death, too.

Also, use the Safe Is Death graphic.

A couple of months ago, Mike Chen approached me about a contest he was running on his web site for the best worst player in the NHL — someone who was mediocre and who would be the best mediocre player in the game this year. I laughed at the idea but I’m playing along…

…yet it seems like hockey fans around the internet have taken that idea and run with it.

In a move that mimics Netroots activism in politics (rallying people online to achieve major goals), NHL fans on Hockey’s Future’s message board started a write-in campaign for Vancouver Canucks player Rory Fitzpatrick in an effort to mock the NHL’s All-Star voting system by skewering the results. Yeah, I just used some harsh phrasing to define the moment but you know what? I get a kick out of this and I’m all for it. I don’t just get a kick out of this, but I’m amazed that this movement has legs. Check out Calgary Puck, Something Awful, Lets Go Wings, TMLFans.ca and Canucks Central message forums. Myspace and Facebook social networks also have groups devoted to this Western Conference write-in campaign

And yes, this movement has it’s own website as well (sadly pathetic but it serves it’s purpose).

So whattaya say? Vote for Rory as your western conference write in vote!

Mike Chen, trying to wake the likes of me and others up from Summer Doldrums, has tagged me! I’m supposed to write five wierd things about myself and… hey, what the hell right? Lemme give you Wierdness 101 about John Fontana:

1) I was born on a football Sunday in New York where the Giants — at 0-5 — were playing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-0 for the first time in team history). The Giants ended up beating the Bucs. I always find it ironic that I ended up moving to Tampa Bay from New York. I’d witness the Giants win the Super Bowl here (1991) and the Bucs would win their own title 11 years later (in San Diego).

2) I ran a Beatles lyrics web site for several years online. Beatlelyrics.com got 1000 hits a day at it’s height. In July 2002, Apple Corps. LTD. (the Beatles company) and Sony Music (…who represent Michael Jackson who owns the Beatles song catalog) would both send me cease-and-desist letters to shut down the site, saying I was causing grave damages by posting the lyrics online. Whatever…

3) I landed a dot-com web design job in 1998 simply by explaining my nickname on a message board (Artful Dodger) didn’t mean I was a Los Angeles Dodgers fan, and that it was a reference to Charles Dickens book, “Oliver Twist”. I came off smart enough in other baseball-related posts and discussion to earn the respect of the webmaster and ultimately land a job.

4) I have a rare genetic disease called Neurofibrometosis Type 2 that effects something like 1 in 68,000. It caused me to lose my hearing as a teenager (try going through high school with 25 percent or less of your original hearing) and ultimately go deaf. I currently have a variation of the Cochlear Implant so I can hear again.

5) I’m a movie obsessive. I can usually guess what movie is playing on TV within seconds of watching the film. It’s an annoying habit for those who live with me to have me walk into a room and announce what film they are watching (that they just put on) and how good or bad the flick is. Oh well, we all have our talents right?

I’m supposed to name a few people to tag here, but I’m late posting this as is so I am going to pass. Everyone’s been asked as it stands… Well, most almost everyone in the hockey blog world.

No, no, no, not THAT Eklund… If it was THAT Eklund, we would have run him out of town already.

I’m talking about THIS Eklund who’s had THIS happen to him after being demoted to the ECHL.

Seems Vinny Lecavalier injured his foot during play late in today’s blowout versus Philadelphia… The injury appears to be serious… Of course, the only report I can find is on RDS so take it with a grain of salt…. But the word “fracture” is in there.

I’ll try to find a link to verify the Jaspers / O’Brien call up… O’Brien would definately be needed in light of Daryl Sydor’s injury today and the fact the team could not determine the extent of the injury (non concussion).

Disregard said post.

The Lightning were very concerned with Tim Taylor’s injury… So concerned that they called up Jason Jaspers in response.

Well, folks… Jaspers is gone… Does this mean the medical threat is less than it once was? Or perchance Martin Cibak is well again as well?

Norm Milley and Jim Campbell have been recalled from AHL Springfield and will join the Lightning tonight at MSG.

There have been no published reprots that I can find but a friend told me that Ryan Craig has a hairline fracture in his big toe and that is why he was scratched last. It must be serious if the Lightning have called up more reserves to cover for him… It also must be a testament of a continued unhappy John Tortorella, who had his doghouse puppy Dmitry Afanasenkov starting in place of Craig.

I don’t know who to be angrier at — fate or Jay Feaster.

Pavel Kubina goes down with a groin injury and doesn’t play last night’s hockey game. The Lightning dress five deensivement and lose after one of them (Pratt) is penalized.

Tonight? Nolan Pratt suffers an injury during the 1st period and a depleted defensive core, playing for the 2nd night straight, is down to four defensivemen…. 2 pairs expected to cover the full of the game.

The Lightning have three AHL0level forwards contributing right now and 3 NHL veterans riding the pine… There is depth at forward is what I am trying to underline here. The Lightning carry only 6 defensivemen on their roster to begin with. No spares. Why wasn’t someone called up and Reid, Craig or Artuhkin sent down?

A loss tonight may be looked at as bad luck, as a tough loss, as disappointing. It can also be looked at as helped along by negligence in the front office.

UPDATE: Pratt back out on ice – yet I stand by my comments

The Lightning have recalled Left wing Ryan Craig and RW Darren Reid from the Springfield Falcons for tonight’s game versus the Detroit Red Wings. Craig is the Falcons captain and leading scorer (with 12 goals). One has to assume that the call ups are tied to an injury Ruslan Fedotenko sustained during Thursday’s win against Phoenix, as well as Evegny Artyhukin’s possible suspension for bad officiating and idiotic-Coyote-retaliations…

In an amusing note, Joe Tasca of Tasca’s Take has a lot of love for AHL hockey and has a lot of love for Mr. Reid (sic)… (Compliments to Joe for the photo).

Brian Eklund is being returned to Springfield of the AHL after last nights performance. Nick Taransky will be joining him on his voyage back to the AHL…

However, that doesn’t seem to mean Sean Burke is ready to go. Gerald Coleman has been recalled from the Falcons. Coleman has played 6 games and 355 minutes, he has a 3.21 GAA and .895 Save percentage while compiling a 3 and 2 record.

One has to wonder though if this move is simply for depth or what? Was Tortorella that unimpressed with Eklund’s performance (19 shots faced, 16 saves)? Are the Lightning so confident that Burke will be back soon that they’d rather have Eklund’s backup as John Grahame’s backup in Tampa and Brian getting a workout in Springfield? Does this address poor play by Martin St. Louis, Rusland Fedotenko and a sub par defense that seems to lack a physical presence?

More questions than answers but Coleman is coming to town – for whatever length of time that happens to be. He did not get a start during the pre-season with the Bolts, and it’s another question if he will see playing time during this tenure in Hockeybay.

Midway through last month, a report surfaced out of Chicago that the Blackhawks were concerned about poor play but former Lightning goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin. Khabby has struggled mightily in Chicago and posted some very un-Khabibulin like numbers: in 11 games he has amassed a 3.83 GAA and a .847 save percentage. On average he is facing around 25 shots a game.

One can point to the team that surrounds Khabibulin in Chicago and how it is a problem, but I find that sort of a weak argument. Khabibulin had a mediocre supporting cast and mediocre defense in Tampa – at best – in his first full season with the Lightning in 2001-02 and what did Khabibulin do? He stood on his head…

Every.

Fuggin’.

Night.

70 Games played, a .920 save percentage, a 2.36 Goals Against Average. He was facing 27 shots a night on average and keeping the Lightning close… The record shows that the team could not make do with what Nikolai provided but isn’t even what we are supposed to be focusing on here. What the focus should be on is the fact Khabibulin is lost at current — his focus is off and that is effecting his game play. Maybe because he is having so many fantasies forfilled at once (huge payday with Chicago, playing under his boyhood hero Vladislav Tretiak, having the lump sum payday contract, having a Stanley Cup to his name… Whatever the case, Khabibulin is out of it and Chicago is reeling because of it.

That’s not to say things are rosie in Tampa with Khabby gone. Though the fans are behind him John Grahame has been less than stellar between the pipes. I pointed out Khabbies low GAA and Save percentage in 2001-2002, you can also see Kevin Weekes played well in limited appearences with the team – a 2.90 GAA and .915 Save Percentage in 19 games… Grahame currently can boast a 2.5 GAA but a low Save percentage of .905. That’s not going to cut it. Acrobatics be damned, Grahame has been out of position more than once and been fortunate to make saves instead of simply crumbling under duress and giving away games. There was also the Bolts first meeting with Ottawa thsi season that put into quesiton just how good Grahame is despite what stats may say…. His stick throwing incident may go down as the benchmark of the Lightnign season – just out of it and desperately trying to make something through any means possible.

Sean Burke hasn’t exactly wowed either. A low GAA? Yes sir. A .906 Save percentage to compare with Grahame… He’s shwon an affinity to not knowing how to defend breakaways — sitting in goal doesn’t exactly And at 38 years old, you have to wonder if the Lightning should be looking to the past in the pipes with a backup instead of the future?

This is definately not making a case for Brian Eklund in goal as Eklund has had his own trouble this season with Springfield of the AHL. 5 games played and a 4.06 GAA and .890 Save percentage… And it’s tough to make a case for Gerard Coleman who has put the Falcons on a winning streak since Eklund’s departure… Coleman has a 3.10 GAA and .894 save percentage in four games this season.

Maybe as a fan I have just been spoiled with great goaltending in the past from both Khabibulin and former Netminder Darren Puppa? The lingering concern, though, that I have had is the organization doesn’t have and continues to lack a true netminder prospect all of their own. Almost every starting goaltender this team has had – sans Derek Wilkinson, Zac Bierk and a small number of others – have come up through other organizations.

Whatever the case, goaltending is arguably one huge question mark right now and how Jay Feaster deals with it is another question.

I gotta apologize to the few and the brave who are repeat readers of my pieces here at Boltsmag. The apology is due to the fact that i have been on hiatus and just taken a breather from the site and covering the Lightning in general lately.

Part of the reason is I haven’t been keen to be online since I went away last month, another part of reasoning ha been the fact I feel like I am just repeating news items that you can find form the other sources locally about the team. If not the two media sources, then from LightningNation’s own mouth.

It’s been sort of a struggle lately to write up what I want to write up… The team is listless though the record doesn’t reflect that. One can remember the start of the 2003-04 campaign and remember the team started hot, cooled off dramatically during late November and December and then went white-hot for the remainder of the season. Right now, Bolts are tepid — and I can’t tell if they are warming up or cooling down further. The The Thrashers game on Tuesday started out like a lop sided spectacle in the team’s favor and then ended up being a slamming by Atlanta. A friend in attendance couldn’t help but give fault in part to John Grahame (who wasn’t invited to Team USA’s camp to the ire of his loyal fanbase), and my interest in the game was lost while watching at home (blame Doctor Greg House and Stephen Colbert’s show airing in repeat at 8:30 pm).

At any rate, the Lightning seem to be up against the wall with the cap – as could have been predicted when they schemed to keep only 20 skaters. There was also the news peice in the St. Pete Times thsi morning announcing the Lightning are actually one of the oldest teams in the league:

Then again, the numbers are a tad deceiving. The Lightning’s age is skewed because of its oldest players: Dave Andreychuk (42), Rob DiMaio (37), Tim Taylor (36) and goalie Sean Burke (38).

What Tom Jones fails to mention in said snippet of an article is that this is a key reason the Lightning are up against the cap as well. All four players named were UFA’s and all were brought back without caponomics in mind. Burke and Andreychuk alone are eating up 2.4 million dollars against the cap this season and it appears that Burke may be a health question mark for some time to come. We knew the Lightning goaltending situation wasn’t goign to be pretty this season but was it really wise to throw so much money at Burke? Was it wise to sign four elder veterans to big money contracts when a veteran player is more likely to get hurt and be forced to be replaced on teh roster?

This of coruse is not trying to put down older players, it’s the life that must be lead under the salary cap. sacrifices must be made both for the team and for the franchise in general. It’s a cold hard fact and at oen poitn someone will be moved for cap reasons…

There’s more I want to rant about but I’m tuckered out as it stands right now. Maybe tomorrow if I can keep focus on blathering bile all over the internet and earning the wrath of puck bunnies everywhere.

Ya gotta love Worth 1000… Hockey Hockey Hockey (4) is the name of the contest…

Do you have what it takes to be an NHL Player? DO you WANT to have what it takes to be an NHL player? Check out the NHL Academy! With many thanks to Tiny at Tiny Little Dots for the Link pointer…

Boltsmag is proud to provide the fans with a central multimedia repository of video clips from the past of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Simply right click on a link and select “Save Target As” to download the clip to your computer.

1998 -
Vincent Lecavalier – Goal #1 -10/25/1998

Lecavalier PPG #1 — 11/06/1998

2005-06
Stanley Cup Banner raising (provided by the St. Petersburg Times) — 10/05/2005

Vaclav Prospal’s 1st goal of 2005 — 10/05/2005 versus Carolina

Corey Sarich vs. Tom Kostopoulos 1-17-2006 (Lightning vs. LA Kings) with special thanks to David SInger and Hockeyfights.com

Ruslan Fedotenko GWG in OT 1-26-2006 versus New Jersey

If you have a Lightning multimedia clip that you would like to share with Lightning fans, please email me at webmaster at Boltsmag.com with an email titled “Multimedia Movie” and tell me what you have that you wish to share. You can also contact me through the Boltsmag Contact page as several other options (instant message) are provided there for getting in touch with me.

A big thank you for helping me start this archive goes to Hockey Rants Jes Golbez who provided the two Lecavalier media clips to begin this repository.

Number Nine…
Number Nine…
Number Nine…

Eh, sorry for the redux with the #9 stuff…. But Nine are off the Lightning training camp roster as of this evening:

C Ryan Craig Springfield (AHL) Training Camp
LW Andre Deveaux Springfield (AHL) Training Camp
G Brian Eklund Springfield (AHL) Training Camp
LW Mitch Fritz Springfield (AHL) Training Camp
C Jason Jaspers Springfield (AHL) Training Camp
RW Marek Kvapil Springfield (AHL) Training Camp
D Doug O’Brien Springfield (AHL) Training Camp
D Todd Rohloff Springfield (AHL) Training Camp
C Nick Tarnasky Springfield (AHL) Training Camp

Artyukhin, Hebling and Rogers remain… Defensively: Timo does not surprise me but Andy Rogers? That one does. Big time.

Constructed on the banks of the Garrison Channel in downtown Tampa the St. Pete Times Forum is one of the biggest and most profitable Arenas in North America.

Previously known as Ice Palace, the Forum is controlled through Lightning owner William Davidson�s Palace Sports and Entertainment company. The Forum was constructed as a �plan B� site for a Tampa Bay Lightning arena after a failed bid was made to build a venue next to Tampa Stadium in the early 1990�s. The Forum is heralded as part of the rebirth that is taking place in Downtown Tampa�s Channelside district.

The arena was re-designed for increased capacity � offering more seats � after the rampant success of hockey in the Thunderdome (aka Florida Suncoast Dome, now known as Tropicana Field) in St. Petersburg. With the St. Petersburg stadium drawing 20,000-27,000 to games regularly, it warranted a size increase to the under-construction arena.

The Forum�s hosted the 1998-1999 NHL All-Star Game and will be the site of the 2012 NCAA Men’s Frozen Four hockey tournament (as well as hosting the NCAA Women’s Final Four in 2008 and early round action in the Men’s NCAA tournament).

Tampa Bay Lightning Tickets
@ Buyselltix

And of course who can pass up looking at the arena and downtown Tampa (while the arena was under construction) circa 1995?

Directions:

FROM ST PETERSBURG/MEDERIA BEACH:
- Take I-275 North to Exit 44 (Ashley Drive) to Jackson
- Left on Jackson to Morgan
- Right on Morgan to Channelside

FROM CLEARWATER/LARGO/
PINELLAS/PALM HARBOR/TARPON SPRINGS/OLDSMAR:
- Take SR 60 (Gulf to Bay/Courtney Campbell) to I-275
- North on I-275 to Exit 44 (Ashley Drive) to Jackson
- Left on Jackson to Morgan
- Right on Morgan to Channelside

NORTHWEST TAMPA/HUDSON/NEW PORT RICHEY/PASCO/SPRING HILL:
- Take Veterans Expressway (SR 589) South to I-275
- Take exit 42 (Armenia Avenue)
- Go south on Armenia Avenue to Platt Street
- Go left on Platt
- Platt turns into Channelside Drive

NORTH TAMPA/OCALA/GAINESVILLE/
TOWN AND COUNTRY/LAND O LAKES/ZEPHYRHILLS:
- Take I-275 South to Exit 45A (Downtown East)
- Go south on Jefferson to Whiting Street
- Right on Whiting Street to Morgan
- Left on Morgan to Channelside

ORLANDO/LAKELAND/PLANT CITY/
DAYTONA/ JACKSONVILLE/POLK COUNTY:
- Take I-4 West to I-275 South
- Take Exit 45A (Downtown East)
- Go south on Jefferson to Whiting Street
- Right on Whiting Street to Morgan
- Left on Morgan to Channelside Drive

BRADENTON/SARASOTA/VENICE/FT MYERS/FT LAUDERDALE/MIAMI/NAPLES/PORT CHARLES:
- Take I-75 North to Exit 50 Crosstown Expressway (TOLL)
- West on Crosstown Expressway to Exit 8 (Downtown East)
- Right on Kennedy Blvd to Morgan
- Left on Morgan to Channelside Drive

BRANDON/VERO BEACH/PALM BEACH/GIBSON:
- Take SR 60 (Adamo Drive) West to Channelside Drive
- Go south on Channelside Drive

It was one year ago this week that the Stanley Cup playoffs began. Eight teams began the second season with diverse expectations. The Red Wings and Avalanche were looking for yet another title. The Canucks were trying to gain some playoff respect. The Flames and Predators were just happy to be there.

I had hoped to write a retrospective of the entire first round, but the “other three” series are a blur. I have vague recollections of the Predators putting a little scare into the Red Wings before Curtis Joseph came off the bench to push the Wings into the second round. I remember the Blues showing a distinct lack of discipline as they very quickly bowed out to the Sharks. I don’t even remember anything of the Dallas Stars. They were that unremarkable in their series against the Avs.

Truth be told, I couldn’t care less about those series. No, as a Flames fan there was only one playoff series that mattered. And it wouldn’t have mattered if we had lost the series in four games. All that mattered was that after seven agonizing seasons in the Western Conference basement, we were back.

While many in Vancouver were predicting the Canucks would easily go through to the second round in four or five games, we in Calgary were simply enjoying the moment. Just knowing that we were playing in April again put the city in heaven. Even losing the first game was a victory in its own way.

The first playoff game at the Saddledome was surreal. Fans were so excited that the team got a standing ovation when they came out for the warm-up. The zamboni driver received a giant cheer afterward. Simon nearly blew the lid off the building by scoring the first goal. The fans in the 300 sections beating their thunderstix in a cadence that sounded like a war drum.

We all forgot how extreme the emotions are in the playoffs. The elation as the Flames came back from 4-0 down to take game 6 to overtime. The dejection as Brendan Morrison scored in triple overtime to salvage the game for Vancouver. When Matt Cooke scored with 6 seconds left to tie game 7, the entire city just stopped.

Calgary, a city of 1 million people was just too stunned to move.

And then, Chris Cuthbert’s call:

“Here’s Yelle, a shot! Auld big. A rebound. Huge! Another! They score! A rebound. And its Martin Gelinas, the former Canuck, and the Calgary Flames will end the Cup curse, and move on to Detroit in round two!”

With those words, the Red Mile was born.