Perhaps it’s the NHL Lockout of 2004-05 to blame.
The Tampa Bay Lightning won the Stanley Cup in 2004. They have not won a playoff series since.
After their dramatic Game 7 win over Calgary in June of 2004, the 2004-05 NHL season was canceled. Any momentum generated from the championship run was lost during the 310-day lockout.
If any positive vibes remained once hockey started, they were surely extinguished during these past three seasons when Tampa Bay has failed to reach the postseason.
But there is plenty of optimism surrounding the team this season, thanks to a front-office overhaul which seems to be the thing to do nowadays in the league for franchises stuck in a rut.
Tampa Bay made a big splash by hiring Steve Yzerman, and he got right to business. Guy Boucher was brought in as head coach.
His offense-first style of attack should be a perfect fit for superstar-in-waiting Steven Stamkos, who scored 51 goals last season (tied with Sidney Crosby for the league-lead).
At 20 years old, Stamkos is one of the youngest players in the league, and at 39 years old, Boucher is the youngest coach in ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Doc Moseman
NHL Predictions: 2010-11 Tampa Bay Lightning
October 13th, 2010 by Doc Moseman Leave a reply »
Advertisement