NHL releases statement to fans regarding the lockout

Posted Sep 16, 2012 by Erik Erlendsson

Updated Sep 16, 2012 at 11:37 AM

Just hours after the lockout was put into effect at 12:01 a.m. EST on Sunday, Sept. 16, the NHL put this statement up on its website directed at the fan base:

“Despite the expiration of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, the National Hockey League has been, and remains, committed to negotiating around the clock to reach a new CBA that is fair to the Players and to the 30 NHL teams.

Thanks to the conditions fostered by seven seasons under the previous CBA, competitive balance has created arguably the most meaningful regular season in pro sports; a different team has won the Stanley Cup every year; fans and sponsors have agreed the game is at its best, and the League has generated remarkable growth and momentum. While our last CBA negotiation resulted in a seismic change in the League’s economic system, and produced corresponding on-ice benefits, our current negotiation is focused on a fairer and more sustainable division of revenues with the Players—as well as other necessary adjustments consistent with the objectives of the economic system we developed jointly with the NHL Players’ Association seven years ago. Those adjustments are attainable through sensible, focused negotiation—not through rhetoric.

This is a time of year for all attention to be focused on the ice, not on a meeting room. The League, the Clubs and the Players all have a stake in resolving our bargaining issues appropriately and getting the puck dropped as soon as possible. We owe it to each other, to the game and, most of all, to the fans.’’

Tampa Bay Lightning rolling tour starts this weekend

Posted Sep 7, 2012 by Erik Erlendsson

Updated Sep 7, 2012 at 12:45 PM

The Tampa Bay Lightning will begin their Rolling Thunder 20-Stop Tour, a series of fan events complete with interactive games and giveaways, with two stops this weekend. The first stop will be on Friday, September 7 at the Lakeland First Friday event from 6-9 p.m. and the second stop will be at Dinosaur World in Plant City from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday. The Rolling Thunder 20-Stop Tour will make appearances at different locations and events in the Tampa Bay area throughout the Fall.

The Lightning continue celebrating their 20-year anniversary with the Rolling Thunder 20-Stop Tour to give fans a chance to get geared up for the upcoming season by bringing friends and family to participate in interactive games. Rolling Thunder, the Lightning’s marketing fan truck, is full of entertainment for all ages. The first event kicks off at the Lakeland First Friday event located in downtown Lakeland. The tour will make their second stop at Dinosaur World located at 5145 Harvey Tew Road in Plant City. 

Both events will feature appearances by the Lightning Girls and ThunderBug. Fans will also be given a rewards card at each event and can collect points for each time they attend a stop on the tour. Fans attending all 20 events will get a 20th anniversary t-shirt and a chance to win a pair of front row Lightning tickets for a game during the upcoming season. Fans that go to five Rolling Thunder stops will get a McCafé ® real fruit smoothie or frappé from McDonald’s ®. Fans will also have the chance to win a Vincent Lecavalier signed jersey, Lightning team magnets and other prizes for attending the Rolling Thunder stops.

Tampa Bay Lightning hire local executive

Posted Sep 6, 2012 by Erik Erlendsson

Updated Sep 6, 2012 at 05:16 PM

The Lightning welcome a new executive to their staff this month, and he’s a local:

The Tampa Bay Lightning have named Robert Canton to the position of executive vice president of finance and strategic planning today, Chief Executive Officer Tod Leiweke announced.  Canton, who joins the Lightning from PricewaterhouseCoopers in Tampa, will oversee financial operations external development, and strategic planning, while managing city and county governmental relations for the franchise.  .  He will join the organization in September.

“We are flattered that Rob has elected to join the Tampa Bay Sports & Entertainment team,” Leiweke said. “His wealth of national and international experience in sports and entertainment combined with his knowledge of the Tampa Bay market and the local landscape will assist us as we look to grow the business outside the walls of the Tampa Bay Times Forum.”

Canton has 25 years of experience conducting strategic and economic analyses in the sports and tourism sectors, including 22 years with PwC.  He has worked with hundreds of teams and destinations both domestically and internationally, participating in a wide variety of projects including transactions, performance improvement, project feasibility and strategic planning.  His past clients include MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, and MLS teams, as well as several major collegiate athletic programs. Canton led sports and tourism projects in the cities of Denver, Las Vegas, Atlanta, Indianapolis, and New York City, as well as state and federal projects for Virginia, Oregon, Oklahoma, Kansas, Puerto Rico, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and Mexican Ministry of Tourism. 

A 24-year resident of Tampa, Canton has served as a guest lecturer at the University of Tampa’s Sports Management Program and is a frequent speaker at industry events and conferences.  He has served on the board of directors for several local and national organizations including Tampa Bay & Company, Tampa Bay Business for Culture and the Arts, the Destination and Travel Foundation, Destination Marketing Association International, and is on the Board of Advisors of the University of New Haven Sports Program.  He is also a member Urban Land Institute and has served on ULI Advisory Panels in Denver and Miami. 

Canton has contributed to a number of books including “Handbook of Business Valuation and Intellectual Property Analysis,” “Sports, Convention and Entertainment Facilities,” and “Convention Centers, Stadiums and Arenas.”  He also served as the editor of PwC’s Convention Center Annual Report, Amphitheater Annual Report, Stadium & Arena Managers Annual Report, and for the Sports and Theme Park chapters of the firm’s Global Entertainment & Media Outlook.

Canton earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of South Florida in Tampa.  He received a Masters of Tourism Administration with a concentration in sustainable destination management and focus in sports management from the George Washington University. 

Canton effectively replaces Chief Financial Officer Martha Fuller, who resigned this summer for family reasons. .  Fuller had been with the organization since November 8, 2010.

Lightning begin search for 2012-13 Lightning Girls

Posted Jul 16, 2012 by TBO.com

Updated Jul 16, 2012 at 01:50 PM

TAMPA – The Tampa Bay Lightning have begun the search for the 2012-13 Lightning Girls team.

Interested females must be 18 years of age or older at the time of the interview and must have a high school diploma or general education diploma (GED). Candidates are advised to submit a resume, one 5x7 headshot and a two-minute video DVD (or web link to video) expressing their desire to be a Lightning Girl and any special talents or unique skills they may have.

Dance, cheer, hockey knowledge and the ability to skate is preferred, but not required. Candidates should have an outgoing personality with strong interpersonal skills and should also be comfortable with performing in front of a large audience and communicating effectively with the public in an engaging manner. Individuals with a special interest in sports, exercise and living a healthy lifestyle are encouraged to apply.

Auditions to become a Lightning Girl will be held on Sunday, July 29 at the USF Sun Dome. Registration on July 29 will last an hour, beginning at 10 a.m. with auditions starting promptly at 11 a.m. Candidates interested in trying out are asked to bring photo identification, a headshot and a resume to the audition. Those who advance will be brought in for interviews in early August.

The Lightning Girls entertain fans at all Lightning home games and appear at various appearances throughout the Bay Area each year.

For more information interested women should contact Kelli Yeloushan at 813-301-6574 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Lightning announce development camp schedule

Posted Jul 2, 2012 by Erik Erlendsson

Updated Jul 2, 2012 at 10:15 AM

The Tampa Bay Lightning announced the schedule for their 2012 development camp, which begins tomorrow at the Brandon Ice Sports Forum.  The team will gather for a team dinner and meeting tonight and will hit the ice for the first time Tuesday at 11:30 a.m.  The camp will conclude with a 3-on-3 tournament on Friday and Saturday.  The camp is free and open to the public. 

The day-by-day schedule is as follows:

TUESDAY, JULY 3RD

8:00 AM – 11:15 AM:            Medical Exams, Fitness Testing and Equipment Fitting

11:30 AM – 12:45 PM:          Practice (North Rink)

2:00 PM – 2:45 PM:            Group A: Power Skating (North Rink)

                                Group B: Off-Ice

3:00 PM – 3:45 PM:            Group B: Power Skating (North Rink)

                                Group A: Off-Ice

WEDNESDAY, JULY 4TH

Goalies

8:30 AM – 9:15 AM:            North Rink

Group B

9:00 AM – 9:45 AM:            Off-Ice

10:15 AM – 11:00 AM:          Power Skating (South Rink)

11:15 AM – 12:30 PM:          Shooting Practice (South Rink)

Group A

9:30 AM – 10:45 AM:            Shooting Practice (North Rink)

11:00 AM – 11:45 AM:          Power Skating (North Rink)

12:00 PM – 12:45 PM:          Off-Ice

THURSDAY, JULY 5TH

Goalies

8:45 AM – 9:30 AM:            South Rink

Power Skating

8:00 AM – 8:45 AM:            Group 1 (North Rink)

9:00 AM – 9:45 AM:            Group 2 (North Rink)

10:00 AM – 10:45 AM:          Group 3 (North Rink)

11:00 AM – 11:45 AM:          Group 4 (North Rink)

Group A

9:45 AM – 11:00 AM:            Shooting Practice (South Rink)

11:30 AM – 12:15 PM:          Off-Ice

Group B

10:00 AM – 10:45 AM:          Off-Ice

11:15 AM – 12:30 PM:          Shooting Practice (South Rink)

FRIDAY, JULY 6TH

Goalies

8:45 AM – 9:30 AM:            South Rink

Power Skating

8:00 AM – 8:45 AM:            Group 1 (North Rink)

9:00 AM – 9:45 AM:            Group 2 (North Rink)

10:00 AM – 10:45 AM:          Group 3 (North Rink)

11:00 AM – 11:45 AM:          Group 4 (North Rink)

Group B

9:45 AM – 11:00 AM:            Shooting Practice (South Rink)

11:30 AM – 12:15 PM:          Off-Ice

Group A

10:00 AM – 10:45 AM:          Off-Ice

11:15 AM – 12:30 PM:          Shooting Practice (South Rink)

2:00 PM – 3:30 PM:            3-on-3 Tournament (North Rink)

SATURDAY, JULY 7TH

10:30 AM – 12:00 PM:          3-on-3 Tournament (North Rink)

1:00 PM – 2:30 PM:            Exit Interviews

SUNDAY, JULY 8TH

Players and staff travel home.

PRACTICE GROUPS

Group A

Bradley

Brown

Dotchin

Kucherov

Landry

Langelier-Parent

McNally

Milan

Namestnikov

Nesterov

O’Donnell

Richard

Saunders

Sergeev

Vasilevskiy

Group B
Blujus
Clarke
Czarnik
Devos
Gauthier
Gotovets
Hart
Koekkoek
Mullin
Nagle
Paquette
Peca
Sustr
Wilcox
Witkowski

3-ON-3 TOURNAMENT TEAMS

Team Brewer:          Devos, Milan, Mullin, Witkowski

Team Hedman:        Koekkoek, Namestnikov, Nesterov, Paquette

Team Lecavalier:      Bradley, Brown, Gotovets, Landry

Team Malone:          Clarke, Gauthier, McNally, O’Donnell, Peca

Team St. Louis:        Blujus, Czarnik, Dotchin, Richard

Team Stamkos:        Hart, Kucherov, Langelier-Parent, Sergeev, Sustr

Goalies:                Nagle, Saunders, Vasilevskiy, Wilcox