Tampa Bay Lightning

The Tampa Bay Lightning are a professional hockey team, founded as an expansion franchise in 1990. They have played in the National Hockey League since the 1992-93 season. They play their home games at Benchmark International Arena, known as Amalie Arena until 2025, and currently compete in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the NHL. The Lightning have won three Stanley Cups in franchise history.

Tampa Bay Lightning History

Phil and Tony Esposito, both members of the Hockey Hall of Fame, led a group that sought to bring hockey to Tampa in the late 1980s. On December 6, 1990, the NHL announced Tampa Bay as a new franchise, and in the 1992-93 season, they, along with the Ottawa Senators, began competing in the league. In 2004, the Lightning won their first-ever Stanley Cup. Since then, they have won two more (in 2020 and 2021), and with additional Final appearances in 2015 and 2022, they are widely regarded as a modern NHL dynasty.

Tampa Bay Lightning Star Players

The Lightning have two retired numbers:

• 4: Vincent Lecavalier
• 26: Martin St. Louis
  

  Arena	Benchmark International Arena, 19,092
  Conference	Eastern, Atlantic Division
  Stanley Cups	3 — 2004, 2020, 2021
  2025-26	50-26-6; lost Game 7 of round one to Montreal
  Head coach	Jon Cooper, 2026 Jack Adams winner
  Captain	Victor Hedman
  General manager	Julien BriseBois
  2026	Kucherov won the Hart, Vasilevskiy the Vezina

  Games, channels and prices: how to watch the Tampa Bay Lightning.