The Tampa Bay Lightning finished the season with a record of
19-54-9. It was a season of turmoil and growing pains. Although
they did not qualify for postseason play for the third
consecutive year, they did celebrate a number of accomplishments
throughout the season.
On January 19, 1999, head coach and general manager Jacques
Demers recorded his 400th NHL victory as a head coach in the
National Hockey League when the Lightning defeated the Buffalo
Sabres, 2-1, at the Ice Palace. Demers also reached the
1,000-game plateau when the Lightning hosted the Washington
Capitals on April 3, 1999. The Lightning celebrated the event
with a 4-3 victory over the Capitals.
First overall draft pick, Vincent Lecavalier played in his first
NHL game with the Lightning at Florida on October 9, 1999. He
scored his first NHL goal vs. Vancouver on October 25, 1998. The
native of Montreal recorded his first two-goal game vs. New
Jersey on February 22, 1999. Overall, Lecavalier finished fourth
in scoring on the team with 28 points on 13 goals and 15 assists.
The Tampa Bay Lightning and Ice Palace hosted its first-ever NHL
All-Star Weekend from January 22-24. Wendel Clark represented the
Lightning as he appeared in his third NHL All-Star Game.
However, Clark's tenure with the Lightning would not last too
long. He was traded at the deadline to the Detroit Red Wings for
Kevin Hodson and a draft pick.
In another trade, the Lightning re-acquired center Chris Gratton
from the Philadelphia Flyers on December 12. Gratton finished
the season second in scoring on the team, recording 34 points.
Gratton was originally selected as the Lightning's first pick,
third overall, in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft. He was acquired by
the Flyers prior to the 1997-98 season.
Jacques Demers often indicated to build a winner you need to
start with the goaltending. The Lightning used six goaltenders
during the season. Bill Ranford, Zac Bierk, Kevin Hodson, Derek
Wilkinson, Daren Puppa and Corey Schwab all played at least one
game for the Bolts this season. The Lightning used five
goaltenders in 1997-98.
Tampa Bay Lightning center John Cullen overcame his non-hodgkins
lymphoma and made the opening night roster for the Lightning.
However, his stay was brief as the Bolts re-assigned Cullen to
the Cleveland Lumberjacks of the IHL after four games and no
points. Cullen retired and became a Lightning assistant coach on
November 27, 1998.
With the season now over, do not expect the Lightning to make any
major changes in the off-season. Demers has indicated he is
happy with the direction the team is going and will place more
emphasis on the young players to play a bigger role next year.
with a young nucleus, including Pavel Kubina, Vincent Lecavalier,
Kevin Hodson, Paul Mara, and Gratton, the Lightning have some
talent to build around.
The previous management, namely the Esposito brothers, tried a
quick fix by adding Bill Ranford, Craig Janney, Wendel Clark, and
Benoit Hogue during the summer of 1998. Not one of those players
was with the Lightning at the close of this season.
