The Tampa Bay Lightining were awarded an NHL expansion franchise in 1990. Led by a group that included Henry Lee Paul, Mel Lowell and Phil Esposito, they would begin their lobbying efforts in the fall of 1990 by hosting an exhibition game between the Los Angeles Kings and Pittsburgh Penguins at the Florida Suncoast Dome. A banner crowd of over 25,000 fans attended that game and set in motion hockey's move to southern Florida. Finacial woes plagued the bid from the get go and the process was almost scrapped until Kokusai Green came in with a fresh infusion of cash and a restructured deal was accepted by the NHL. In December of 1991 the NHL welcomed the Tampa Bay Lightning and Ottawa Senators expansion franchises.

The Lightining weren't done with surprising the hockey world as Esposito signed Manon Rheaume to a minor league contract. She became the first female to play in any of the four major professional sports, playing one period of a pre-season game against the St. Louis Blues. The Lightning started play at the Lakeland Civic Cneter in Lakeland, Florida and won their opening home game 7-3 against the Chicago Blackhawks. On offense the team was led by ex-Canuck Brian Bradley, who would represent Tampa Bay in the All-Star game later that year. They finished their inaugural season much like an expansion squad, with 53 points and out of the playoffs. They would continue to chug along in the next two years, finishing out of the postseason hunt. The buzz around the team wasn't on the ice, as it was off. The financial situation was getting precarious by the day and the Internal Revenue Service began an investigation of the team. By 1995 as the partners started to fight amongst themselves, the team on the ice was starting to come around thanks to the coaching of Terry Crisp and the trio of Darren Puppa, Roman Hamrlik and Paul Yserbart. The Lightning finished the season sixth in the Atlantic division with 88 points and ventured on their first ever playoff run. They faced off against a powerhouse Philadelphia Flyers team and squeaked by two games before losing to them in six. The following season saw the Lightning move to their new home, the Ice Palace in Tampa. They had a shot at a playoff berth up until the final weekend of the regular season, but it was not to be. Buy Tampa Bay Lightning Tickets.