document_title: Tampa Bay Lightning

question_text: where did the tampa bay lightning first play

question_tokens: where did the tampa bay lightning first play

text: Tampa Bay Lightning

text: Franchise history[edit]

text: Early years (1992–1998)[edit]

text: In the late 1980s, the NHL announced it would expand. Two rival groups from the Tampa Bay Area area decided to bid for a franchise: a St. Petersburg-based group fronted by future Hartford Whalers/Carolina Hurricanes owners Peter Karmanos and Jim Rutherford, and a Tampa-based group fronted by two Hall of Famers—Phil Esposito and his brother Tony.

text: One of Esposito's key backers, the Pritzker family, backed out a few months before the bid, to be replaced by a consortium of Japanese businesses headed by Kokusai Green, a golf course and resort operator. On paper, it looked like the Karmanos/Rutherford group was the more stable bid, however, the group wanted to pay only $29 million before starting play, while the Esposito group was one of the few groups willing to pay the $50 million expansion fee up front.[5] The Esposito group would win the expansion franchise, and name the team the Lightning, after Tampa Bay's status as the "Lightning Capital of North America".

text: After being awarded the franchise, Phil Esposito installed himself as president and general manager, while Tony became chief scout. Terry Crisp, who played for the Philadelphia Flyers when they won two Stanley Cups in the mid-1970s and coached the Calgary Flames to a Stanley Cup in 1989, was tapped as the first head coach. Phil Esposito would also hire former teammates from the Boston Bruins of the 1970s; he hired former linemate Wayne Cashman as an assistant coach, former Bruin trainer John "Frosty" Forristal as the team's trainer and the inaugural team photo has him flanked by Cashman and player Ken Hodge, Jr., son of his other Bruins' linemate.

text: The team turned heads in the pre-season when Manon Rheaume became the first woman to play in an NHL game, which also made her the first woman to play in any of the major professional North American sports leagues; she played for the Lightning against the St. Louis Blues, and stopped seven of nine shots.[6][7]

text: The Lightning's first regular season game took place on October 7, 1992, playing in Tampa's tiny 11,000-seat Expo Hall at the Florida State Fairgrounds. They shocked the visiting Chicago Blackhawks 7–3 with four goals by little-known Chris Kontos. The Lightning shot to the top of the Campbell Conference's Norris Division within a month, behind Kontos' initial torrid scoring pace and a breakout season by forward Brian Bradley. However, they buckled under the strain of some of the longest road trips in the NHL—their nearest division rival, the Blues, were over 1,000 miles away—and finished in last place with a record of 23–54–7 for 53 points. This was, at the time, one of the best-ever showings by an NHL expansion team. Bradley's 42 goals gave Tampa Bay fans optimism for the next season; it would be a team record until the 2006–07 season.

text: The following season saw the Lightning shift to the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division, as well as move into the Florida Suncoast Dome (a building originally designed for baseball) in St. Petersburg, which was reconfigured for hockey and renamed "the ThunderDome."[8] The team acquired goaltender Daren Puppa, left-wing goal scorer Petr Klima and Denis Savard. While Puppa's play resulted in a significant improvement in goals allowed (from 332 to 251), Savard was long past his prime and Klima's scoring was offset by his defensive lapses. The Lightning finished last in the Atlantic Division in 1993–94 with a record of 30–43–11 for 71 points. Another disappointing season followed in the lockout-shortened 1995 season with a record of 17–28–3 for 37 points.

text: On-ice and off-ice struggles[edit]

text: In their fourth season, 1995–96, with Bradley still leading the team in scoring, second-year forward Alexander Selivanov scoring a total of 31 goals, and Roman Hamrlik having an All-Star year on defense, the Lightning finally qualified for the playoffs, nosing out the defending Stanley Cup champion New Jersey Devils with a record of 38–33–12 with 88 points for the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference by a single win. Due to his stellar play in net, Puppa was named a finalist for the Vezina Trophy (losing out to Jim Carey of the Washington Capitals). Set to play the Stanley Cup contending Philadelphia Flyers, the Lighting would split the opening two games in Philadelphia before taking a 2-1 series lead in overtime before a ThunderDome crowd of 28,183. This was the largest crowd for an NHL game, a record that stood until the 2003 Heritage Classic in Edmonton. An injury to Puppa in that game, however, would see the Lightning lose the next three games and the series.

text: The Lightning acquired goalscorer Dino Ciccarelli from the Detroit Red Wings during the 1996 off-season, and he did not disappoint, scoring 35 goals in the 1996–97 season, with Chris Gratton notching another 30 goals. The team moved into a glittering new arena, the Ice Palace (now Amalie Arena), and appeared destined for another playoff spot. However, the Lightning suffered a devastating rash of injuries. Puppa developed back trouble that kept him out of all but four games during the season; he would only play a total of 50 games from 1996 until his retirement in 2000. Bradley also lost time to a series of concussions that would limit him to a total of 49 games from 1996 until his retirement in December 1999. Center John Cullen developed non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and missed the last 12 games of the 1996–97 season; he would eventually be forced to retire in 1999. Decimated by these ailments, the Lightning narrowly missed the playoffs.

text: Most of the Lightning's early stars were gone by 1998 due to free agency and a series of ill advised trades. Crisp was fired 11 games into the 1997–98 season and replaced by Jacques Demers. Though Demers had presided over the resurgence of the Detroit Red Wings in the 1980s and helmed a Stanley Cup run with the Montreal Canadiens in 1993, he was unable to change the team's fortunes and the Lightning ended up losing 55 games.

text: By most accounts, the Lightning's plunge to the bottom of the NHL was due to inattentive ownership by Kokusai Green. Rumors abounded as early as the team's second season that the Lightning were on the brink of bankruptcy and that the team was part of a money laundering scheme for the yakuza (Japanese crime families).[9] Its scouting operation consisted of Tony Esposito and several satellite dishes. The Internal Revenue Service investigated the team in 1994 and 1995, and nearly threatened to put a tax lien on the team for $750,000 in back taxes. The situation led longtime NHL broadcaster and writer Stan Fischler to call the Lightning a "skating vaudeville show".[10]

text: Even in their first playoff season, the team was awash in red ink and Kokusai Green was looking to sell the team, however its asking price of $230 million for the team and the lease with the Ice Palace deterred buyers.[10] A possible sale was further hampered by the team's murky ownership structure; even some team officials (including Crisp) did not know who really owned the team.[9] Takashi Okubo, the owner of Kokusai Green, had never met with the Espositos or with NHL officials in person prior to being awarded the Lightning franchise, and had never watched his team play or visited the city of Tampa.

text: Nearly all of Kokusai Green's investment in the team and the Ice Palace came in the form of loans, leaving the team constantly short of cash.[11] At least one prospective buyer pulled out after expressing doubts that Okubo even existed.[9] In fact, the first time anyone connected with the Lightning or the NHL even saw Okubo was in the spring of 1998. Many of Esposito's trades came simply to keep the team above water. The team's financial situation was a considerable concern to NHL officials; rumors surfaced that the league was seriously considering taking control of the team if Okubo failed to find a buyer by the summer of 1998.[10]

text: Forbes wrote an article in late 1997 calling the Lightning a financial nightmare, with a debt equal to 236% of its value, the highest of any major North American sports franchise. Even though the Ice Palace was built for hockey and the Lightning were the only major tenant, Forbes called the team's deal with the arena a lemon since it would not result in much revenue for 30 years. It was also behind on paying state sales taxes and federal payroll taxes.[12]

text: Finally, in 1998, Kokusai Green found a buyer. Although Detroit Pistons owner William Davidson was thought to be the frontrunner, the buyer turned out to be insurance tycoon and motivational speaker Art Williams, who previously owned the Birmingham Barracudas of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The team was $102 million in debt at the time the sale closed.[10] Williams knew very little about hockey, but was very visible and outspoken, and immediately pumped an additional $6 million into the team's payroll. He also cleared most of the debt from the Kokusai Green era. After taking control, Williams publicly assured the Espositos that their jobs were safe, only to fire them two games into the 1998–99 season. He then gave Demers complete control of hockey operations as both coach and general manager. The Lightning drafted Vincent Lecavalier in 1998, a player who would be a cornerstone of the team for years to come.

text: Williams was widely seen as being in over his head and was an easy target for his NHL colleagues, who called him "Jed Clampett" behind his back due to his thick Southern accent and fundamentalist Christian views. Early in the 1998–99 season, the Lightning lost ten games in a row, all but ending any chance of making the playoffs. They ended up losing 54 games that year, more than the expansion Nashville Predators.

text: Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis era (1998–2013)[edit]

text: Return to respectability[edit]

text: By the spring of 1999, Williams had seen enough. He had not attended a game in some time because "this team broke my heart". He lost $20 million in the 1998–99 season alone, as much money in one year as he had estimated he could have reasonably lost in five years.[13] Williams sold the team for $115 million—$2 million less than he had paid for the team a year earlier—to Detroit Pistons owner William Davidson, who had almost bought the team a year earlier.[14] Along with the sale, the Lightning acquired a new top minor league affiliate; Davidson also owned the Detroit Vipers of the now-defunct International Hockey League.

text: Davidson remained in Detroit, but appointed Tom Wilson as team president to handle day-to-day management of the team. Wilson immediately fired Jacques Demers, who despite his best efforts (and fatherly attitude toward Vincent Lecavalier) was unable to overcome the damage from the Kokusai Green ownership. Wilson persuaded Ottawa Senators general manager (and former Vipers GM) Rick Dudley to take over as the Lightning's new general manager; Dudley, in turn, brought Vipers coach Steve Ludzik in as the team's new head coach. Wilson, Dudley and Ludzik had helped make the Vipers one of the premier minor league hockey franchises, having won a Turner Cup in only their third season in Detroit (the team had originally been based in Salt Lake City).

text: However, as had been the case with Demers, the damage from the last few seasons under Kokusai Green was too much for Ludzik to overcome. Even with a wholesale transfer of talent from Detroit to Tampa (a move that eventually doomed the Vipers, which folded along with the IHL in 2001), the Lightning lost 54 games in 1999–2000 and 52 in 2000–01, becoming the first team in NHL history to post four straight 50-loss seasons. The lone bright spots in those years were the blossoming of Vincent Lecavalier and Brad Richards into NHL stars. Ludzik was replaced in early 2001 by career NHL assistant John Tortorella. The March 5 trade deadline offered another glimmer of hope when the team acquired hold-out goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin from the Phoenix Coyotes for three players and a draft pick.

text: The 2001–02 season, Tortorella's first full year behind the bench, saw some improvement. Martin St. Louis was having a breakout season when he broke his leg in game number 47 and was lost for the remainder of the season.[15] Khabibulin recorded a shut out at the NHL All-Star Game but was not named its MVP, by all accounts due to the game's voting protocol.[16] By mid-February, the Lightning were well out of playoff contention and were sinking under a rash of injuries. Dudley, who had guaranteed a playoff berth before the season, was fired and replaced by his assistant, Jay Feaster. Still the Lightning showed some signs of life, earning more than 60 points for the first time since 1997. Tortorella stripped Lecavalier of the captaincy due to contract negotiations that had made the young center miss the start of the season.

text: Two dream seasons and the Stanley Cup[edit]

text: With a young core of players led by Vincent Lecavalier, Brad Richards, Martin St. Louis and Fredrik Modin, the Lightning were thought to be very close to respectability. However, they arrived somewhat earlier than expected in 2002–03. The young team was led by the goaltending of Nikolai Khabibulin and the scoring efforts of Lecavalier, St. Louis, Modin, Richards and Ruslan Fedotenko, and also boasted a new captain, former prolific scorer Dave Andreychuk. Throughout the season, the Lightning battled the Washington Capitals for first place in the Southeast Division. They finished with a record of 36–25–16 for 93 points, breaking the 90-point barrier for the first time in team history. They won the division by just one point, giving them home-ice advantage in their first round match-up with the Capitals. At season's end, coach Tortorella was recognized for his efforts by being named a finalist for the Jack Adams Award, losing out to Jacques Lemaire of the Minnesota Wild.

text: In the first round of the playoffs, the Lightning quickly fell two games behind in the series but followed the two losses with four consecutive wins which advanced them to the Conference Semi-finals for the first time in team history. In the semi-finals, the Lightning won only one game, losing the series to the New Jersey Devils, who went on to win the Stanley Cup.

text: The Lightning's dramatic improvement continued through the 2003–04 regular season, finishing with a record of 46–22–8–6 for 106 points, second-best in the NHL after the Western Conference's Detroit Red Wings—the first 100-point season in franchise history. The Lightning went through the season with only 20-man-games lost to injury. In the first round of the playoffs, the Lightning ousted the Alexei Yashin-led New York Islanders in five games, with solid play from goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin, who posted three shutouts in Games 1, 3 and 4.

text: In the second round, the Lightning faced the Montreal Canadiens, captained by Saku Koivu; Lecavalier, Richards, and Khabibulin led the team to a four-game sweep of Montreal. They next faced Keith Primeau and his Philadelphia Flyers in the Conference Finals. After a tightly-fought seven-game series in which neither team was able to win consecutive games, Fredrik Modin notched the winning goal of the seventh and deciding game, earning the Eastern Conference championship for the Lightning and their first-ever berth in the Stanley Cup Finals.

text: Their opponent in the final round was the Calgary Flames, captained by Jarome Iginla. The final round also went the full seven games, with the deciding game played in the St. Pete Times Forum on June 7, 2004. This time, Ruslan Fedotenko was the Game 7 hero, scoring both Lightning goals in a 2–1 victory. Brad Richards, who had 26 points in the post-season, won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the playoffs; the Lightning had won all 31 contests in which he had scored a goal since the opening of the season. Tortorella won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL's Coach of the Year. Only three years after their last of four consecutive seasons of 50 or more losses, and in only their 12th year of existence, the Lightning became the southernmost team ever to win the Stanley Cup. Martin St. Louis led the team and the NHL with 94 points (his 38 goals were fourth-most after the 41 of tied trio Jarome Iginla, Rick Nash and Ilya Kovalchuk), and won the Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player. St. Louis also won the Lester B. Pearson Award for the NHL's most outstanding player as voted by the NHL Players' Association, and tied the Vancouver Canucks' Marek Malik for the NHL Plus/Minus Award. A season of superlatives was capped with one final accolade, as The Sporting News named GM Jay Feaster as the league's executive of the year for 2003–04.

text: The Lightning had to wait a year to defend their title due to the 2004–05 NHL lockout, but in 2005–06, they barely made the playoffs with a record of 43–33–6 for 93 points in a conference where six teams notched 100 or more points. They lost to the Ottawa Senators in five games in the first round of the 2006 playoffs.

text: Disappointments and rebuilding[edit]

text: During the off-season, the Lightning traded Fredrik Modin and Fredrik Norrena to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for goaltender Marc Denis in an effort to replace the departing John Grahame, who had signed with the Carolina Hurricanes. However, free agent Johan Holmqvist would eventually receive the majority of playing time and most of the club's wins. The first half of 2006–07 was inconsistent for the Lightning, maintaining an 18–19–2 record throughout the first few months. January and February were far better months for the team, going 9–4–0 in January and 9–2–2 in February, driving them back into the playoff race. Fourteen games in March were split even, and on March 16, 2007, Vincent Lecavalier broke the franchise record for most points in a season, with 95 (finishing with 108). The record was previously held by Martin St. Louis, who had set the record in the 2003–04 Stanley Cup-winning year. Lecavalier also broke the franchise's goal scoring record, finishing with a league-leading 52 goals.

text: The Lightning were busy during the final weeks before the NHL's trade deadline, acquiring wingers Kyle Wanvig, Stephen Baby and defenseman Shane O'Brien. Former first round pick Nikita Alexeev was traded on deadline day to the Chicago Blackhawks. Other mid-season additions to the team included Filip Kuba, Luke Richardson and Doug Janik. Veteran Andre Roy, who had won the Stanley Cup with the Lightning in 2004, was claimed off waivers from the Pittsburgh Penguins.

text: Throughout March, the Lightning had been competing with the Atlanta Thrashers for first place in the Southeast Division. With a chance to overtake the Thrashers one final time and once again become division champions for the third time in team history, on April 6, 2007, in the final week of the regular season, the Lighting suffered a loss to the Florida Panthers, the night before the season finale in Atlanta. That same night, the Thrashers defeated the Carolina Hurricanes and subsequently clinched the division. For the Lightning, this meant having to settle for the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference with a final record of 44–33–5 (93 points).

text: However, the Lightning were eliminated from playoff competition on April 22 after a 3–2 home loss to the New Jersey Devils in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.

text: Following their playoff exit, on August 7, 2007, Absolute Hockey Enterprises, a group led by Doug MacLean, announced it had signed a purchase agreement for the team and the leasehold on the St. Pete Times Forum. MacLean is the former president and general manager of the Columbus Blue Jackets and former head coach for both the Blue Jackets and the Florida Panthers. The group announced it planned to keep the team in Tampa, but the deal collapsed during the 2007–08 season.

text: The Lightning struggled to maintain success during the 2007–08 campaign. Although the "Big 3" of Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis and Brad Richards, along with Vaclav Prospal, had performed up to expectations, they had little consistent play from supporting players.

text: At the start of the All-Star Break on January 25, 2008, the Lightning had a 20–25–5 record, and with 45 points, were in last place in both the Southeast Division and the Eastern Conference. Only the Los Angeles Kings had a lower point total at this time of the season, with 40 points.

text: On February 13, 2008, it was announced that Palace Sports & Entertainment had agreed to sell the Lightning to OK Hockey LLC, a group headed by Oren Koules, a producer of the Saw horror movies, and Len Barrie, a former NHL player and real estate developer.

text: The Lightning were active during the trade deadline, similar to the previous season. More notable trades included Vaclav Prospal's trade to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for prospect Alexandre Picard and a conditional draft pick.[17] Additionally, former Conn Smythe Trophy winner Brad Richards and goaltender Johan Holmqvist were traded to the Dallas Stars in exchange for goaltender Mike Smith and forwards Jussi Jokinen and Jeff Halpern, as well as a fourth-round draft pick in 2009.[18] Jan Hlavac, a regular contributor, was also traded, moving to the Nashville Predators in exchange for a seventh-round pick in 2008.[19] Defenseman Dan Boyle was re-signed to a six-year contract extension reportedly worth $40 million.[20]

text: However, after the trade deadline, the Lightning fared no better than they had throughout the entire season. After the February 26 trade deadline, the Lightning won only five games. Finishing with a 31–42–9 record, with 71 points, they had the highest chance of winning the top overall pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft through the draft lottery, which they eventually won on April 7. They would use their first overall pick to select Steven Stamkos of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL)'s Sarnia Sting.

text: The Lightning were the worst team on the road in the NHL, winning only 11 games. Another showing of the team's poor play was the difference from the previous season's success in the overtime/shootout periods. In the 2006–07 season, the Lightning had one of the best extra period records, winning 15 games in either overtime or the shootout. However, in the 2007–08 season, they won only three games, losing nine.

text: Vincent Lecavalier suffered a dislocated shoulder as the result of an open-ice hit from Matt Cooke of the Washington Capitals in the game before the season finale in Atlanta. Lecavalier, who planned on having arthroscopic wrist surgery after the season's ending, would undergo surgery to repair his right shoulder as well. Cooke was fined $2,500 by the NHL for the hit, as Lecavalier did not have possession of the puck at the time. Perhaps the lone bright spot in the season was Lecavalier's winning both the King Clancy Memorial Trophy and the NHL Foundation Player Award for work through his foundation, including a $3 million pledge to All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida, for what would become the Vincent Lecavalier Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at All Children's Hospital.

text: Head coach John Tortorella was fired by the Lightning following their worst season since Tortorella was hired. At the time working as an NHL analyst for ESPN, Barry Melrose stated on June 4 during an episode of Pardon the Interruption that he missed coaching and would entertain any NHL coaching offers. He stated, "I miss not having a dog in the fight."[citation needed] On June 23, ESPN reported Melrose had been chosen to be the head coach of the Lightning, beginning in 2008–09. The next day, the Lightning officially introduced him as their new head coach.

text: On July 4, 2008, Dan Boyle, despite coming off a recent contract extension, was traded (along with Brad Lukowich) to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Matt Carle, Ty Wishart, a first-round draft pick in 2009 and a fourth-round 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. In the fallout from the trade, Boyle would call Lightning ownership "liars"[21] for misrepresenting the aforementioned events to the public, while former coach Tortorella later labeled them as "cowboys" and said he had zero respect for them.[22] Frustrated at interference in the team's hockey operations by Barrie and Koules, seven days later, Jay Feaster resigned as general manager, despite having three years remaining on his contract.

text: The Lightning opened the 2008–09 season in the Czech Republic against the New York Rangers as a part of the NHL's regular season "Premiere" that selects several teams to open the regular season in Europe.

text: Barry Melrose would record his first win as a head coach in over 13 years on October 21, 2008, with a 3–2 victory over the Atlanta Thrashers. However, the Lightning did not get off to a great start as hoped, and Melrose was eventually fired by the Lightning with a 5–7–4 record. Rick Tocchet, who had been hired as assistant coach during the previous off-season, was promoted to interim head coach.

text: On March 4, veterans Mark Recchi and Olaf Kolzig were traded by the Tampa Bay Lightning to the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs, respectively. The Lightning acquired top round picks Matt Lashoff and Martins Karsums from the Bruins.

text: After the firing of Melrose, the Lightning went 19–33–14 and would finish the season 24–40–18 with 66 points, their lowest point total since the 2000–01 season. With the second overall pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, the Lightning selected Swedish defenseman Victor Hedman.

text: In the 2009 off-season, the Lightning removed the interim status of Rick Tocchet, making him the full-time head coach and signing him to a multi-year contract.[23] The Lightning had an up-and-down beginning to the 2009–10 campaign. Despite an overmatched roster on paper, and a team that struggled in the first two periods of many games, the Lightning remained competitive in the playoff race until March, when they went 5–10–1 for the month and fell eight points out of a playoff spot. Unable to make a final push for the playoffs, they were officially eliminated from contention within the first week of April. The Lightning finished the season 34–36–12 for 80 points, fourth in the Southeast Division and 12th in the Eastern Conference.

text: Steven Stamkos scored 51 goals in just his second NHL season, earning himself a share of the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy by finishing tied for the NHL lead in goals with Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby.[24]

text: During the season, the team was sold to Bostonian investment banker Jeffrey Vinik. Following the late-season collapse, Vinik cleaned house, firing both head coach Rick Tocchet and GM Brian Lawton on April 12, 2010, one day after the season ended.[25]

text: In May 2010, Vinik hired Steve Yzerman away from the Detroit Red Wings front office to be the new GM, signing him to a five-year contract. Yzerman then hired Guy Boucher away from the Montreal Canadiens organization to succeed Tocchet as the head coach two weeks later.

text: Yzerman's first off-season with Tampa Bay began with a splash. With the sixth pick of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, the Lightning selected forward Brett Connolly despite a history of injuries while playing for the Western Hockey League (WHL)'s Prince George Cougars. When asked about Connolly's injuries being a factor in the decision to draft him, Yzerman boldly declared, "I think it was a factor that he was available with the 6th pick. Because if he had been healthy all year, based on everything I know, he would not have been available with the 6th pick." On July 1, 2010, veteran blueliner Andrej Meszaros was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for their second-round pick in 2011. Later that day, the Lightning signed star winger Martin St. Louis to a four-year, $22.5 million contract extension to come into effect on July 1, 2011. On July 19, in another move with the Flyers organization, the Lightning traded defenseman Matt Walker and Tampa Bay's fourth-round pick in 2011 for high-scoring winger Simon Gagne. Other off-season acquisitions included the signing of forwards Sean Bergenheim, Dominic Moore and Marc-Antoine Pouliot, along with defensemen Brett Clark, Randy Jones and Pavel Kubina and goaltender Dan Ellis, as well as the re-signing of restricted free agent forward Steve Downie to a two-year, $3.7 million deal.

text: End of the Lecavalier/St. Louis era[edit]

text: With starting goaltender Mike Smith injured, the Lightning called up Cedrick Desjardins, who played with a .950 save percentage and a 1.00 goals against average (GAA) in two games. The team then acquired veteran Dwayne Roloson from the New York Islanders for further coverage in net.[26]

text: The Lightning compiled a 46–25–11 record with 103 points in the 2010–11 season, matching a franchise record for wins in a season. After holding the first place in the Southeast Division for several months, they fell to second after a poor performance in March. However, their record was solid enough for second in the Southeast Division and fifth in the Eastern Conference, and they returned to the playoffs for the first time since the 2006–07 season. Scoring 31 goals and assisting on 68, Martin St. Louis finished second in the NHL in points.

text: In the playoffs, Tampa Bay drew the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Conference Quarterfinals. After losing Game 4 at home in the second overtime period, they fell behind in the series one game to three. However, the Lightning went on to win the next three games, including a 1–0 Game 7 win on the road, taking their first playoff series since winning the Stanley Cup in 2004. In the Conference Semi-finals, the Lightning swept the top-seeded Washington Capitals.

text: Tampa Bay went up against the Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference Finals. In Game 4 of the series, the Lightning trailed 3–0 at the end of the first period. When Dwayne Roloson was pulled for Mike Smith, the Bruins failed to score again, and the Lightning tied the game in the second period by scoring three goals in 3:58, going on to win the game 5–3 and tying the series at two games apiece. The series went the full seven games, though the Lightning were eliminated by a single goal, as the game was lost (0–1).

text: The Lightning finished the 2011–12 season with a 38–36–8 record. With only 84 points, they fell short of reaching the playoffs, ending the season third in the Southeast Division and tenth in the Eastern Conference.

text: Individually, Steven Stamkos scored a franchise-record 60 goals. He won the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy for the second time in his career, the first time in which he was the unanimous victor. Stamkos was also second in the NHL in points with 97, and was a finalist for both the Hart Memorial Trophy and the Ted Lindsay Award.

text: As with the 1994–95 NHL lockout, the 2012–13 NHL lockout resulted in a 48-game season.

text: Nearing the end of a dismal 18–26–4 season for 40 points, in which the Lightning ended fourth in the Southeast and 14th in the East, GM Steve Yzerman looked to their highly-successful American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch. On March 25, 2013, head coach Guy Boucher was dismissed for following a 7–16–1 record.[27] The Lightning announced Jon Cooper would become the eighth head coach in franchise history.[28]

text: Martin St. Louis won his second Art Ross Trophy with 60 points in the shortened season, as Stamkos finished runner-up 57.

text: On June 27, 2013, the team announced that they would exercise one of their two "compliance buyouts" on captain Vincent Lecavalier, as permitted by the collective agreement. This move would make Lecavalier an unrestricted free agent beginning July 5, free to sign with any team except the Lightning. The team stated the move was made not because of Lecavalier's play on the ice, but simply because of how his contract affected the team's salary cap, which would have been over $7 million per year until its expiration after the 2019–20 season.[29][30][31]

text: Steven Stamkos era (2013–)[edit]

text: Return to the playoffs[edit]

text: After acquiring goaltender Ben Bishop from the Ottawa Senators in a trade the previous season, the Lightning started the 2013 season with an above average performance. On November 11, 2013, going into the day tied for most goals during the regular season, Steven Stamkos suffered a broken right tibia after crashing into one of the goalposts during play against the Boston Bruins. He would miss 45 games and was not cleared to play again until March 5, 2014.[32]

text: In January, GM Steve Yzerman, who also served as the general manager for Canada's team at the 2014 Winter Olympics, elected not to name Lightning captain Martin St. Louis to Canada's roster, instead choosing the still-injured Stamkos. After Stamkos was not medically cleared to play in Sochi in early February, Yzerman ultimately named St. Louis to Team Canada as an injury replacement. In late February, it was reported St. Louis had requested a trade from Yzerman the month prior.[33] St. Louis, who had a no-move clause in his contract with Tampa Bay, reportedly consented to only being traded to the New York Rangers. On March 5, 2014, St. Louis was sent to New York along with a conditional 2015 second-round pick in exchange for New York captain Ryan Callahan, a 2015 first-round draft pick, a conditional 2014 second-round pick and a 2015 conditional seventh-round pick. The deal came subsequently after Stamkos had been cleared to return to the Lightning's active roster. St. Louis cited his decision based on his family and thanked Lightning fans for their support during his tenure with the franchise, but would not specify any further about the reasons leading to his request.[34]

text: On March 6, 2014, Steven Stamkos was named Tampa Bay's tenth captain in franchise history in his first game back after recovering from his tibia injury.[35]

text: On April 7, 2014, the team announced it had signed GM Steve Yzerman to a four-year contract extension.[36]

text: Finishing the season with 101 points, the Lightning placed second in the Atlantic Division, qualifying for the playoffs for the first time since 2011. However, Tampa Bay was eliminated in the first round of the Atlantic divisional semi-finals, losing to the Montreal Canadiens in a four-game sweep.[37]

text: On June 25, 2014, the Lightning agreed to terms with Ryan Callahan, who was slated to become a free agent in the off-season, signing him to a six-year, $34.8 million contract extension.[38] The same day, the Lightning used its remaining compliance buyout on forward Ryan Malone after his on-ice performance had declined from injuries seasons prior in addition to his off-ice troubles that included a DUI arrest before the end of the season.[39]

text: Second Stanley Cup Finals appearance[edit]

text: Finishing the 2014–15 season with 108 points, the Lightning placed second in the Atlantic Division and qualified for the playoffs for the second-straight season, scoring the most goals out of any team in the NHL. Tampa Bay eliminated the Detroit Red Wings in seven games in the first round of the playoffs before facing Montreal in the second round. The Lightning won the first three games of the series and had a chance to sweep the Canadiens, however Montreal responded with wins in Games 4 and 5 to extend the series to a sixth game. Tampa Bay won the sixth game of the series to eliminate the Canadiens and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2011, facing the New York Rangers.

text: In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Lightning and the Rangers split the first two games of the series in New York, with the Lightning winning Game 2 of the series thanks to a Tyler Johnson hat-trick. The series then shifted to Tampa, where the Lightning had a come-from-behind overtime victory in Game 3 but lost Game 4 to even the series at two games apiece. During Game 5 in New York, goaltender Ben Bishop recorded his second shutout of the playoffs in a 2–0 victory, but the Rangers responded in Game 6 by scoring seven goals to tie the series at three games apiece. In Game 7, Bishop recorded his third shutout of the playoffs in another 2–0 victory against the Rangers to lead the Lightning to their first appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals since 2004. The Lightning not only became the first team to defeat the Rangers in a Game 7 at Madison Square Garden, but they also became the first team to successfully defeat three Original Six teams in the first three rounds of the playoffs.[40] The Lightning would face the Chicago Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup Finals, making it the first time a finalist faced four Original Six teams in the playoffs since the four-round format was introduced in 1980.[41] After losing Game 1 at home, the Lightning built a two games to one series lead, though the Blackhawks would win the following three games to win the Stanley Cup in six games at the United Center in Chicago. This made Tampa Bay the first team to beat three of the Original Six teams in the playoffs since the Pittsburgh Penguins completed the feat in 1992. However, they became the first team to lose the Stanley Cup Finals despite beating three Original Six teams.[42]

text: Continuing championship contention[edit]

text: Despite finishing with 46 wins and 97 points, the Lightning had a very slow start to the 2015–16 season. The 2015–16 season was filled with controversy for the Lightning, starting off with the contractual questions regarding team captain Steven Stamkos and with the former third overall pick Jonathan Drouin publicly requesting a trade and being suspended from the organization. The Lightning picked up their play at the beginning of the year 2016 and set the franchise record to nine consecutive wins on March 5, 2016, when Alex Killorn scored with 42.5 seconds remaining in overtime to propel the Lightning to a 4–3 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes at Amalie Arena. On March 26, 2016, the Lightning announced cornerstone defenseman Anton Stralman had suffered a fractured leg in their game against the New York Islanders at home. Tampa's fortunes would get even worse when Stamkos shockingly was out of the lineup for the team's game on April 2 against the New Jersey Devils in Tampa. Lightning GM Steve Yzerman announced after the game that the captain would miss one-to-three months due to a blood clot in his arm. Due to unfortunate circumstances, the team had no other option but to bring Drouin back to the team. The Lightning ended up finishing second in the Atlantic Division and would once again face the third-seeded Detroit Red Wings in the first round of the playoffs.

text: The Lightning ended up defeating the Red Wings in five games after winning 1–0 at Amalie Arena. Next up, the Islanders would face the Lightning. In Game 1, the Islanders defeated the Bolts 5–3. The Lightning would eventually answer back by winning four consecutive games in the series to defeat the Isles in five games, in large part due to back-to-back road overtime victories with goals scored by Brian Boyle and Jason Garrison. The Lightning were set to play against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference Finals. In Game 1 at Consol Energy Center, star goaltender Ben Bishop would be added to the list of devastating injuries for the team as he left on a stretcher and did not return for the remainder of the series. Stralman would eventually return in Game 2. A back-and-forth series would eventually lead to a Game 7 showdown in Pittsburgh. Lightning captain Steven Stamkos surprisingly took warmups and was in the Lightning lineup after a long absence from blood clot surgery. However, it was not enough, as the Lightning would fall 2–1 against the Penguins, who went on to defeat the San Jose Sharks and win the Stanley Cup.

text: With the Lightning under the spotlight in the 2016 off-season, Drouin rescinded his trade request. Steve Yzerman would then announce on June 29 the team re-signed Stamkos to an eight-year, cap-friendly deal. He would then sign star defenseman Victor Hedman to an eight-year contract on July 1, along with a seven-year deal for Alex Killorn and a three-year deal for former first round pick, goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy.

text: The Lightning narrowly missed the playoffs in the 2016–17 season. Finishing with 94 points, they were beaten to the second wildcard by the Toronto Maple Leafs, with 95 points. The 2016–17 season for the Lightning was a host of injuries, mainly their captain, Steven Stamkos. Stamkos went down in the 17th game, against the Detroit Red Wings. It was revealed he suffered from a torn left meniscus, which put him out for the rest of the season. During the season, they traded goaltender Ben Bishop to the Los Angeles Kings, center Brian Boyle to the Toronto Maple Leafs, and forward Valtteri Filppula to the Philadelphia Flyers. However, there were positive signs as winger Nikita Kucherov emerged with 40 goals and goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy stepped up after Bishop left. The Lightning also showcased their young talent with rookie Brayden Point and promising AHL call-ups Yanni Gourde and Jake Dotchin. The Lightning bounced back with this talent in the last third of the season, but it was not enough as they missed the playoffs by one point.

text: In the off-season, the Lightning made a deal with the Montreal Canadiens to send Jonathan Drouin to their franchise in exchange for defensive prospect Mikhail Sergachev and a second-round pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. They also signed defenseman Dan Girardi for two years and winger Chris Kunitz to a one year deal.

text: In the 2017–18 season, Steven Stamkos returned from injury, scoring 20 points in the first 10 games and assisting on 9 of Nikita Kucherov's 11.[43] The Lightning finished the 2017–18 season with a record of 54–23–5, finishing with 113 points. The Lightning won their first Atlantic Division title and first division title since the 2003–04 season, as well as securing the top seed in the Eastern Conference for the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs. Andrei Vasilevskiy was nominated for the Vezina Trophy. Nikita Kucherov scored 100 points during the regular season, finishing third overall in the league. Steve Yzerman was once again nominated for the NHL General Manager of the Year Award. During the playoffs, the Lightning eliminated the New Jersey Devils in the first round and the Boston Bruins in the second round, both in five games. However, they were defeated in the Eastern Conference Finals by the eventual-Stanley Cup champions, the Washington Capitals, in seven games.

text: Radio and television[edit]

text: The Lightning radio broadcasts are on WFLA; the play-by-play announcer is Dave Mishkin, known for his energetic style and his tendency to shriek when the Lightning score. Phil Esposito is the color commentator for home games. Matthew Sammon is the pregame and intermission host. The Lightning television broadcasts can be seen on Fox Sports Sun. The television play-by-play announcer is Rick Peckham. The color commentator is Brian Engblom. The studio host is Paul Kennedy. Caley Chelios is the in-arena host and Lightning reporter. Former Lightning player Dave Andreychuk and former color commentator Bobby "The Chief" Taylor assist with the television pregame and postgame broadcasts.

text: On December 10, 2014, long-time color commentator Bobby "The Chief" Taylor announced he would be retiring from the broadcast booth at the end of the 2014–15 season. Taylor had served as the teams color commentator since the 1993–94 season, which was the team's second year of existence. Taylor cited that he desired to be home with his wife Jan more. Taylor said, "The road was starting to get a little stale," and "I've been traveling since I was 15, and that's a long time." However, Taylor announced that he is not completely stepping away from the team broadcasts. He will continue to serve as a sideline or studio analyst during the games on Fox Sports Sun for both home and away games. Taylor may also see sometime between the benches during broadcasts the following season. The Lightning have begun an immediate search for a replacement for Taylor for the coming season.[44]

text: On August 11, 2015, Fox Sports Sun, the regional television home of the Lightning, announced Brian Engblom as Taylor's replacement on color commentary for the 2015–16 season. Prior to joining Sun Sports, Engblom served as "Inside the glass" analyst on both NBC and NBC Sports Network, as well as the network's coverage of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Engblom has served as an analyst on NHL Live, and also served as color analyst for Winnipeg Jets Games on TSN in Canada. Prior to being an announcer, Engblom played at the University of Wisconsin, and was Montreal's third pick, 22nd overall, in the 1975 NHL Entry Draft. He won three Stanley Cups with the Canadiens (1977–1979).[45]

text: Team colors and mascot[edit]

text: Since 2010, the Lightning colors have been blue, black and white. Their logo has been a stylized lightning bolt. This is the origin of one nickname for the team—the "Bolts."

text: Logo and jerseys[edit]

text: The original Lightning jerseys featured simple stripes on the sleeves and tail, and contrasting shoulders—black shoulders over a white jersey, and white shoulders over the black—with the alternate logo (a lightning bolt over the outline of the state of Florida). The underarm gussets included a feature referred to as "victory stripes"—a group of thin stripes, alternating in the team's colors (black-silver-blue on white, or white-blue-silver on black). For the 1996–97 season, the Lightning added a third jersey, primarily blue with a sublimated wave and rain design on the front and back, lightning bolts down the sleeves, a silver-gray shoulder yoke, and black gussets. The third jersey was retired after the 1998–99 season.

text: In their first two seasons, the Lightning used a stylized block font for player names, with gaps in the upper loops of letters such as A, B, D, and R. The numbers were standard block numbers with drop shadows. The fonts were vertical in 1992–93, and italicized in 1993–94. The following season, the name font changed to a block font, vertically arched, while the number font changed to a painted style resembling the letters "Tampa Bay" in the logo. This style was also used on the blue alternate in 1998–99, replacing an "electrified" number font used from 1996–98. In 2001–02, the old fonts were replaced with traditional block letters and numbers, which have been used ever since. They also darkened their shades of blue that season from a royal blue to a speed (Indy) blue.

text: As with all NHL teams for the 2007–08 season, the Lightning debuted in new Reebok "Rbk Edge" jerseys. Also, like several other NHL teams, the Lightning updated their team logo.

text: The Lightning unveiled their new logo on August 25, 2007. The logo was similar to the inaugural one, but with a more modern look. The new logo also kept the same theme as the previous one, but with the words "Tampa Bay" across the top now appearing with tall capital initials, and the word "Lightning" no longer appearing on the bottom of the logo.

text: The Edge jerseys use the same template adopted by the Ottawa Senators and Pittsburgh Penguins. Unlike those teams, the Lightning's elbow panels remain the base color of the jersey, and an additional blue panel is added near the cuff of the sleeve. The Edge uniforms retain the underarm gusset "victory stripes" of their predecessors.

text: The Lightning then debuted a new "alternate" or "third" jersey in the 2008–09 season. The jersey features a dominant "electric blue" color, with black and silver accents at the end of the sleeves. The logo is removed, and in its place emblazoned across the front of the jersey descending to the lower left of the jersey is the word "BOLTS" (utilizing a layout similar to that of the Ottawa Senators' third jersey). The numbers are featured on the back and sleeves only, using white lettering.[46]

text: It was reported on January 23, 2011, that the Lightning had filed paperwork with the NHL to change their logo and colors, beginning with the 2011–12 season.[47] The new logo, as well as the new home and away jerseys, were unveiled by the team at a press conference at the St. Pete Times Forum on January 31, 2011.[48] The Lightning began to integrate the new logo onto center ice, and even distributed free T-shirts with the simplified logo on February 4, 2011, while still using the old Lightning logo and uniforms.[49]

text: The current uniforms are made in a traditional hockey sweater design. Initially, the colors that were to be used were simply blue and white, but by popular demand, black was later added as a trim color on the numbers. The victory stripes were also eliminated. Despite the introduction of the new uniforms, the previous third jersey was retained, with the new simplified logo replacing the old logo in the shoulders prior to the 2012–13 season.

text: For the 2014–15 season, the Lightning announced that a new black third sweater will replace the existing "BOLTS" sweaters. The new sweaters were unveiled on September 27, 2014. It retained the "BOLTS" wordmark, while adding white accents in a similar manner as the Los Angeles Kings' sweaters. The secondary roundel logo also replaced the primary logo on the sleeves, while the city name was enscripted on the collar.

text: The Lightning made some minor tweaks to their current uniform set following the NHL's move to Adidas as its uniform provider in the 2017–18 season. The most notable change is the removal of the "TAMPA BAY" wordmark on the white away sweaters.

text: In-game personalities[edit]

text: Former United States Air Force technical sergeant Sonya Bryson-Kirksey sings the American national anthem at home games and she is accompanied by organist Krystof Srebrakowski.

text: ThunderBug[edit]

text: The Lightning mascot is a lightning bug named ThunderBug. He performs at games and makes appearances in the community. According to the Lightning website,[50] Thunderbug enjoys birthday parties, street hockey, ice hockey and Lightning fans, while his dislikes include flyswatters and bug zappers.

text: Lightning Girls[edit]

text: An official dance team known as the Lightning Girls perform at all home games and community events. The Tampa Bay Lightning Girls are a group of dancers who perform in the stands.[51]

text: Season-by-season record[edit]

text: This is a partial list of the last five seasons completed by the Lightning. For the full season-by-season history, see List of Tampa Bay Lightning seasons

text: Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against

text:
Season
GP
W
L
OTL
Pts
GF
GA
Finish
Playoffs

2013–14
82
46
27
9
101
239
215
2nd, Atlantic
Lost in First Round, 0–4 (Canadiens)

2014–15
82
50
24
8
108
262
211
2nd, Atlantic
Lost in Stanley Cup Finals, 2–4 (Blackhawks)

2015–16
82
46
31
5
97
227
201
2nd, Atlantic
Lost in Conference Finals, 3–4 (Penguins)

2016–17
82
42
30
10
94
234
227
5th, Atlantic
Did not qualify

2017–18
82
54
23
5
113
296
236
1st, Atlantic
Lost in Conference Finals, 3–4 (Capitals)

text: Players[edit]

text: Current roster[edit]

text: viewtalkedit

text: Updated July 5, 2018[52][53]

text:
#

Nat

Player

Pos

S/G

Age

Acquired

Birthplace

7001150000000000000♠15

Andy Andreoff

LW/C

L

27

2018

Pickering, Ontario

7001240000000000000♠24

Ryan Callahan (A)

RW

R

33

2014

Rochester, New York

7001710000000000000♠71

Anthony Cirelli

C

L

21

2015

Woodbridge, Ontario

7001550000000000000♠55

Braydon Coburn

D

L

33

2015

Calgary, Alberta

7001890000000000000♠89

Cory Conacher

C/LW

L

28

2016

Burlington, Ontario

7001700000000000000♠70

Louis Domingue

G

R

26

2017

Mont-Saint-Hilaire, Quebec

7000500000000000000♠5

Dan Girardi

D

R

34

2017

Welland, Ontario

7001370000000000000♠37

Yanni Gourde

LW

L

26

2014

Saint-Narcisse, Quebec

7001770000000000000♠77

Victor Hedman

D

L

27

2009

Örnsköldsvik, Sweden

7000900000000000000♠9

Tyler Johnson

C

R

28

2011

Spokane, Washington

7001170000000000000♠17

Alex Killorn

C

L

28

2007

Halifax, Nova Scotia

7001860000000000000♠86

Nikita Kucherov

RW

L

25

2011

Moscow, Russia

7001270000000000000♠27

Ryan McDonagh

D

L

29

2018

St. Paul, Minnesota

7001100000000000000♠10

J. T. Miller

C/RW

L

25

2018

East Palestine, Ohio

7001180000000000000♠18

Ondrej Palat (A)

LW

L

27

2011

Frýdek-Místek, Czechoslovakia

7001130000000000000♠13

Cedric Paquette

C

L

25

2012

Gaspe, Quebec

7001210000000000000♠21

Brayden Point

C

R

22

2014

Calgary, Alberta

7001980000000000000♠98

Mikhail Sergachev

D

L

20

2017

Nizhnekamsk, Russia

7001910000000000000♠91

Steven Stamkos (C)

C

R

28

2008

Markham, Ontario

7000600000000000000♠6

Anton Stralman

D

R

32

2014

Tibro, Sweden

7001880000000000000♠88

Andrei Vasilevskiy

G

L

24

2012

Tyumen, Russia

text: Retired numbers[edit]

text:
Tampa Bay Lightning retired numbers

No.

Player

Position

Career

Date of retirement

4
Vincent Lecavalier
C
1998–2013
February 10, 2018[54]

26
Martin St. Louis
RW
2000–2014
January 13, 2017[55]

text: The NHL retired Wayne Gretzky's No. 99 for all its member teams at the 2000 NHL All-Star Game.[56]

text: Team captains[edit]

text:
Paul Ysebaert, 1995–1997
Mikael Renberg, 1997–1998
Rob Zamuner, 1998–1999
Bill Houlder, 1999
Chris Gratton, 1999–2000
Vincent Lecavalier, 2000–2001
Dave Andreychuk, 2002–2006
Tim Taylor, 2006–2008
Vincent Lecavalier, 2008–2013
Martin St. Louis, 2013–2014
Steven Stamkos, 2014–present

text: Honored members[edit]

text:
Tampa Bay Lightning Hall of Famers

Players

Name

Position

Career

Inducted

Dave Andreychuk
C
2001–2006
2017

Dino Ciccarelli
RW
1996–1998
2010

Mark Recchi
RW
2008–2009
2017

Denis Savard
C
1993–1995
2000

Martin St. Louis
RW
2000–2014
2018

text: NHL All-Star Team

text:
2003–04 – First Team: Martin St. Louis
2017–18 – First Team: Victor Hedman, Nikita Kucherov
2006–07 – Second Team: Martin St. Louis, Vincent Lecavalier, Dan Boyle
2009–10 – Second Team: Martin St. Louis
2010–11 – Second Team: Martin St. Louis, Steven Stamkos
2011–12 – Second Team: Steven Stamkos
2012–13 – Second Team: Martin St. Louis
2015–16 – Second Team: Ben Bishop
2016–17 – Second Team: Victor Hedman, Nikita Kucherov

text: NHL All-Rookie Team

text:
Brad Richards: 2000–01
Tyler Johnson: 2013–14
Ondrej Palat: 2013–14

text: All-Star Game

text:
Ben Bishop, G: 2016
Brian Bradley, C: 1993, 1994
Dino Ciccarelli RW: 1997
Wendel Clark LW: 1999
Jon Cooper HC: 2018
Roman Hamrlik, D: 1996
Victor Hedman, D: 2017, 2018
Tyler Johnson, C: 2015
Nikolai Khabibulin, G: 2002, 2003
Nikita Kucherov, RW: 2017, 2018
Pavel Kubina, D: 2004
Vincent Lecavalier, C: 2003, 2007, 2008 (captain), 2009
Fredrik Modin, LW: 2001
Brayden Point, C: 2018
Martin St. Louis, RW: 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011 (alternate captain)
Steven Stamkos, C: 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2018 (captain)
Petr Svoboda, D: 2000
Andrei Vasilevskiy, G: 2018

text: NHL YoungStars Game

text:
Brad Richards, C: 2002
Alexander Svitov, C: 2003
Paul Ranger, D: 2007
Mike Lundin, D: 2008
Steven Stamkos, C: 2009

text: NHL All-Star Skills Competition (Rookie)

text: Jonathan Drouin, LW: 2015

text: First-round draft picks[edit]

text:
1992: Roman Hamrlik (1st overall)
1993: Chris Gratton (3rd overall)
1994: Jason Wiemer (8th overall)
1995: Daymond Langkow (5th overall)
1996: Mario Larocque (16th overall)
1997: Paul Mara (7th overall)
1998: Vincent Lecavalier (1st overall)
1999: None
2000: Nikita Alexeev (8th overall)
2001: Alexander Svitov (3rd overall)
2002: None
2003: None
2004: Andy Rogers (30th overall)
2005: Vladimir Mihalik (30th overall)
2006: Riku Helenius (15th overall)
2007: None
2008: Steven Stamkos (1st overall)
2009: Victor Hedman (2nd overall), Carter Ashton (29th overall)
2010: Brett Connolly (6th overall)
2011: Vladislav Namestnikov (27th overall)
2012: Slater Koekkoek (10th overall), Andrei Vasilevskiy (19th overall)
2013: Jonathan Drouin (3rd overall)
2014: Anthony DeAngelo (19th overall)
2015: None
2016: Brett Howden (27th overall)
2017: Cal Foote (14th overall)
2018: None

text: Franchise scoring leaders[edit]

text: These are the top-ten-point-scorers in franchise history. Figures are updated after each completed NHL regular season.[57]

text: *  – current Lightning player

text: Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games Played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game

text:
Points

Player

Pos

GP

G

A

Pts

P/G

Martin St. Louis
RW
972
365
588
953
.98

Vincent Lecavalier
C
1037
383
491
874
.84

Steven Stamkos*
C
664
348
320
668
1.01

Brad Richards
C
552
150
339
489
.89

Vaclav Prospal
C
468
127
244
371
.79

Victor Hedman*
D
626
82
282
364
.58

Nikita Kucherov*
RW
365
147
187
334
.92

Brian Bradley
C
328
111
189
300
.91

Fredrik Modin
LW
445
145
141
286
.64

Tyler Johnson*
C
389
110
151
261
.67

Goals

Player

Pos

G

Vincent Lecavalier
C
383

Martin St. Louis
RW
365

Steven Stamkos*
C
348

Brad Richards
C
150

Nikita Kucherov*
RW
147

Fredrik Modin
LW
145

Vaclav Prospal
C
127

Brian Bradley
C
111

Tyler Johnson*
C
110

Chris Gratton
C
98

Assists

Player

Pos

A

Martin St. Louis
RW
588

Vincent Lecavalier
C
491

Brad Richards
C
339

Steven Stamkos*
C
320

Victor Hedman*
D
282

Vaclav Prospal
C
244

Brian Bradley
C
189

Dan Boyle
D
187

Nikita Kucherov*
RW
187

Pavel Kubina
D
171

text: Franchise playoff scoring leaders[edit]

text: These are the top-ten playoff point-scorers in franchise playoff history. Figures are updated after each completed NHL season.

text: *  – current Lightning player

text: Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games Played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game; * = current Lightning player

text:
Points

Player

Pos

GP

G

A

Pts

P/G

Martin St. Louis
RW
63
33
35
68
1.07

Nikita Kucherov*
RW
61
29
30
59
.96

Vincent Lecavalier
C
63
24
28
52
.82

Steven Stamkos*
C
66
22
29
51
.78

Tyler Johnson*
C
64
24
26
50
.79

Victor Hedman*
D
82
7
41
48
.59

Brad Richards
C
45
18
29
47
1.04

Ondrej Palat*
LW
63
20
21
41
.66

Alex Killorn*
C
64
20
20
40
.63

Valtteri Filppula
C
47
5
17
22
.46

Goals

Player

Pos

G

Martin St. Louis
RW
33

Nikita Kucherov*
RW
29

Vincent Lecavalier
C
24

Tyler Johnson*
C
24

Steven Stamkos*
C
22

Alex Killorn*
C
20

Ondrej Palat*
LW
20

Brad Richards
C
18

Ruslan Fedotenko
LW
12

Fredrik Modin
LW
10

Assists

Player

Pos

A

Victor Hedman*
D
41

Martin St. Louis
RW
35

Nikita Kucherov*
RW
30

Steven Stamkos*
C
29

Brad Richards
C
29

Vincent Lecavalier
C
28

Tyler Johnson*
C
26

Ondrej Palat*
C
21

Alex Killorn*
C
20

Dan Boyle
D
19

text: NHL awards and trophies[edit]

text: Stanley Cup

text: Prince of Wales Trophy

text:
2003–04
2014–15

text: Art Ross Trophy

text: Martin St. Louis: 2003–04, 2012–13

text: Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy

text: John Cullen: 1998–99

text: Conn Smythe Trophy

text: Brad Richards: 2003–04

text: Hart Memorial Trophy

text: Martin St. Louis: 2003–04

text: Jack Adams Award

text: John Tortorella: 2003–04

text: James Norris Memorial Trophy

text: Victor Hedman: 2017–18

text: King Clancy Memorial Trophy

text: Vincent Lecavalier: 2007–08

text: Lady Byng Memorial Trophy

text:
Brad Richards: 2003–04
Martin St. Louis: 2009–10, 2010–11, 2012–13

text: Lester B. Pearson Award

text: Martin St. Louis: 2003–04

text: Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy

text:
Vincent Lecavalier: 2006–07
Steven Stamkos: 2009–10 (shared with Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins), 2011–12

text: NHL Foundation Player Award

text: Vincent Lecavalier: 2007–08

text: NHL General Manager of the Year Award

text: Steve Yzerman: 2014–15

text: NHL Plus/Minus Award

text: Martin St. Louis: 2003–04  (shared with Marek Malik of the Vancouver Canucks)

text: Franchise records[edit]

text: Individual[edit]

text:
Most goals in a season: Steven Stamkos, 60 (2011–12)
Most assists in a season: Brad Richards (2005–06) and Martin St. Louis (2010–11), 68
Most points in a season: Vincent Lecavalier, 108 (2006–07)
Most goals in a season, defenseman: Dan Boyle, 20 (2006–07)
Most assists in a season, defenseman: Victor Hedman, 56 (2016–17)
Most points in a season, defenseman: Victor Hedman, 72 (2016–17)
Most penalty minutes in a season: Zenon Konopka, 265 (2009–10)
Most goals in a season, rookie: Yanni Gourde, 25 (2017–18)
Most assists in a season, rookie: Brad Richards, 41 (2000–01)
Most points in a season, rookie: Yanni Gourde, 64 (2017–18)
Most wins in a season: Andrei Vasilevskiy, 44 (2017–18)
Most shutouts in a season: Andrei Vasilevskiy, 8 (2017–18)

text: Team[edit]

text:
Largest home playoff attendance: 28,183 (ThunderDome – now Tropicana Field) (1995–96)
Most Points in a season: 113 (2017–18)
Most Wins in a season: 54 (2017–18)
Most Home Wins in a season: 32 (2014–15)
Most road Wins in a season: 25 (2017–18)
Most Wins in a row: 9 (2015–16)


document_title: Red panda

question_text: when did the red panda first appear on earth

root

text: Red panda

text: Physical characteristics

text: The head and body length of a red panda measures 50 to 64 cm (20 to 25 in), and its tail is 28 to 59 cm (11 to 23 in). Males weigh 3.7 to 6.2 kg (8.2 to 13.7 lb) and females 3 to 6.0 kg (6.6 to 13.2 lb).[6][7][8] They have long, soft, reddish-brown fur on the upper parts, blackish fur on the lower parts, and a light face with tear markings and robust cranio-dental features. The light face has white badges similar to those of a raccoon, but each individual can have distinctive markings. Their roundish heads have medium-sized upright ears, black noses, and blackish eyes. Their long, bushy tails with six alternating transverse ochre rings provide balance and excellent camouflage against their habitat of moss- and lichen-covered trees. The legs are black and short with thick fur on the soles of the paws. This fur serves as thermal insulation on snow-covered or icy surfaces and conceals scent glands, which are also present on the anus.[9]

tag: p

text: The red panda is specialized as a bamboo feeder with strong, curved and sharp semi-retractile claws[6] standing inward for grasping narrow tree branches, leaves, and fruit. Like the giant panda, it has a “false thumb”, which is an extension of the wrist bone. When descending a tree head-first, the red panda rotates its ankle to control its descent, one of the few climbing species to do so.[10]

text: Distribution and habitat

text: The red panda is endemic to the temperate forests of the Himalayas, and ranges from the foothills of western Nepal to China in the east.[11] Its easternmost limit is the Qinling Mountains of the Shaanxi Province in China. Its range includes southern Tibet, Sikkim and Assam in India, Bhutan, the northern mountains of Burma, and in south-western China, in the Hengduan Mountains of Sichuan and the Gongshan Mountains in Yunnan. It may also live in south-west Tibet and northern Arunachal Pradesh, but this has not been documented. Locations with the highest density of red pandas include an area in the Himalayas that has been proposed as having been a refuge for a variety of endemic species in the Pleistocene. The distribution range of the red panda should be considered disjunct, rather than continuous.[6] A disjunct population inhabits the Meghalaya Plateau of north-eastern India.[12]

text: During a survey in the 1970s, signs of red pandas were found in Nepal's Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve.[13] Their presence was confirmed in spring 2007 when four red pandas were sighted at elevations ranging from 3,220 to 3,610 m (10,560 to 11,840 ft).[14] The species' westernmost limit is in Rara National Park located farther west of the Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve.[15] Their presence was confirmed in 2008.[16]

text: The red panda lives between 2,200 and 4,800 m (7,200 and 15,700 ft) altitude, inhabiting areas of moderate temperature between 10 and 25 °C (50 and 77 °F) with little annual change. It prefers mountainous mixed deciduous and conifer forests, especially with old trees and dense understories of bamboo.[6][11]

text: The red panda population in Sichuan Province is larger and more stable than the Yunnan population, suggesting a southward expansion from Sichuan into Yunnan in the Holocene.[17]

text: The red panda has become extirpated from the Chinese provinces of Guizhou, Gansu, Shaanxi, and Qinghai.[18]

text: Distribution of subspecies

text: Distribution of the red panda is disjointed, with two extant subspecies:

text:
Western red panda A. f. fulgens (Cuvier, 1825) lives in the western part of its range, in Nepal, Assam, Sikkim, and Bhutan.
Styan's red panda A. f. styani lives in the east-north-eastern part of its range, in southern China and northern Burma.[19]

tag: ul

text: A. f. styani has been described by Thomas in 1902 based on one skull from a specimen collected in Sichuan.[2] Pocock distinguished A. f. styani from A. f. fulgens by its longer winter coat and greater blackness of the pelage, bigger skull, more strongly curved forehead, and more robust teeth. His description is based on skulls and skins collected in Sichuan, Myitkyina close to the border of Yunnan, and Upper Burma.[9]

text: Styan's red panda is supposedly larger and darker in color than the Western member of the species, but with considerable variation in both subspecies, and some individuals may be brown or yellowish brown rather than red.[11]

text: The Brahmaputra River is often considered the natural division between the two subspecies, where it makes a curve around the eastern end of the Himalayas, although some authors suggest A. f. fulgens extends farther eastward, into China.

text: Biology and behavior

text: Behavior

text: The red panda is territorial; it is solitary except during mating season. The species is generally quiet except for some twittering, tweeting, and whistling communication sounds. It has been reported to be both nocturnal and crepuscular, sleeping on tree branches or in tree hollows during the day and increasing its activity in the late afternoon and early evening hours. It sleeps stretched out on a branch with legs dangling when it is hot, and curled up with its tail over the face when it is cold.[6] This animal is very heat-sensitive, with an optimal “well-being” temperature between 17 and 25 °C (63 and 77 °F), and cannot tolerate temperatures over 25 °C (77 °F)[citation needed].

text: Shortly after waking, red pandas clean their fur somewhat like a cat would, licking their front paws and then rubbing their backs, torsos, and sides. They also rub their backs and bellies along the sides of trees or rocks. Then they patrol their territories, marking with urine and a weak musk-smelling secretion from their anal glands. They search for food running along the ground or through the trees. Red pandas may use their forepaws alternately to bring food to their mouths or place food directly into their mouths.[6]

text: Predators of the red panda include the snow leopard, mustelids, and humans. If they feel threatened or sense danger, they may try to escape by climbing a rock column or tree. If they can no longer flee, they stand on their hind legs to make themselves appear larger and use the sharp claws on their front paws to defend themselves. A red panda, Futa, became a visitor attraction in Japan for his ability to stand upright for ten seconds at a time[citation needed]. (See also: facultative biped)

text: Diet

text: Red pandas are excellent climbers, and forage largely in trees. They eat mostly bamboo, and may eat small mammals, birds, eggs, flowers, and berries. In captivity, they were observed to eat birds, flowers, maple and mulberry leaves, and bark and fruits of maple, beech, and mulberry.[6]

text: Like the giant panda, they cannot digest cellulose, so they must consume a large volume of bamboo to survive. Their diets consist of about two-thirds bamboo, but they also eat mushrooms, roots, acorns, lichens, and grasses. Occasionally, they supplement their diets with fish and insects. They do little more than eat and sleep due to their low-calorie diets.[20][21]

text: Bamboo shoots are more easily digested than leaves, exhibiting the highest digestibility in summer and autumn, intermediate digestibility in the spring, and lowest digestibility in the winter. These variations correlate with the nutrient contents in the bamboo. Red pandas process bamboo poorly, especially the cellulose and cell wall components. This implies microbial digestion plays only a minor role in their digestive strategy. To survive on this poor-quality diet, they have to eat the high-quality sections of the bamboo plant, such as the tender leaves and shoots, in large quantities, over 1.5 kg (3.3 lb) of fresh leaves and 4 kg (8.8 lb) of fresh shoots daily. This food passes through the digestive tract fairly rapidly (about 2–4 hr) so as to maximize daily nutrient intake.[22] Red pandas can taste artificial sweeteners, such as aspartame, and are the only nonprimates known to be able to do so.[23]

text: Reproduction

text: Red pandas are able to reproduce at around 18 months of age, and are fully mature at two to three years. Adults rarely interact in the wild except to mate. Both sexes may mate with more than one partner during the mating season from mid-January to early March.[24] A few days before birth, females begin to collect material, such as brushwood, grass, and leaves, to build a nest, which is normally located in a hollow tree or a rock crevice. After a gestation period of 112 to 158 days, the female gives birth in mid-June to late July to one to four (usually 1–2) blind and deaf cubs weighing 110 to 130 g (3.9 to 4.6 oz) each.[6]

text: After birth, the mother cleans the cubs, and can then recognize each by its smell. At first, she spends 60% to 90% of her time with the cubs. After the first week, the mother starts spending more time outside the nest, returning every few hours to nurse and groom the cubs. She moves the young frequently among several nests, all of which she keeps clean. The cubs start to open their eyes at about 18 days of age. By about 90 days, they achieve full adult fur and coloring, and begin to venture out of the nest. They also start eating solid foods at this point, weaning at around six to eight months of age. The cubs stay with their mother until the next litter is born in the following summer. Males rarely help raise the young, and only if they live in pairs or in small groups.[6]

text: A red panda's average lifespan is between eight and 10 years, but individuals have been known to reach 15 years[citation needed].

text: Threats

text: The primary threats to red pandas are direct harvest from the wild, live or dead, competition with domestic livestock resulting in habitat degradation, and deforestation resulting in habitat loss or fragmentation. The relative importance of these factors is different in each region, and is not well understood.[11] For instance, in India, the biggest threat seems to be habitat loss followed by poaching, while in China, the biggest threat seems to be hunting and poaching.[1] A 40% decrease in red panda populations has been reported in China over the last 50 years, and populations in western Himalayan areas are considered to be lower.[18]

text: Deforestation can inhibit the spread of red pandas and exacerbate the natural population subdivision by topography and ecology, leading to severe fragmentation of the remaining wild population. Fewer than 40 animals in four separate groups share resources with humans in Nepal's Langtang National Park, where only 6% of 1,710 km2 (660 sq mi) is preferred red panda habitat. Although direct competition for food with domestic livestock is not significant, livestock can depress bamboo growth by trampling.[25]

text: Small groups of animals with little opportunity for exchange between them face the risk of inbreeding, decreased genetic diversity, and even extinction. In addition, clear-cutting for firewood or agriculture, including hillside terracing, removes old trees that provide maternal dens and decreases the ability of some species of bamboo to regenerate.[11]

text: In south-west China, red pandas are hunted for their fur, especially for the highly valued bushy tails, from which hats are produced. In these areas, the fur is often used for local cultural ceremonies. In weddings, the bridegroom traditionally carries the hide. The "good-luck charm" red panda-tail hats are also used by local newly-weds.[18] This practice may be quite old, as the red panda seems to be depicted in a 13th-century Chinese pen-and-ink scroll showing a hunting scene. Little or no mention of the red panda is made in the culture and folklore of Nepal.[26]

text: In the past, red pandas were captured and sold to zoos. Angela Glatston reported she had personally handled 350 red pandas in 17 years.[27]

text: Due to CITES, this zoo harvest has decreased substantially in recent years, but poaching continues, and red pandas are often sold to private collectors at exorbitant prices. In some parts of Nepal and India, red pandas are kept as pets.[28]

text: The red panda has a naturally low birth rate (usually one single or twin birth per year), and a high death rate in the wild[citation needed].

text: Conservation

text: The red panda is listed in CITES Appendix I.[29] The species has been classified as endangered in the IUCN Red List since 2008 because the global population is estimated at about 10,000 individuals, with a decreasing population trend; only about half of the total area of potential habitat of 142,000 km2 (55,000 sq mi) is actually being used by the species. Due to their shy and secretive nature, and their largely nocturnal habits, observation of red pandas is difficult. Therefore, population figures in the wild are determined by population density estimates and not direct counts.[1]

text: Worldwide population estimates range from fewer than 2,500[24] to between 16,000 and 20,000 individuals.[12] In 1999, the total population in China was estimated at between 3,000 and 7,000 individuals.[18] In 2001, the wild population in India was estimated at between 5,000 and 6,000 individuals.[12] Estimates for Nepal indicate only a few hundred individuals.[30] No records from Bhutan or Burma exist.

text: Reliable population numbers are hard to find, partly because other animals have been mistaken for the red panda. For instance, one report from Burma stated that red pandas were still fairly common in some areas; however, the accompanying photographic proof of the "red panda" is in fact a species of civet.[31]

text: The red panda is protected in all range countries, and hunting is illegal.[1] Beyond this, conservation efforts are highly variable between countries:

text:
China has 35 protected areas, covering about 42.4% of red panda habitat.[1]
India has 20 protected areas with known or possible red panda populations in Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, and West Bengal such as Khangchendzonga, Namdapha and Singalila National Parks, and a coordinated conservation policy for the red panda.[1]
In Nepal, known populations occur in Langtang, Sagarmatha, Makalu Barun and Rara National Parks, Annapurna Conservation Area, Kanchenjunga Conservation Area, and Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve.[32]
Bhutan has five protected areas that support red panda populations.[1]
Burma has 26 protected areas, of which at least one hosts red panda populations.[1]

text: In situ initiatives

text: A community-managed forest in Ilam District of eastern Nepal is home to 15 red pandas which generate household income through tourism activities, including homestays. Villagers in the high-altitude areas of Arunachal Pradesh have formed the Pangchen Red Panda Conservation Alliance comprising five villages with a community-conserved forest area of 200 km2 (77 sq mi) at an altitude of 2,500 m (8,200 ft) to over 4,000 m (13,000 ft).[33]

text: In captivity

text: The red panda is quite adaptable to living in captivity, and is common in zoos worldwide. By 1992, more than 300 births had occurred in captivity, and more than 300 individuals lived in 85 institutions worldwide.[34] By 2001, 182 individuals were in North American zoos alone.[35] As of 2006, the international studbook listed more than 800 individuals in zoos and parks around the world. Of these, 511 individuals of subspecies A. f. fulgens were kept in 173 institutions[36] and 306 individuals of subspecies A. f. styani were kept in 81 institutions.[37]

text: The international studbook is currently managed at the Rotterdam Zoo in the Netherlands. In cooperation with the International Red Panda Management Group, they coordinate the Species Survival Plan in North America, the European Endangered Species Programme in Europe, and other captive-breeding programs in Australia, India, Japan, and China.[37][38] In 2009, Sarah Glass, curator of red pandas and special exhibits at the Knoxville Zoo in Knoxville, Tennessee, was appointed as coordinator for the North American Red Panda Species Survival Plan. The Knoxville Zoo has the largest number of captive red panda births in the Western Hemisphere (101 as of August 2011). Only the Rotterdam Zoo has had more captive births worldwide.[36][37]

text: The Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park in Darjeeling, India, successfully released four captive-bred red pandas to the wild in August and November 2003.[38]

text: As pets

text: The most often cited example of keeping red pandas as pets is the case of former Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi. Pandas were presented to her family as a gift, and they were then housed in "a special tree house".[39]

text: Phylogenetics

text: The taxonomic classification of the red panda has been controversial since it was discovered. French zoologist Frédéric Cuvier initially described the red panda in 1825, and classified it as a close relative of the raccoon (Procyonidae), though he gave it the genus name Ailurus, (from Ancient Greek αἴλουρος, "cat"), based on superficial similarities with domestic cats. The specific epithet is the Latin adjective fulgens ("shining").[40]

text: At various times, it has been placed in the Procyonidae, Ursidae, with Ailuropoda (giant panda) in the Ailuropodinae (until this family was moved into the Ursidae), and into its own family, the Ailuridae. This uncertainty comes from difficulty in determining whether certain characteristics of Ailurus are phylogenetically conservative or are derived and convergent with species of similar ecological habits.[6]

text: Evidence based on the fossil record, serology, karyology, behavior, anatomy, and reproduction reflect closer affinities with Procyonidae than Ursidae. However, ecological and foraging specializations and distinct geographical distribution in relation to modern procyonids support classification in the separate family Ailuridae.[3][6][41]

text: Recent molecular systematic DNA research also places the red panda into its own family, Ailuridae, a part of the broad superfamily Musteloidea that also includes the skunk, raccoon, and weasel families.[5][41][42]

text: It is not a bear, nor closely related to the giant panda, nor a raccoon, nor a lineage of uncertain affinities. Rather it is a basal lineage of musteloid, with a long history of independence from its closest relatives (skunks, raccoons, and otters/weasels/badgers).

text: The two subspecies are A. f. fulgens and A. f. styani. However, the name Ailurus fulgens refulgens is sometimes incorrectly used for A. f. styani. This stems from a lapsus made by Henri Milne-Edwards in his 1874 paper "Recherches pour servir à l'histoire naturelle des mammifères comprenant des considérations sur la classification de ces animaux",[43] making A. f. refulgens a nomen nudum.[9][19] The most recent edition of Mammal Species of the World still shows the subspecies as A. f. refulgens.[3] This has been corrected in more recent works, including A guide to the Mammals of China[44] and Handbook of the Mammals of the World, Volume 1: Carnivores.[45]

text: Evolutionary history

text: The red panda is considered a living fossil and only distantly related to the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), as it is naturally more closely related to the other members of the superfamily Musteloidea to which it belongs. The common ancestor of both pandas (which also was an ancestor for all living bears; pinnipeds like seals and walruses; and members of the family Musteloidea like weasels and otters) can be traced back to the Early Tertiary period tens of millions of years ago, with a wide distribution across Eurasia.

text: Fossils of the extinct red panda Parailurus anglicus have been unearthed from China in the east to Britain in the west.[46] In 1977, a single tooth of Parailurus was discovered in the Pliocene Ringold Formation of Washington. This first North American record is almost identical to European specimens and indicates the immigration of this species from Asia.[47] In 2004, a tooth from a red panda species never before recorded in North America was discovered at the Gray Fossil Site in Tennessee. The tooth dates from 4.5–7 million years ago. This species, described as Pristinailurus bristoli, indicates that a second, more primitive ailurine lineage inhabited North America during the Miocene. Cladistic analysis suggests that Parailurus and Ailurus are sister taxa.[46][48] Additional fossils of Pristinailurus bristoli were discovered at the Gray Fossil Site in 2010 and in 2012.[49][50] The frequency with which panda fossils are being found at Gray Fossil Site suggests the species played a large role in the overall ecosystem of the area.

text: The discovery in Spain of the postcranial remains of Simocyon batalleri, a Miocene relative to the red panda, supports a sister-group relationship between red pandas and bears. The discovery suggests the red panda's "false thumb" was an adaptation to arboreal locomotion — independent of the giant panda's adaptation to manipulate bamboo — one of the most dramatic cases of convergent evolution among vertebrates.[51]

text: Taxonomic history

text: The first known written record of the red panda occurs in a 13th-century Chinese scroll depicting a hunting scene between hunters and the red panda.[26][34]

text: Major General Thomas Hardwicke’s 1821 presentation of an article titled "Description of a new Genus of the Class Mammalia, from the Himalaya Chain of Hills Between Nepaul and the Snowy Mountains" at the Linnean Society in London is usually regarded as the moment the red panda became a bona fide species in Western science. Hardwicke proposed the name "wha" and explained: "It is frequently discovered by its loud cry or call, resembling the word ‘Wha’, often repeating the same: hence is derived one of the local names by which it is known. It is also called Chitwa." Hardwicke's paper was not published until 1827, by which time Frédéric Cuvier had published his description and a figure. Hardwicke's originally proposed taxonomic name was removed from the 1827 publication of his paper with his permission, and naming credit is now given to Cuvier.[52]

text: Frédéric Cuvier had received the specimen he described from his brother's stepson, Alfred Duvaucel, who had sent it "from the mountains north of India".[53] He was the first to use both the binomial name Ailurus fulgens and the vernacular name panda in his description of the species published in 1825 in Histoire naturelle des mammifères.[54][55] Ailurus is adopted from the ancient Greek word αἴλουρος (ailouros), meaning "cat".[56] The specific epithet fulgens is Latin for "shining, bright".[57] Panda is a Roman goddess of peace and travellers, who was called upon before starting a difficult journey.[58] Whether this is the origin of the French vernacular name panda remains uncertain. Later publications claim the name was adopted from a Himalayan language.

text: In 1847, Hodgson described a red panda under the name Ailurus ochraceus, of which Pocock concluded it represents the same type as Ailurus fulgens, since the description of the two agree very closely. He subordinated both types to the Himalayan red panda subspecies Ailurus fulgens fulgens.[9]

text: Names

text: Names in its native range

text: The red panda's local names differ from place to place. The Lepcha call it sak nam. In Nepal, it is called bhalu biralo (bear-cat) and habre. The Sherpa people of Nepal and Sikkim call it ye niglva ponva and wah donka.[59] The word wậː is Sunuwari meaning bear; in Tamang language, a small, red bear is called tāwām.[60] In the Kanchenjunga region of eastern Nepal, the Limbus know red pandas as kaala (literally "dark") because of their underside pelage; villagers of Tibetan origin call them hoptongar.[61]

text: Additionally, Pocock lists the vernacular names ye and nigálya ponya (Nepal); thokya and thongwa (Limbu); oakdonga or wakdonka and woker (Bhotia); saknam sunam (Lepcha).[9] Nigálya may originate from the Nepali word निङालो niṅālo or nĩgālo, a small bamboo, Arundinaria intermedia, but also refers to a kind of small leopard, or cat-bear.[62] The word pónya may originate from the Nepali पञ्जा pajā ("claw") or पौँजा paũjā ("paw").[63] Nigálya pónya may translate to "bamboo claw/paw". Nigálya pónya, nyala ponga,[64] and poonya are also said to mean "eater of bamboo".[65] The name panda could originate from panjā.[66]

text: In modern Chinese, the red panda is called xiăoxióngmāo (小熊猫/小熊貓, lesser or small panda),[67] or 红熊猫/紅熊貓 (hóngxióngmāo, red panda).[68] In contrast, the giant panda is called dàxióngmāo (大熊猫/大熊貓, giant or big panda), or simply xióngmāo (熊猫/熊貓, panda, literally bear-cat).

text: English names

text: In English, the red panda is also called lesser panda (since it is smaller than the giant panda),[69] though "red" is more commonly used nowadays. As it was known in the West decades before the giant panda, initially it was the red panda that was simply called "panda".[70][71] When distinction became necessary, the red panda was still considered the true panda and common panda.[69][72]

text: Other English names used in the past include fire fox, fire cat, red cat, fox bear, bright panda, and Himalayan raccoon.[73][34]

text: Names in other languages

text: Many other languages also use "red" or variations of "shining/gold" or "lesser/small" in their names for this species. For instance, червена панда in Bulgarian, panda roux in French, panda rojo in Spanish, and Roter Panda in German all mean "red panda". Since at least as far back as 1855, one of its French names has been panda éclatant (shining panda).[74] In Finnish, it is called kultapanda (gold panda).

text: Variations of "lesser panda" occur in French petit panda (small panda), German Kleiner Panda (small panda), Spanish panda menor (lesser panda), Dutch kleine panda (small panda), Russian малая панда (malaya panda, "small panda"), Korean 애기판다 (aeki panda, "baby panda"), and Japanese レッサーパンダ (ressā panda, a transliteration of English "lesser panda")[citation needed].

text: Cultural depictions

text: The red panda was recognized as the state animal of Sikkim in the early 1990s,[75] and was the mascot of the Darjeeling Tea Festival.[26]

text: In 2005, Babu, a male red panda at Birmingham Nature Centre in Birmingham, England, escaped[76] and briefly became a media celebrity,[76][77] before being recaptured. He was subsequently voted "Brummie of the Year", the first animal to receive this honor.[76][77] Rusty, a male red panda at the National Zoo in Washington, DC, similarly attracted media attention when he briefly escaped in 2013.[78][79]

text: The name of the open-source Firefox web browser is said to have been derived from a nickname of the red panda: "fire fox".[80][81]

text: An anthropomorphic red panda was featured as Master Shifu, the kungfu teacher, in the 2008 film Kung Fu Panda, and its sequels Kung Fu Panda 2 in 2011 and Kung Fu Panda 3 in 2016.[82] The red panda Futa inspired the character of Pabu, the so-called "fire ferret" animal companion (primarily of Bolin), in the U.S. animated TV series The Legend of Korra.[83]


document_title: Sacrebleu

question_text: what does the french word sacre bleu mean

text: Sacrebleu

text: Usage[edit]

text: The expression today is not used in the major French-speaking countries France, Belgium, Canada (Québec) or Switzerland,[citation needed] but in the English-speaking world it is well known from Agatha Christie's books about the fictional Belgian detective Hercule Poirot.

text: Most French dictionaries state "sacrebleu" to be equivalent to "sacredieu".[1]

text: Origin[edit]

text: The phrase originated from the words "sacré dieu". At varying points in history this was considered to be taking God's name in vain which is forbidden in the Ten Commandments. It was then changed to 'bleu' which rhymes with Dieu.[2]

text: Other sources propose it coming from old blasphemous curses relating to God,[3] used from the late Middle-Age (some are attested as early as the 11th century) to the 14th (at the latest), with many variants: morbleu or mordieu, corbleu, palsambleu, jarnidieu, tudieu, respectively standing for mort [de] Dieu (God's death), corps [de] Dieu (God's body), par le sang [de] Dieu (by God's blood, the two latter possibly referring to the Eucharistic bread and wine), je renie Dieu (I deny God), tue Dieu (kill God)... Those curses may be compared to the archaic English [God']sdeath, sblood, struth or zounds (God's wounds). They were considered so offensive that Dieu was sublimated into the similar-sounding neutral syllable bleu. The verb sacrer has several meanings, including to crown, to anoint, to name someone [champion, best actor, etc.], and in the past, rarely in France but more common in French Canada, of swear, curse. Therefore, sacrebleu could be in modern French Je jure par Dieu and in English I curse by God, or the more used I swear to God.


document_title: List of tallest players in National Basketball Association history

question_text: who is the tallest basketball player in the nba 2018

text: This is a list of the tallest players in National Basketball Association history. Twenty five of them have been listed at 7 feet, 3 inches or taller. Two are active as of the 2017–18 season; Kristaps Porziņģis of the New York Knicks and Boban Marjanović of the Los Angeles Clippers. The tallest player inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is 7 feet, 6 inch Yao Ming. In addition to Yao, Ralph Sampson and Arvydas Sabonis were the only other players 7'3" or taller selected to the Hall of Fame.

text: In the seventh round of the 1981 NBA Draft, the Golden State Warriors used the 171st pick to select Yasutaka Okayama, a Japanese basketball player who was measured at 7 feet 8 inches (2.34 m) and 330 pounds (150 kg).[1][2] Okayama, who attended and played junior varsity basketball at the University of Portland for one and a half years in 1976 as an exchange student, declined to try out for the Warriors and never played in the NBA.[3] He is the tallest person ever drafted and would have been the tallest player in the NBA had he played in the league.[4]

text:
^
Active NBA player

*
Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

GP
Games played
Pts
Points
PPG
Points per game

FG%
Field goal percentage
FT%
Free throw percentage
Reb
Rebounds

RPG
Rebounds per game
Blk
Blocks
BPG
Blocks per game

tag: table

text:
Height
Weight
Player
Nationality
Teams
GP
Pts
PPG
FG%
FT%
Reb
RPG
Blk
BPG
Notes

7 ft 7 in (2.31 m)
315 lb (143 kg)
Mureșan, GheorgheGheorghe Mureșan
 Romania
Washington Bullets (1993–1997)
New Jersey Nets (1998–2000)
307
3,020
9.8
.573
.644
1,957
6.4
455
1.5
Generally considered slightly taller than Manute Bol. Bol was officially measured at 7 feet, 6 3/4 inches tall by the Guinness Book of World Records.

7 ft 6.75 in (2.31 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
Bol, ManuteManute Bol
 Sudan
Washington Bullets (1985–1988, 1994)
Golden State Warriors (1988–1990, 1994)
Philadelphia 76ers (1990–1993, 1994)
Miami Heat (1994)
624
1,599
2.6
.407
.561
2,647
4.2
2,086
3.3
Played alongside the shortest player in NBA history, Muggsy Bogues, during the 1987–88 season for the Washington Bullets; their difference in height was 28 inches. Only player in NBA history to have more blocked shots than points scored in his career. Weighed just 195 pounds (89 kg)[citation needed] when he entered the league in 1985.

7 ft 6 in (2.29 m)
275 lb (125 kg)
Bradley, ShawnShawn Bradley
 U.S.
 Germany
Philadelphia 76ers (1993–1995)
New Jersey Nets (1995–1997)
Dallas Mavericks (1997–2005)
832
6,752
8.1
.457
.716
5,268
6.3
2,119
2.5
Born to American parents in the former West Germany.

7 ft 6 in (2.29 m)
310 lb (141 kg)
Yao Ming, Yao Ming*
 China
Houston Rockets (2002–2011)
481
9,196
19.1
.525
.832
4,467
9.3
912
1.9
Tallest player to play in at least one All-Star Game. Also tallest player inducted into the Hall of Fame.

7 ft 5 in (2.26 m)
359 lb (163 kg)
Bhullar, SimSim Bhullar
 Canada
Sacramento Kings (2015)
3
2
0.7
.500
—
1
0.3
1
0.3
First NBA player of Indian descent. Played 16 seconds in his debut on April 7, 2015.

7 ft 5 in (2.26 m)
250 lb (113 kg)
Nevitt, ChuckChuck Nevitt
 United States
Houston Rockets (1982–1983, 1988–1990)
Los Angeles Lakers (1984–1985)
Detroit Pistons (1985–1988)
Chicago Bulls (1991)
San Antonio Spurs (1993)
155
251
1.6
.438
.589
239
1.5
111
0.7
Tallest player to win an NBA Championship.

7 ft 5 in (2.26 m)
305 lb (138 kg)
Podkolzin, PavelPavel Podkolzin
 Russia
Dallas Mavericks (2004–2006)
6
4
0.7
.000
.500
9
1.5
1
0.1

7 ft 5 in (2.26 m)
294 lb (133 kg)
Vraneš, SlavkoSlavko Vraneš
 Montenegro
Portland Trail Blazers (2004)
1
0
0.0
.000
—
0
0.0
0
0.0
Played in one game, on 000000002004-01-08-0000January 8, 2004 against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Played 3 minutes, with one shot attempt from the field (missed) and one personal foul. Vraneš was officially listed as 7'5" while playing in the NBA, and has since grown taller (7'6" or 2.30 m), according to most sources.

7 ft 4 in (2.24 m)
290 lb (132 kg)
Eaton, MarkMark Eaton
 United States
Utah Jazz (1982–1993)
875
5,216
6.0
.458
.649
6,939
7.9
3,064
3.5
He set records for most blocked shots per game in a single season (5.56 bpg in 1984–85) and for an entire career (3.50 bpg) - both marks still stand today.

7 ft 4 in (2.24 m)
250 lb (113 kg)
Smits, RikRik Smits
 Netherlands
Indiana Pacers (1988–2000)
867
12,871
14.8
.507
.773
5,277
6.1
1,111
1.3

7 ft 4 in (2.24 m)
235 lb (107 kg)
Sampson, RalphRalph Sampson*
 United States
Houston Rockets (1983–1987)
Golden State Warriors (1987–1989)
Sacramento Kings (1989–1991)
Washington Bullets (1991–1992)
456
7,039
15.4
.486
.661
4,011
8.8
752
1.6

7 ft 4 in (2.24 m)
325 lb (147 kg)
Lauderdale, PriestPriest Lauderdale
 United States
Atlanta Hawks (1996–1997)
Denver Nuggets (1997–1998)
74
255
3.4
.472
.554
143
1.9
26
0.4

7 ft 3.5 in (2.22 m)
293 lb (133 kg)
Marjanović, BobanBoban Marjanović^
 Serbia
San Antonio Spurs (2015–2016)
Detroit Pistons (2016–2018)
Los Angeles Clippers (2018–present)
89
488
5.5
.578
.779
324
3.6
35
0.4

7 ft 3.5 in (2.22 m)
290 lb (132 kg)
Ramos, Peter JohnPeter John Ramos
 Puerto Rico
Washington Wizards (2004–2005)
6
11
1.8
.500
.500
4
0.7
1
0.2

7 ft 3 in (2.21 m)
263 lb (119 kg)
Breuer, RandyRandy Breuer
 United States
Milwaukee Bucks (1983–1990)
Minnesota Timberwolves (1990–1992)
Atlanta Hawks (1992–1993)
Sacramento Kings (1993)
681
4,599
6.8
.467
.628
2,986
4.4
750
1.1

7 ft 3 in (2.21 m)
212 lb (96 kg)
Closs, KeithKeith Closs
 United States
Los Angeles Clippers (1997–2000)
130
502
3.9
.471
.606
372
2.9
163
1.3
During his collegiate career, Closs averaged 5.9 blocks per game, which is the NCAA Division I record.

7 ft 3 in (2.21 m)
235 lb (107 kg)
Halbrook, SwedeSwede Halbrook
 United States
Syracuse Nationals (1960–1962)
143
786
5.5
.347
.591
949
6.6
—
—

7 ft 3 in (2.21 m)
260 lb (118 kg)
Ilgauskas, ŽydrūnasŽydrūnas Ilgauskas
 Lithuania
Cleveland Cavaliers (1997–2010)
Miami Heat (2010–2011)
771
10,616
13.8
.475
.780
5,904
7.7
1,269
1.6

7 ft 3 in (2.21 m)
250 lb (113 kg)
Radojević, AleksandarAleksandar Radojević
 Bosnia & Herzegovina
 Montenegro
Toronto Raptors (1999–2000)
Utah Jazz (2004–2005)
15
26
1.7
.308
.625
36
2.4
3
0.2

7 ft 3 in (2.21 m)
292 lb (132 kg)
Sabonis, ArvydasArvydas Sabonis*
 Lithuania
Portland Trail Blazers (1995–2001, 2002–2003)
470
5,629
12.0
.500
.786
3,436
7.3
494
1.1
Sabonis was originally drafted into the NBA in 1986 (Rd. 1, #24 overall), but he was not allowed to play in the NBA for most of his career due to restrictions by the former Soviet Union.

7 ft 3 in (2.21 m)
305 lb (138 kg)
Seung-Jin, HaHa Seung-Jin
 South Korea
Portland Trail Blazers (2005–2006)
46
70
1.5
.519
.500
67
1.5
13
0.3
Only Korean player to play in the NBA.

7 ft 3 in (2.21 m)
290 lb (132 kg)
Thabeet, HasheemHasheem Thabeet^
 Tanzania
Memphis Grizzlies (2009–2011)
Houston Rockets (2011–2012)
Portland Trail Blazers (2012)
Oklahoma City Thunder (2012–2014)
224
483
2.2
.567
.578
595
2.7
184
0.8
Only Tanzanian player to play in the NBA.

7 ft 3 in (2.21 m)
256 lb (116 kg)
Pleiß, TiborTibor Pleiß
 Germany
Utah Jazz (2015–2016)
12
24
2.0
.440
1.000
15
1.3
2
0.2

7 ft 3 in (2.21 m)
265 lb (120 kg)
Tavares, WalterWalter Tavares
 Cape Verde
Atlanta Hawks (2015–2016)
Cleveland Cavaliers (2017)
13
33
2.5
.625
.273
32
2.5
12
0.9
Only Cape Verdean player to play in the NBA.

7 ft 3 in (2.21 m)
240 lb (109 kg)
Porziņģis, KristapsKristaps Porziņģis^
 Latvia
New York Knicks (2015–Present)
138
2,224
16.1
.436
.811
1001
7.3
263
1.9
Was measured at 7'1" during the NBA Draft Combine, but grew two inches before officially playing for the New York Knicks. Is the tallest winner of the Taco Bell Skills Challenge.