The Tampa Bay Lightning joined the league as an expansion team (along with the Ottawa Senators) in 1992, and earned their first berth in the Playoffs in the 1995-1996 season. The Bolts began to achieve consistent success in 2002-2003; the key ingredient was 1998 first-round draft pick Vincent Lecavalier, a center who went on to play 14 seasons for the Lightning and set almost every team scoring record.

After making the second round in the 2002-2003 Playoffs, the Bolts rocketed to the Stanley Cup Final the following season behind the league's scoring leader, Martin St. Louis, the goaltending of Nikolai Khabibulin, and the efforts of Lecavalier, Brad Richards, Fredrik Modin, Ruslan Fedotenko, Cory Stillman, and captain Dave Andreychuk. The Lightning defeated the Calgary Flames in a Stanley Cup Final that included four games decided by one goal, two of which came in overtime. Fedotenko scored both goals in the clinching 2-1 victory in Game 7.

The Lightning flirted with Playoff success the next two seasons, but struggled for three years after that. After bringing in Hall of Famer Steve Yzerman as general manager, the team returned to the Playoffs in 2010-2011, 2013-2014, and again the following season, when the Bolts -- boasting the highest-scoring offense in the league -- won 50 games, and the Eastern Conference title. They dispatched the Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, and New York Rangers in a hard-fought series en route to the Stanley Cup Final, where they ultimately lost to the Chicago Blackhawks in six games.

Powered by the scoring of Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos, the Lightning contended again in 2015-2016, only to be turned away in the conference finals by the eventual winner of the Stanley Cup Championship, the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Lightning subsequently went on to win back-to-back titles, taking home the Stanley Cup Championship in 2020 and 2021, becoming the first-ever team to win two Stanley Cup Championships within one year. The Lightning appeared in the championship again in 2022, but lost to the Colorado Avalanche in Game 6.

Tampa Bay Lightning Team Info

Conference: Eastern

Division: Atlantic

Year Founded: 1992

Team Colors: Blue, White

Team Rivals: Washington Capitals, Florida Panthers, Carolina Hurricanes, Boston Bruins

Tampa Bay Lightning at AMALIE Arena

After undergoing renovations from 2011-2013, AMALIE Arena is considered to be one of the premier entertainment venues in Florida. Originally called the Ice Palace, the arena first opened in 1996, with the Lightning playing their first game on October 20 of that year, winning 5-2 over the New York Rangers.