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2008–09 Tampa Bay Lightning season

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2008–09 Tampa Bay Lightning
Division5th Southeast
Conference13th Eastern
2008–09 record24–40–18
Home record12–18–11
Road record12–22–7
Goals for210
Goals against279
Team information
General managerBrian Lawton
CoachBarry Melrose (Oct.–Nov.)
Rick Tocchet (Nov.–Apr.) interim
CaptainVincent Lecavalier
Alternate captainsAndrej Meszaros (Oct.–Nov.)
Jeff Halpern (Nov.–Apr.)
Martin St. Louis
ArenaSt. Pete Times Forum
Average attendance16,054 (82.3% total)
Team leaders
GoalsMartin St. Louis (30)
AssistsMartin St. Louis (50)
PointsMartin St. Louis (80)
Penalty minutesEvgeny Artyukhin (151)
Plus/minusRichard Petiot (+5)
WinsMike Smith (14)
Goals against averageMike Smith (2.62)

The 2008–09 Tampa Bay Lightning season was the 17th season for the franchise in Tampa Bay. After a season of turnover in ownership, management and players, the team had a turbulent regular season. The Lightning failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Off-season

[edit]

On June 3, it was announced that head coach John Tortorella would not return to the team despite having one year remaining on his contract.[1]

On June 18, 2008, the NHL Board of Governors approved the sale of the Tampa Bay Lightning. The sale of the Lightning was made to movie and television producer Oren Koules. The deal depended the closing of the financial deal of US$200 million to buy the team and lease the St. Pete Times Forum. Koules, 47, played in Medicine Hat and Calgary in the Western Hockey League (WHL) in the early 1980s. In more recent years, he achieved success with the Saw movie franchise and the television sitcom Two and a Half Men. Among his business partners in the Lightning deal is former NHL player Len Barrie.[2]

On June 24, the Lightning announced that Barry Melrose was hired as the team's new head coach. Melrose had not coached in the NHL since 1995 with the Los Angeles Kings. Since that time, he had served as an analyst for the ESPN networks.[3]

Goaltender Marc Denis' contract was bought-out by the Lightning on June 25, almost two years to the date after his acquisition from the Columbus Blue Jackets. Denis had one year remaining on his contract.[4]

The Lightning acquired the rights to left wingers Ryan Malone and Gary Roberts from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for a conditional draft pick in 2009.[5] Malone then agreed to a seven-year contract with the Lightning two days before he was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent.[citation needed]

The Lightning acquired the rights to right wing Brian Rolston from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for a conditional draft pick in 2009 or 2010. Rolston would later sign with the New Jersey Devils.

The whirlwind 32 days of questionable moves by new ownership came to a head on July 4 when, despite coming off a recent contract extension, Dan Boyle was traded along with Brad Lukowich to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Matt Carle (who would be traded in early November), Ty Wishart, a first-round draft pick in 2009 (which was traded in August) and a fourth round draft pick in 2010. Boyle was pressured to waive his no-trade clause by Tampa Bay's ownership, who said they would otherwise place him on waivers where he would likely be claimed by the Atlanta Thrashers. Frustrated at interference in the team's hockey operations by owners Len Barrie and Oren Koules, seven days later, general manager Jay Feaster resigned, despite having three years remaining on his contract.[6] Indeed, Brian Lawton had already taken over the position, though not officially until October 2. John Tortorella would later go on to label the new owners as "cowboys" for these and other dubious moves,[7] a moniker that would stick with them.

On August 29, the Lightning acquired defenceman Andrej Meszaros from the Ottawa Senators in exchange for defenceman Filip Kuba, as well as Alexandre Picard, and a first-round pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft (obtained in the Dan Boyle deal with the San Jose Sharks). The Lightning would go on to sign Meszaros to a six-year contract worth $24 million.

On September 18, the Lightning announced that their new team captain would be Vincent Lecavalier.

Preseason

[edit]

The Tampa Bay Lightning will be playing five pre-season games before opening the season against the New York Rangers on October 4 in Prague. Of special note, this is the first time that Tampa Bay will be opening the season outside of North America. This will also be the first time that the Lightning will play a pre-season game outside North America, playing Eisbären Berlin in Germany on September 28. It was announced later that the Lightning would also play against Slovan Bratislava of the Slovak Extraliga on September 30.

Date Opponent Location Time Result
Saturday, September 20 Pittsburgh Mellon Arena 7:30pm 5-4 W (SO)
Monday, September 22 Pittsburgh St. Pete Times Forum 7:30pm 3-2 L
Tuesday, September 23 NY Rangers St. Pete Times Forum 7:30 pm 3-2 W
Thursday, September 25 NY Rangers Madison Square Garden 7:00 pm 4-2 W
Sunday, September 28 Eisbären Berlin Berlin, Germany 10:00 pm 4-1 W
Tuesday, September 30 Slovan Bratislava Bratislava, Slovakia 12:00 pm 3-2 W (SO)
  • Note: all times EST and bold games are home games.

Regular season

[edit]

The Lightning struggled on the penalty kill, finishing the regular season with the most power-play opportunities against (405) and the most power-play goals allowed (89).[8]

Divisional standings

[edit]
Southeast Division
GP W L OTL GF GA Pts
1 y – Washington Capitals 82 50 24 8 272 245 108
2 Carolina Hurricanes 82 45 30 7 239 226 97
3 Florida Panthers 82 41 30 11 234 231 93
4 Atlanta Thrashers 82 35 41 6 257 280 76
5 Tampa Bay Lightning 82 24 40 18 210 279 66

Conference standings

[edit]
Eastern Conference
R Div GP W L OTL GF GA Pts
1 z – Boston Bruins NE 82 53 19 10 274 196 116
2 y – Washington Capitals SE 82 50 24 8 272 245 108
3 y – New Jersey Devils AT 82 51 27 4 244 209 106
4 Pittsburgh Penguins AT 82 45 28 9 264 239 99
5 Philadelphia Flyers AT 82 44 27 11 264 238 99
6 Carolina Hurricanes SE 82 45 30 7 239 226 97
7 New York Rangers AT 82 43 30 9 210 218 95
8 Montreal Canadiens NE 82 41 30 11 249 247 93
8.5
9 Florida Panthers SE 82 41 30 11 234 231 93
10 Buffalo Sabres NE 82 41 32 9 250 234 91
11 Ottawa Senators NE 82 36 35 11 217 237 83
12 Toronto Maple Leafs NE 82 34 35 13 250 293 81
13 Atlanta Thrashers SE 82 35 41 6 257 280 76
14 Tampa Bay Lightning SE 82 24 40 18 210 279 66
15 New York Islanders AT 82 26 47 9 201 279 61

bold – qualified for playoffs, y – division winner, z – placed first in conference (and division)

AT – Atlantic Division, NE – Northeast Division, SE – Southeast Division


Game log

[edit]
2008–09 Game Log
October: 3-3-3 (Home 1-2-3, Road 2-1-0)
Game Date Opponent Score Location Attendance Record Points
1 October 4 New York Rangers 1 – 2 Prague 17,085 0-1-0 0
2 October 5 New York Rangers 1 – 2 Prague‡ 17,085 0-2-0 0
3 October 11 Carolina Hurricanes 3 – 4 OT St. Pete Times Forum 18,552 0-2-1 1
4 October 16 New York Islanders 3 – 4 OT St. Pete Times Forum 14,420 0-2-2 2
5 October 18 Minnesota Wild 0 – 1 SO St. Pete Times Forum 15,191 0-2-3 3
6 October 21 Atlanta Thrashers 3 – 2 OT St. Pete Times Forum 13,922 1-2-3 5
7 October 25 San Jose Sharks 0 – 3 St. Pete Times Forum 16,831 1-3-3 5
8 October 28 Toronto Maple Leafs 3 – 2 Air Canada Centre 19,348 2-3-3 7
9 October 30 Buffalo Sabres 5 – 2 HSBC Arena 18,690 3-3-3 9
† Tampa Bay was the designated 'home' team on October 4.
‡ New York Rangers were the designated 'home' team on October 5.
November: 3-7-4 (Home 2-2-2, Road 1-5-2)
Game Date Opponent Score Location Attendance Record Points
10 November 1 Ottawa Senators 3 – 2 St. Pete Times Forum 16,104 4-3-3 11
11 November 5 New Jersey Devils 3 – 4 SO Prudential Center 11,619 4-3-4 12
12 November 6 New York Rangers 2 – 5 Madison Square Garden 18,200 4-4-4 12
13 November 8 Philadelphia Flyers 2 – 1 Wachovia Center 19,412 5-4-4 14
14 November 10 Washington Capitals 2 – 4 Verizon Center 17,932 5-5-4 14
15 November 12 Florida Panthers 0 – 4 BankAtlantic Center 12,104 5-6-4 14
16 November 13 Detroit Red Wings 3 – 4 St. Pete Times Forum 20,544 5-7-4 14
17 November 16 Carolina Hurricanes 2 – 3 SO RBC Center 13,781 5-7-5 15
18 November 18 Florida Panthers 3 – 4 SO St. Pete Times Forum 16,176 5-7-6 16
19 November 21 Nashville Predators 4 – 1 St. Pete Times Forum 16,444 6-7-6 18
20 November 23 New Jersey Devils 3 – 7 St. Pete Times Forum 14,222 6-8-6 18
21 November 26 New York Rangers 2 – 3 SO St. Pete Times Forum 16,991 6-8-7 19
22 November 28 Minnesota Wild 2 – 4 Xcel Energy Center 18,568 6-9-7 19
23 November 29 Colorado Avalanche 3 – 4 Pepsi Center 18,007 6-10-7 19
December: 4-6-3 (Home 1-2-2, Road 3-4-1)
Game Date Opponent Score Location Attendance Record Points
24 December 2 Philadelphia Flyers 3 – 4 OT Wachovia Center 19,227 6-10-8 20
25 December 4 Boston Bruins 1 – 3 St. Pete Times Forum 15,598 6-11-8 20
26 December 6 Buffalo Sabres 3 – 4 St. Pete Times Forum 17,154 6-12-8 20
27 December 8 Boston Bruins 3 – 5 TD Banknorth Garden 16,973 6-13-8 20
28 December 10 Buffalo Sabres 2 – 4 HSBC Arena 18,431 6-14-8 20
29 December 11 Montreal Canadiens 3 – 1 Bell Centre 21,273 7-14-8 22
30 December 13 Ottawa Senators 0 – 2 Scotiabank Place 18,446 7-15-8 22
31 December 18 Colorado Avalanche 1 – 2 SO St. Pete Times Forum 16,333 7-15-9 23
32 December 20 Atlanta Thrashers 3 – 4 Philips Arena 14,395 7-16-9 23
33 December 23 Pittsburgh Penguins 2 – 0 Mellon Arena 17,064 8-16-9 25
34 December 26 Florida Panthers 4 – 3 SO BankAtlantic Center 16,961 9-16-9 27
35 December 27 Florida Panthers 6 – 4 St. Pete Times Forum 18,226 10-16-9 29
36 December 30 Montreal Canadiens 1 – 2 SO St. Pete Times Forum 20,454 10-16-10 30
January: 7-7-0 (Home 4-3-0, Road 3-4-0)
Game Date Opponent Score Location Attendance Record Points
37 January 1 Washington Capitals 4 – 7 Verizon Center 18,227 10-17-10 30
38 January 3 Carolina Hurricanes 2 – 3 St. Pete Times Forum 15,873 10-18-10 30
39 January 4 Atlanta Thrashers 4 – 1 Philips Arena 10,750 11-18-10 32
40 January 8 Phoenix Coyotes 1 – 4 Jobing.com Arena 13,736 11-19-10 32
41 January 9 Anaheim Ducks 4 – 3 Honda Center 17,174 12-19-10 34
42 January 12 Los Angeles Kings 3 – 1 Staples Center 16,511 13-19-10 36
43 January 13 San Jose Sharks 1 – 7 HP Pavilion at San Jose 17,496 13-20-10 36
44 January 15 Philadelphia Flyers 4 – 1 St. Pete Times Forum 15,604 14-20-10 38
45 January 17 Florida Panthers 3 – 4 St. Pete Times Forum 17,217 14-21-10 38
46 January 19 Dallas Stars 4 – 2 St. Pete Times Forum 13,991 15-21-10 40
47 January 21 Buffalo Sabres 5 – 3 St. Pete Times Forum 15,611 16-21-10 42
48 January 27 Montreal Canadiens 5 – 3 St. Pete Times Forum 15,912 17-21-10 44
49 January 29 Carolina Hurricanes 2 – 3 RBC Center 16,405 17-22-10 44
50 January 30 Philadelphia Flyers 1 – 6 St. Pete Times Forum 18,120 17-23-10 44
February: 3-7-2 (Home 3-3-1, Road 0-4-1)
Game Date Opponent Score Location Attendance Record Points
51 February 3 New York Islanders 1 – 3 Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum 9,808 17-24-10 44
52 February 4 Pittsburgh Penguins 3 – 4 OT Mellon Arena 16,977 17-24-11 45
53 February 7 New York Islanders 1 – 0 St. Pete Times Forum 14,810 18-24-11 47
54 February 10 Atlanta Thrashers 1 – 3 St. Pete Times Forum 13,490 18-25-11 47
55 February 12 Toronto Maple Leafs 6 – 4 St. Pete Times Forum 16,526 19-25-11 49
56 February 14 Washington Capitals 1 – 5 St. Pete Times Forum 17,249 19-26-11 49
57 February 17 Chicago Blackhawks 3 – 5 St. Pete Times Forum 15,431 19-27-11 49
58 February 19 New Jersey Devils 2 – 3 SO St. Pete Times Forum 14,408 19-27-12 50
59 February 20 Carolina Hurricanes 1 – 4 RBC Center 17,711 19-28-12 50
60 February 22 Boston Bruins 4 – 3 St. Pete Times Forum 18,454 20-28-12 52
61 February 24 Edmonton Oilers 3 – 5 Rexall Place 16,839 20-29-12 52
62 February 27 Vancouver Canucks 1 – 2 General Motors Place 18,630 20-30-12 52
March: 4-6-5 (Home 1-4-3, Road 3-2-2)
Game Date Opponent Score Location Attendance Record Points
63 March 1 Calgary Flames 8 – 6 Pengrowth Saddledome 19,289 21-30-12 54
64 March 3 Pittsburgh Penguins 1 – 3 St. Pete Times Forum 19,908 21-31-12 54
65 March 6 St. Louis Blues 3 – 4 OT St. Pete Times Forum 13,831 21-31-13 55
66 March 7 Carolina Hurricanes 3 – 9 St. Pete Times Forum 15,692 21-32-13 55
67 March 11 Ottawa Senators 2 – 3 OT Scotiabank Place 19,231 21-32-14 56
68 March 12 Toronto Maple Leafs 4 – 1 Air Canada Centre 19,209 22-32-14 58
69 March 14 Florida Panthers 4 – 3 SO BankAtlantic Center 17,734 23-32-14 60
70 March 17 Toronto Maple Leafs 3 – 4 SO St. Pete Times Forum 18,793 23-32-15 61
71 March 19 Washington Capitals 2 – 5 St. Pete Times Forum 16,541 23-33-15 61
72 March 21 Atlanta Thrashers 3 – 4 SO St. Pete Times Forum 15,391 23-33-16 62
73 March 24 Columbus Blue Jackets 2 – 1 OT St. Pete Times Forum 14,454 24-33-16 64
74 March 26 Montreal Canadiens 2 – 3 OT Bell Centre 21,273 24-33-17 65
75 March 27 Washington Capitals 3 – 5 Verizon Center 18,277 24-34-17 65
76 March 29 Ottawa Senators 0 – 3 St. Pete Times Forum 16,427 24-35-17 65
77 March 31 Boston Bruins 1 – 3 TD Banknorth Garden 16,996 24-36-17 65
April: 0-4-1 (Home 0-2-0, Road 0-2-1)
Game Date Opponent Score Location Attendance Record Points
78 April 3 New Jersey Devils 4 – 5 OT Prudential Center 17,625 24-36-18 66
79 April 4 New York Islanders 1 – 3 Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum 12,809 24-37-18 66
80 April 7 Pittsburgh Penguins 4 – 6 St. Pete Times Forum 19,538 24-38-18 66
81 April 9 Washington Capitals 2 – 4 St. Pete Times Forum 18,891 24-39-18 66
82 April 11 Atlanta Thrashers 2 – 6 Philips Arena 17,122 24-40-18 66
Schedule

Record vs. Opponents

[edit]
Team Points Record
New Jersey* 106 0–1–3
NY Islanders 61 1–2–1
NY Rangers 95 0–3–1
Philadelphia 99 1–2–1
Pittsburgh 99 1–2–1
Boston* 116 1–3–0
Buffalo 91 2–2–0
Montreal 93 2–0–2
Ottawa 83 1–2–1
Toronto 81 3–0–1
Atlanta 76 2–3–1
Florida 93 3–2–1
Carolina 97 0–4–2
Washington* 108 0–6–0
Chicago 104 0–0–1
Columbus 92 1–0–0
Detroit* 112 0–1–0
Nashville 88 0–1–0
St. Louis 92 0–0–1
Calgary 98 1–0–0
Colorado 69 0–1–1
Edmonton 85 0–1–0
Minnesota 89 0–1–1
Vancouver* 100 0–1–0
Anaheim 91 1–0–0
Dallas 83 1–0–0
Los Angeles 79 1–0–0
Phoenix 79 1–0–0
San Jose* 117 0–2–0

Notes: * denotes division winner; teams in bold are in the Southeast Division; teams in italics qualified for the playoffs; points refer to the points achieved by the team whom the Thrashers played against

  = Member of the Atlantic Division
  = Member of the Northeast Division
  = Member of the Southeast Division
  = Member of the Central Division
  = Member of the Northeast Division
  = Member of the Pacific Division

Playoffs

[edit]

The Tampa Bay Lightning failed to qualify for the 2009 NHL playoffs.

Player stats

[edit]

Skaters

[edit]
Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played in; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; PIM = Penalty minutes; +/- = Plus/minus; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals 

Goaltenders

[edit]
Note:  Min, TOI = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T,T/OT = Ties; OTL = Overtime losses; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts; SA = Shots against; SV = Shots saved; SV% = Save percentage;
Regular season
Player GP Min W L OT GA GAA SA SV Sv% SO
Mike Smith 41 2471 14 18 9 108 2.62 1282 1174 .916 2
Karri Ramo 24 1311 4 10 7 80 3.66 756 676 .894 0
Mike McKenna 15 775 4 8 1 46 3.56 406 360 .887 1
Olaf Kolzig 8 410 2 4 1 25 3.66 245 220 .898 0
Riku Helenius 1 6 0 0 0 0 0.00 2 2 1.000 0

Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Lightning. Stats reflect season totals.
Traded mid-season
Bold/italics denotes franchise record

Awards and records

[edit]

Records

[edit]

Milestones

[edit]
Regular Season
Player Milestone Reached
Steven Stamkos 1st NHL Game October 4, 2008
Steven Stamkos 1st NHL Assist
1st NHL Point
October 28, 2008
Steven Stamkos 1st NHL Goal October 30, 2008
Steven Stamkos 1st NHL Hat Trick February 17, 2009

Transactions

[edit]

Trades

[edit]
July 4, 2008 To Tampa Bay
Matt Carle
Ty Wishart
1st-round pick in 2009 – Kyle Palmieri
4th-round pick in 2010 – James Mullin
To San Jose
Dan Boyle
Brad Lukowich
August 29, 2008 To Tampa Bay
Andrej Meszaros
To Ottawa Senators
Filip Kuba
Alexandre Picard
1st-round pick in 2009Kyle Palmieri
September 29, 2008 To Tampa Bay
Conditional 6th-round pick in 2009Jaroslav Janus
To Nashville Predators
Nick Tarnasky
October 6, 2008 To Tampa Bay
Lukas Krajicek
Juraj Simek
To Vancouver Canucks
Shane O'Brien
Michel Ouellet
November 7, 2008 To Tampa Bay
Steve Eminger
Steve Downie
4th-round pick in 2009 – Alex Hutchings
To Philadelphia Flyers
Matt Carle
3rd-round pick in 2009 – Simon Bertilsson
November 25, 2008 To Tampa Bay
Future Considerations
To Phoenix Coyotes
Wyatt Smith
November 30, 2008 To Tampa Bay
Lauri Tukonen
To Dallas Stars
Andrew Hutchinson
February 7, 2009 To Tampa Bay
Wade Brookbank
Josef Melichar
4th-round pick in 2009 (pick ultimately forfeited)
To Carolina Hurricanes
Jussi Jokinen
March 4, 2009 To Tampa Bay
Matt Lashoff
Martins Karsums
To Boston Bruins
Mark Recchi
2nd-round pick in 2010Alex Petrovic

Free agents

[edit]
Player Former team Contract Terms
Adam Hall Pittsburgh Penguins 3 years, $1.8 million
Olaf Kolzig Washington Capitals 1 year, $1.5 million
Radim Vrbata Phoenix Coyotes 3 years, $9 million
Mark Recchi[9] Atlanta Thrashers 1 year, $1.25 million
David Koci Chicago Blackhawks 1 year, $525,000
Brandon Bochenski Nashville Predators 2 years
Marek Malik New York Rangers 1 year, $1.25 million
Player New team
Marc Denis Montreal Canadiens
Junior Lessard Atlanta Thrashers
Craig MacDonald Columbus Blue Jackets
Doug Janik Chicago Blackhawks

Claimed from waivers

[edit]
Player Former team Date claimed off waivers
Matt Pettinger Vancouver Canucks October 21, 2008
Cory Murphy Florida Panthers January 19, 2009

Draft picks

[edit]
Steven Stamkos was the first overall selection in 2008

Tampa Bay entered the NHL Draft Lottery with a 48.8% chance of winning the lottery after stumbling to a 31–42–9 record in the regular season. The Lightning finished last in the league just four years after winning their first Stanley Cup.[10]

Tampa Bay's picks at the 2008 NHL Entry Draft[11] in Ottawa, Ontario.

Round Pick Player Position Nationality Club Team
1 1 Steven Stamkos (C)  Canada Sarnia Sting (OHL)
4 117 (from San Jose) James Wright (C)  Canada Vancouver Giants (WHL)
5 122 Dustin Tokarski (G)  Canada Spokane Chiefs (WHL)
5 147 (from San Jose) Kyle De Coste (RW)  Canada Brampton Battalion (OHL)
6 152 Mark Barberio (D)  Canada Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL)
6 160 (from Florida via Chicago) Luke Witkowski (D)  United States Ohio Junior Blue Jackets (USHL)
7 182 Matias Sointu (RW)  Finland Ilves (Finland Jr.)
7 203 (from Anaheim) David Carle (D)  United States Shattuck-Saint Mary's (USHS-MN)

See also

[edit]

Farm teams

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Lightning Head Coach John Tortorella Will Not Return For 2008-09" (Press release). Tampa Bay Lightning. Archived from the original on July 1, 2008. Retrieved June 29, 2008.
  2. ^ Oilers sale to Daryl Katz approved by NHL
  3. ^ Barry Melrose Named Head Coach of Tampa Bay Lightning Archived July 1, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ Lightning Buy Out Contract of Goaltender Marc Denis Archived July 1, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ Lightning Acquire Rights To Ryan Malone, Gary Roberts Archived July 1, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ "Lightning General Manager Jay Feaster Resigns".
  7. ^ "Yahoo | Mail, Weather, Search, Politics, News, Finance, Sports & Videos".
  8. ^ "2008-09 NHL Summary".
  9. ^ CANOE - SLAM! Sports - Hockey NHL - Tampa Bay - Lightning sign Mark Recchi to one-year deal
  10. ^ CANOE - SLAM! Sports - NHL - Bolts win draft lottery[usurped]
  11. ^ "NHL.com – Stats". June 21, 2008. Retrieved June 21, 2008. [dead link]