…which doesn’t mean I will be blogging more often but I was tired of the old design, big time, for Boltsmag.

As it stands, it’s not easy to find comments unless you visit the permalink for the post. That should be corrected with time.

BUMP AND UPDATE 10-07-2008: Some aspects of the site are still not working and I can’t quite remedy them until next week. I’d appreciate it if people can either use the contact form and report errors on the site or try to leave a comment (I can’t guarantee comments will get through with thanks to anti-spam software).

Yeah, that’s me… Of course no one has heard hide nor hair from me on the blogosphere about the Lightning since… well, my last post. I’ve been busy as hell with other projects and interest in other things…

Not that I am going to let Boltsmag fade away. Which leads me to this post: I’d have aprpeciated it if someone could have pointed out to me how out-of-whack the site looks when you venture to the archives. It makes me ashamed

Back to the drawing board on that… And who knows, maybe I’ll talk Olaf Kolzig or Steven Stamkos sometime soon?

Welcome one and all to Boltsmag.com - Tampa Bay Lightning Weblog.

For all who come across the site, it is in no way related to the previous Boltsmag, which was overseen by Eric Keaton and part of the now demised Rivals.com network. It’s simply a place for sounding off about the Lightning, the NHL, and presenting a fan view of the coolest game on ice.

I’m hoping that this site will show that there is support for Southern Hockey, which is routinely put down in various hockey-circles I come across. The Tampa Bay market is the premiere southern US market for Hockey. Yes, we’ve been to hell and back with regards to what the Lightning has gone through over the years - three owners (one of mysterious background, one of football background and currently an arena/sports professional), four 50+ loss seasons in a row, 3 venues (from the barn-like Expo Hall, to the Baseball-stadium-in-waiting Thunderdome, to Ice Palace / St. Pete Times Forum (AKA the Times Palace) ]…

But it’s the trials and tribulations that define fans and how devote an area is to a team.

My name is John Fontana and I hope that you find the information here interesting and informative.

My colleague on the site, Keith Short, contributes on occasion in his own “The View From Canada” column to give a view of the National Hockey League and events from a more informed perspective.

The Domains which Boltsmag can be reached on are www.boltsmag.com and www.rawlightning.com