1993–94 Tampa Bay Lightning season

1993–94 Tampa Bay Lightning
Division7th Atlantic
Conference12th Eastern
1993–94 record30–43–11
Home record14–21–6
Road record16–22–5
Goals for224
Goals against251
Team information
General managerPhil Esposito
CoachTerry Crisp
CaptainVacant
ArenaThunderDome
Minor league affiliate(s)Atlanta Knights (IHL)
Knoxville Cherokees (ECHL)
Team leaders
GoalsPetr Klima (28)
AssistsBrian Bradley (40)
PointsBrian Bradley (64)
Penalty minutesRoman Hamrlik (135)
Plus/minusJohn Tucker (+9)
WinsDaren Puppa (22)
Goals against averageWendell Young (2.50)

The 1993–94 Tampa Bay Lightning season was the Lightning's second season of operation. The team finished last in the Atlantic Division and did not qualify for the playoffs.

Offseason

[edit]

Buoyed by an active off-season, confidence was high as the Lightning headed to Lakeland to prepare for the team's second National Hockey League season. The team was moved to the newly formed Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference, prompting the beginning of several heated rivalries with East Coast teams such as Philadelphia and Florida.

Brian Bradley, fresh from an 86-point All-Star season, returned to lead the offense. Notably absent was Chris Kontos, who couldn't agree to a contract with the team. Offense, however, was expected to be a stronger area for the Lightning, with the off-season additions of flashy playmaker Denis Savard fresh off a Stanley Cup championship the previous season (free agent) and renowned sniper Petr Klima (trade with Edmonton). And with a move from Expo Hall across Tampa Bay to the Florida Suncoast Dome (soon renamed ThunderDome), the team was hoping the added stars would help fill the almost 30,000 seats available in St. Petersburg.

Another notable addition that would prove to be the most significant for the Lightning was the claim of veteran goaltender Daren Puppa from Florida in Phase II of the 1993 NHL Expansion Draft. Puppa, a former NHL All-Star with Buffalo, moved to the forefront in the Lightning net and posted a 22-33-6 record while the team allowed 81 fewer goals than in 1992-93.

Other notable additions to the Lightning lineup in 1993-94 included first-round draft choice Chris Gratton and a pair of heavyweights Tampa Bay fans would grow to love—Rudy Poeschek and Enrico Ciccone. Poeschek, a defenseman/forward signed as a free agent after time with the Rangers and Winnipeg, stepped into the enforcer role and immediately elicited chants of "Rudy" from ThunderDome crowds. Ciccone was acquired in a late-season deal that sent Joe Reekie to Washington, and "Chico" quickly teamed with Poeschek to form one of the most formidable tandems in the league.

Regular season

[edit]

On the ice, the team couldn't match the hot start from 1992 to 1993, and quickly dropped to 3-12-2 by early November. However, a bit of NHL history was made early in the season when the first regular-season game at the ThunderDome, which drew an NHL-record 27,227 fans to watch the Lightning face the Panthers on October 9, 1993. That attendance mark remains as the league record for a regular season game. Also, that same month when the Los Angeles Kings came to town (October 20), NHL legend Wayne Gretzky faced his brother—Lightning 1992 draft choice Brent—for the only time in his career. Older brother Wayne got the better end of Brent this evening, helping Los Angeles to a 4-3 victory with a goal and an assist. The season did, however, have its share of highlights. The Lightning eventually began to show more consistency, and a 9-3-1 stretch through late December (a month that also featured the team's most successful road trip to that point, a 3–0 December swing through California that pushed the Lightning's record in the Golden State to a perfect 7-0.) and most of January put the Bolts back in the race. The Bolts closed out the season with a 5-2 victory against Quebec at the ThunderDome and with high hopes for even more improvement in 1994-95. Although they never managed to reach .500, the Lightning posted a marked improvement with seven more wins and 18 more points than the previous year.

In addition to being their first season in the ThunderDome, the team played four regular-season home games in Orlando at Orlando Arena.

The Lightning finished the regular season as the NHL's most disciplined team, being shorthanded only 335 times. They also allowed the most short-handed goals in the league, with 20.[1]

Final standings

[edit]
Atlantic Division
No. CR GP W L T GF GA Pts
1 1 New York Rangers 84 52 24 8 299 231 112
2 3 New Jersey Devils 84 47 25 12 306 220 106
3 7 Washington Capitals 84 39 35 10 277 263 88
4 8 New York Islanders 84 36 36 12 282 264 84
5 9 Florida Panthers 84 33 34 17 233 233 83
6 10 Philadelphia Flyers 84 35 39 10 294 314 80
7 12 Tampa Bay Lightning 84 30 43 11 224 251 71

[2] Note: No. = Division rank, CR = Conference rank, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points
       Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.

Eastern Conference[3]
R GP W L T GF GA Pts
1 p-New York Rangers * 84 52 24 8 299 231 112
2 x-Pittsburgh Penguins * 84 44 27 13 299 285 101
3 New Jersey Devils 84 47 25 12 306 220 106
4 Boston Bruins 84 42 29 13 289 252 97
5 Montreal Canadiens 84 41 29 14 283 248 96
6 Buffalo Sabres 84 43 32 9 282 218 95
7 Washington Capitals 84 39 35 10 277 263 88
8 New York Islanders 84 36 36 12 282 264 84
9 Florida Panthers 84 33 34 17 233 233 83
10 Philadelphia Flyers 84 35 39 10 294 314 80
11 Quebec Nordiques 84 34 42 8 277 292 76
12 Tampa Bay Lightning 84 30 43 11 224 251 71
13 Hartford Whalers 84 27 48 9 227 288 63
14 Ottawa Senators 84 14 61 9 201 397 37
Final standings

bold – Qualified for playoffs; x – Won division; p – Won Presidents' Trophy (and division); * – Division leader

Game log

[edit]
No. R Date Score Opponent Record
1 L October 6, 1993 1–2 @ New Jersey Devils (1993–94) 0–1–0
2 L October 7, 1993 4–5 @ New York Rangers (1993–94) 0–2–0
3 L October 9, 1993 0–2 Florida Panthers (1993–94) 0–3–0
4 W October 14, 1993 3–2 Pittsburgh Penguins (1993–94) 1–3–0
5 W October 16, 1993 4–1 Ottawa Senators (1993–94) 2–3–0
6 T October 17, 1993 3–3 OT @ Florida Panthers (1993–94) 2–3–1
7 L October 20, 1993 3–4 Los Angeles Kings (1993–94) 2–4–1
8 W October 22, 1993 4–1 New York Rangers (1993–94) 3–4–1
9 L October 23, 1993 0–2 Toronto Maple Leafs (1993–94) 3–5–1
10 L October 27, 1993 3–4 Winnipeg Jets (1993–94) 3–6–1
11 L October 29, 1993 2–4 New York Islanders (1993–94) 3–7–1
12 L October 30, 1993 1–2 OT @ Florida Panthers (1993–94) 3–8–1
13 L November 2, 1993 2–8 @ Quebec Nordiques (1993–94) 3–9–1
14 L November 3, 1993 0–1 @ Montreal Canadiens (1993–94) 3–10–1
15 T November 6, 1993 1–1 OT @ Boston Bruins (1993–94) 3–10–2
16 L November 8, 1993 3–6 @ New York Rangers (1993–94) 3–11–2
17 L November 11, 1993 1–4 Washington Capitals (1993–94) 3–12–2
18 W November 13, 1993 4–3 Quebec Nordiques (1993–94) 4–12–2
19 L November 17, 1993 3–4 @ Dallas Stars (1993–94) 4–13–2
20 L November 19, 1993 3–5 New York Rangers (1993–94) 4–14–2
21 W November 20, 1993 4–3 Chicago Blackhawks (1993–94) 5–14–2
22 W November 24, 1993 4–1 Hartford Whalers (1993–94) 6–14–2
23 L November 26, 1993 0–3 @ Philadelphia Flyers (1993–94) 6–15–2
24 L November 27, 1993 3–4 OT Philadelphia Flyers (1993–94) 6–16–2
25 L December 1, 1993 0–3 Buffalo Sabres (1993–94) 6–17–2
26 W December 4, 1993 5–4 @ Los Angeles Kings (1993–94) 7–17–2
27 W December 5, 1993 4–2 @ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1993–94) 8–17–2
28 W December 7, 1993 3–1 @ San Jose Sharks (1993–94) 9–17–2
29 L December 11, 1993 3–6 Pittsburgh Penguins (1993–94) 9–18–2
30 T #December 14, 1993 1–1 OT Montreal Canadiens (1993–94) 9–18–3
31 W December 15, 1993 4–3 Ottawa Senators (1993–94) 10–18–3
32 L December 18, 1993 3–5 Boston Bruins (1993–94) 10–19–3
33 T December 19, 1993 3–3 OT @ Buffalo Sabres (1993–94) 10–19–4
34 L December 21, 1993 3–8 @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1993–94) 10–20–4
35 L December 23, 1993 4–7 @ St. Louis Blues (1993–94) 10–21–4
36 L #December 26, 1993 1–3 Florida Panthers (1993–94) 10–22–4
37 W December 28, 1993 4–1 @ Quebec Nordiques (1993–94) 11–22–4
38 W December 30, 1993 3–0 @ Ottawa Senators (1993–94) 12–22–4
39 T January 1, 1994 5–5 OT @ Washington Capitals (1993–94) 12–22–5
40 L #January 2, 1994 1–4 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1993–94) 12–23–5
41 W January 4, 1994 1–0 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1993–94) 13–23–5
42 W January 8, 1994 4–2 Philadelphia Flyers (1993–94) 14–23–5
43 W January 10, 1994 5–2 @ New York Rangers (1993–94) 15–23–5
44 W January 12, 1994 4–2 @ Detroit Red Wings (1993–94) 16–23–5
45 L January 13, 1994 0–1 @ Chicago Blackhawks (1993–94) 16–24–5
46 W January 16, 1994 3–2 OT @ Winnipeg Jets (1993–94) 17–24–5
47 L January 17, 1994 3–6 Detroit Red Wings (1993–94) 17–25–5
48 W January 19, 1994 4–3 OT New York Islanders (1993–94) 18–25–5
49 W #January 24, 1994 4–0 Buffalo Sabres (1993–94) 19–25–5
50 T January 26, 1994 1–1 OT Florida Panthers (1993–94) 19–25–6
51 L January 29, 1994 1–2 San Jose Sharks (1993–94) 19–26–6
52 L February 2, 1994 1–3 Detroit Red Wings (1993–94) 19–27–6
53 L February 5, 1994 3–6 @ Washington Capitals (1993–94) 19–28–6
54 W February 7, 1994 2–1 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1993–94) 20–28–6
55 W February 10, 1994 6–2 @ Ottawa Senators (1993–94) 21–28–6
56 L February 12, 1994 2–3 Vancouver Canucks (1993–94) 21–29–6
57 T February 13, 1994 3–3 OT New Jersey Devils (1993–94) 21–29–7
58 L February 15, 1994 1–2 @ New York Islanders (1993–94) 21–30–7
59 W February 17, 1994 4–3 Montreal Canadiens (1993–94) 22–30–7
60 L February 19, 1994 4–5 @ New Jersey Devils (1993–94) 22–31–7
61 T February 20, 1994 2–2 OT Boston Bruins (1993–94) 22–31–8
62 W February 24, 1994 4–0 @ Calgary Flames (1993–94) 23–31–8
63 L February 26, 1994 1–3 @ Vancouver Canucks (1993–94) 23–32–8
64 L February 27, 1994 2–3 @ Edmonton Oilers (1993–94) 23–33–8
65 W March 1, 1994 4–3 @ Washington Capitals (1993–94) 24–33–8
66 L March 3, 1994 4–5 OT New Jersey Devils (1993–94) 24–34–8
67 W March 5, 1994 4–2 Hartford Whalers (1993–94) 25–34–8
68 L March 6, 1994 1–3 Philadelphia Flyers (1993–94) 25–35–8
69 L March 9, 1994 1–4 @ Hartford Whalers (1993–94) 25–36–8
70 T March 13, 1994 5–5 OT @ Philadelphia Flyers (1993–94) 25–36–9
71 L March 15, 1994 3–7 Calgary Flames (1993–94) 25–37–9
72 T March 16, 1994 4–4 OT Edmonton Oilers (1993–94) 25–37–10
73 L #March 20, 1994 0–3 Washington Capitals (1993–94) 25–38–10
74 L March 22, 1994 4–5 OT @ New York Islanders (1993–94) 25–39–10
75 L March 24, 1994 1–2 @ New Jersey Devils (1993–94) 25–40–10
76 T March 27, 1994 2–2 OT Dallas Stars (1993–94) 25–40–11
77 W March 30, 1994 3–2 OT @ Buffalo Sabres (1993–94) 26–40–11
78 W April 1, 1994 4–3 St. Louis Blues (1993–94) 27–40–11
79 L April 4, 1994 1–2 @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1993–94) 27–41–11
80 W April 6, 1994 3–1 @ Montreal Canadiens (1993–94) 28–41–11
81 W April 9, 1994 3–0 @ Boston Bruins (1993–94) 29–41–11
82 L April 10, 1994 4–6 @ Hartford Whalers (1993–94) 29–42–11
83 L April 13, 1994 0–2 New York Islanders (1993–94) 29–43–11
84 W April 14, 1994 5–2 Quebec Nordiques (1993–94) 30–43–11

# Lightning home game played at the Orlando Arena[4]

Player stats

[edit]

Skaters

[edit]
Regular season[5]
Player GP G A Pts +/− PIM
Brian Bradley 78 24 40 64 -8 56
Petr Klima 75 28 27 55 -15 76
Denis Savard 74 18 28 46 -1 106
Danton Cole 81 20 23 43 7 32
Chris Gratton 84 13 29 42 -25 123
John Tucker 66 17 23 40 9 28
Shawn Chambers 66 11 23 34 -6 23
Chris Joseph † 66 10 19 29 -13 108
Pat Elynuik † 63 12 14 26 -18 64
Mikael Andersson 76 13 12 25 8 23
Roman Hamrlik 64 3 18 21 -14 135
Adam Creighton 53 10 10 20 -7 37
Marc Bergevin 83 1 15 16 -5 87
Marc Bureau 75 8 7 15 -9 30
Rob DiMaio ‡ 39 8 7 15 -5 40
Gerard Gallant 51 4 9 13 -6 74
Rob Zamuner 59 6 6 12 -9 42
Joe Reekie ‡ 73 1 11 12 8 127
Tim Bergland 51 6 5 11 -14 6
Rudy Poeschek 71 3 6 9 3 118
Donald Dufresne ‡ 51 2 6 8 -2 48
Bill McDougall 22 3 3 6 -4 8
Bob Beers ‡ 16 1 5 6 -11 12
Chris LiPuma 27 0 4 4 1 77
Brent Gretzky 10 1 2 3 0 2
Jason Ruff 6 1 2 3 2 2
Enrico Ciccone † 11 0 1 1 -2 52
Eric Charron 4 0 0 0 0 2
Cory Cross 5 0 0 0 -3 6
Jim Cummins † 4 0 0 0 -1 13
Jason Lafreniere 1 0 0 0 -1 0
Normand Rochefort 6 0 0 0 -1 10
Total 224 355 579 — 1,567

Goaltenders

[edit]
Regular season
Player GP GS TOI W L T GA GAA SA SV% SO G A PIM
Daren Puppa 63 62 3,652:30 22 33 6 165 2.71 1,637 .899 4 0 1 2
Pat Jablonski 15 13 833:46 5 6 3 54 3.89 374 .856 0 0 0 0
Wendell Young 9 6 479:42 2 3 1 20 2.50 211 .905 1 0 0 4
Jean-Claude Bergeron 3 3 134:08 1 1 1 7 3.13 69 .899 0 0 0 0
Total 5,100:06 30 43 11 246 2.89 2,291 .893 5 0 1 6

† Denotes player spent time with another team before joining the Lightning. Stats reflect time with the Lightning only.
‡ Denotes player was traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with the Lightning only.

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/- = plus/minus; PIM = Penalty minutes;
TOI = Time on ice; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts; SA = Shots against; SV% = Save percentage;

Awards and records

[edit]

Transactions

[edit]

Trades

[edit]
Date Details
June 8, 1993 (1993-06-08) To Detroit Red Wings
Steve Maltais 		To Tampa Bay Lightning
Dennis Vial
June 16, 1993 (1993-06-16) To Edmonton Oilers
1994 3rd-round pick (60th overall) 		To Tampa Bay Lightning
Petr Klima
June 19, 1993 (1993-06-19) To San Jose Sharks
Dave Capuano 		To Tampa Bay Lightning
Peter Ahola
June 25, 1993 (1993-06-25) To Florida Panthers
1993 3rd-round pick (78th overall) 		To Tampa Bay Lightning
Panthers agreed to select Daren Puppa in the 1993 NHL Expansion Draft
June 25, 1993 (1993-06-25) To New York Rangers
Glenn Healy 		To Tampa Bay Lightning
1993 TB 3rd-round pick (55th overall)
October 5, 1993 (1993-10-05) To Calgary Flames
Peter Ahola 		To Tampa Bay Lightning
Cash
October 22, 1993 (1993-10-22) To Washington Capitals
1995 Conditional 5th-round pick (108th overall) 		To Tampa Bay Lightning
Pat Elynuik
November 11, 1993 (1993-11-11) To Edmonton Oilers
Bob Beers 		To Tampa Bay Lightning
Chris Joseph
February 21, 1994 (1994-02-21) To Toronto Maple Leafs
Pat Jablonski 		To Tampa Bay Lightning
Future Considerations (Cash)
March 18, 1994 (1994-03-18) To Philadelphia Flyers
Rob DiMaio 		To Tampa Bay Lightning
Jim Cummins
1995 4th-round pick (100th overall)
March 19, 1994 (1994-03-19) To Los Angeles Kings
Donald Dufresne 		To Tampa Bay Lightning
1994 6th-round pick (137th overall)
March 21, 1994 (1994-03-21) To Washington Capitals
Joe Reekie 		To Tampa Bay Lightning
Enrico Ciccone
1994 3rd-round pick (67th overall)
1995 Conditional 5th-round pick (108th overall)
May 31, 1994 (1994-05-31) To New Jersey Devils
1994 4th-round pick (91st overall) 		To Tampa Bay Lightning
Jeff Toms

NHL Expansion Draft

[edit]

Phase I

[edit]

The following two players were selected from the Tampa Bay Lightning roster in the 1993 NHL Expansion Draft:

Pick # Player Selected by
19 Dennis Vial Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
41 Randy Gilhen Florida Panthers

Phase II

[edit]

In the second phase of the Expansion Draft, Tampa Bay Lightning selected the following players from the Panthers and Mighty Ducks:

Pick # Player Selected from
1 Glenn Healy Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
4 Daren Puppa Florida Panthers

Departures

[edit]
Date Player Via New Team
July 1, 1993 Jock Callander Free agency Cleveland Lumberjacks (IHL)
July 1, 1993 Alain Cote Free agency Quebec Nordiques
July 1, 1993 Matt Hervey Free agency Milwaukee Admirals (IHL)
July 1, 1993 David Littman Free agency Boston Bruins
July 1, 1993 Keith Osborne Free agency Grasshopper Club Zürich (CHE.2)
July 1, 1993 Shayne Stevenson Free agency EV MAK Bruneck (AL)
August 1, 1993 Herb Raglan Buyout Ottawa Senators
August 1, 1993 Steve Kasper Retired

Draft picks

[edit]

Tampa Bay's draft picks at the 1993 NHL Entry Draft held at the Quebec Coliseum in Quebec City, Quebec.

Round # Player Position Nationality College/Junior/Club team (League)
1 3 Chris Gratton C  Canada Kingston Frontenacs (OHL)
2 29 Tyler Moss G  Canada Kingston Frontenacs (OHL)
3 55 Allan Egeland C  Canada Tacoma Rockets (WHL)
4 81 Marian Kacir RW  Czech Republic Owen Sound Platers (OHL)
5 107 Ryan Brown D  Canada Swift Current Broncos (WHL)
6 133 Kiley Hill LW  Canada Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL)
7 159 Mathieu Raby D  Canada Victoriaville Tigres (QMJHL)
8 185 Ryan Nauss LW  Canada Peterborough Petes (OHL)
9 211 Alexandre LaPorte D  Canada Victoriaville Tigres (QMJHL)
10 237 Brett Duncan D  Canada Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL)
11 263 Mark Szoke LW  Canada Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL)
S 3 Brent Peterson LW  Canada Michigan Technological University (WCHA)

References

[edit]
  • "1993–94 Tampa Bay Lightning Games". Hockey-reference.com. Retrieved May 6, 2009.
  1. ^ "1993-94 NHL Season Summary | Hockey-Reference.com". Archived from the original on September 29, 2013. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
  2. ^ Standings: NHL Public Relations Department (2008). Dave McCarthy; et al. (eds.). THE NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE Official Guide & Record Book/2009. National Hockey League. p. 154. ISBN 978-1-894801-14-0.
  3. ^ "NHL Hockey Standings". NHL.com. Retrieved August 17, 2024.
  4. ^ "Tampa Bay Lightning will play in Orlando this week for 12th time — a look at their previous visits".
  5. ^ "1993-94 Tampa Bay Lightning Statistics - Hockey-Reference.com". hockey-reference.com. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
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