Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa Bay Lightning is an NHLNHLThe National Hockey League (NHL) is a men’s professional ice hockey league with clubs in the United States and Canada. Founded in Montreal in 1917, it comprises 32 teams and awards the Stanley Cup to its playoff champion.Open the full entry ice hockey team in Tampa, Florida, playing at Benchmark International Arena.
Contents15 sections
Key facts
December 6, 1990Expansion franchise awarded
The NHL conditionally awarded Tampa Bay an expansion franchise.[1]
October 7, 1992Winning debut
The Lightning won their Expo Hall debut 7–3 against Chicago.[1]
1993Move to St. Petersburg
The team moved to the Suncoast Dome in St. Petersburg.[1]
1996First playoffs and a new home
The club reached its first playoffs and moved into the Ice Palace that year.[1]
June 7, 2004First Stanley Cup
Tampa Bay beat Calgary in Game 7 of the Final for its first championship.[1]
March 3, 2010Vinik acquisition closes
Jeff Vinik’s company completed its acquisition of the team.[1]
March 25, 2013Jon Cooper appointed coach
Jon Cooper became the team’s head coach.[1]
2019First Presidents’ Trophy
The Lightning won their first Presidents’ Trophy.[1]
September 28, 2020Second championship
Tampa Bay defeated Dallas in six Final games.[1]
July 7, 2021Back-to-back championships
The Lightning retained the title with a 1–0 home victory over Montreal in Game 5 of the Final. Ross Colton scored the only goal, and Andrei Vasilevskiy won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.[2]
October 24, 2024New investors join
Vinik sold a stake but retained control for three years.[3]
August 13, 2025Arena renamed
Vinik Sports Group and Benchmark International announced a multiyear naming agreement, officially renaming the venue Benchmark International Arena.[4]
Home arena
Benchmark International Arena is the Lightning’s downtown Tampa home; its name reflects the naming-rights agreement introduced in 2025.[4]
Related Organizations, Websites, and Public Accounts
Tampa Bay Lightning: Official website: https://www.nhl.com/lightning (opens in a new window)[5]
Tampa Bay Lightning: X: https://x.com/TBLightning (opens in a new window)[5]
Tampa Bay Lightning: YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is Google’s video-sharing and creator platform, founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim and acquired by Google in 2006. Built around video uploading, viewing, and creator earnings, the platform has developed Shorts, YouTube Music, Premium, YouTube TV, and products for children, and is headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States.Open the full entry: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgC7zVCS9UJg-ziFINnwzyA (opens in a new window)[5]
Sources
- Tampa Bay Lightning Team History Timeline through August2025 (opens in a new window)
- Lightning bring Stanley Cup glory to Tampa Bay yet again (opens in a new window)
- Jeff Vinik announces expansion of Tampa Bay Lightning ownership group (opens in a new window)
- Benchmark International Arena — The Partnership (opens in a new window)
- Tampa Bay Lightning — official website (opens in a new window)