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

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

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

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

Schedule and results

1993–94 regular season[4]
October: 3–8–1 (home: 3–5–0; road: 0–3–1)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
1 L October 6, 1993 1–2 @ New Jersey Devils (1993–94) 0–1–0 Recap
2 L October 7, 1993 4–5 @ New York Rangers (1993–94) 0–2–0 Recap
3 L October 9, 1993 0–2 Florida Panthers (1993–94) 0–3–0 Recap
4 W October 14, 1993 3–2 Pittsburgh Penguins (1993–94) 1–3–0 Recap
5 W October 16, 1993 4–1 Ottawa Senators (1993–94) 2–3–0 Recap
6 T October 17, 1993 3–3 OT @ Florida Panthers (1993–94) 2–3–1 Recap
7 L October 20, 1993 3–4 Los Angeles Kings (1993–94) 2–4–1 Recap
8 W October 22, 1993 4–1 New York Rangers (1993–94) 3–4–1 Recap
9 L October 23, 1993 0–2 Toronto Maple Leafs (1993–94) 3–5–1 Recap
10 L October 27, 1993 3–4 Winnipeg Jets (1993–94) 3–6–1 Recap
11 L October 29, 1993 2–4 New York Islanders (1993–94) 3–7–1 Recap
12 L October 30, 1993 1–2 OT @ Florida Panthers (1993–94) 3–8–1 Recap
November: 3–8–1 (home: 3–3–0; road: 0–5–1)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
13 L November 2, 1993 2–8 @ Quebec Nordiques (1993–94) 3–9–1 Recap
14 L November 3, 1993 0–1 @ Montreal Canadiens (1993–94) 3–10–1 Recap
15 T November 6, 1993 1–1 OT @ Boston Bruins (1993–94) 3–10–2 Recap
16 L November 8, 1993 3–6 @ New York Rangers (1993–94) 3–11–2 Recap
17 L November 11, 1993 1–4 Washington Capitals (1993–94) 3–12–2 Recap
18 W November 13, 1993 4–3 Quebec Nordiques (1993–94) 4–12–2 Recap
19 L November 17, 1993 3–4 @ Dallas Stars (1993–94) 4–13–2 Recap
20 L November 19, 1993 3–5 New York Rangers (1993–94) 4–14–2 Recap
21 W November 20, 1993 4–3 Chicago Blackhawks (1993–94) 5–14–2 Recap
22 W November 24, 1993 4–1 Hartford Whalers (1993–94) 6–14–2 Recap
23 L November 26, 1993 0–3 @ Philadelphia Flyers (1993–94) 6–15–2 Recap
24 L November 27, 1993 3–4 OT Philadelphia Flyers (1993–94) 6–16–2 Recap
December: 6–6–2 (home: 1–4–1; road: 5–2–1)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
25 L December 1, 1993 0–3 Buffalo Sabres (1993–94) 6–17–2 Recap
26 W December 4, 1993 5–4 @ Los Angeles Kings (1993–94) 7–17–2 Recap
27 W December 5, 1993 4–2 @ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1993–94) 8–17–2 Recap
28 W December 7, 1993 3–1 @ San Jose Sharks (1993–94) 9–17–2 Recap
29 L December 11, 1993 3–6 Pittsburgh Penguins (1993–94) 9–18–2 Recap
30[a] T December 14, 1993 1–1 OT Montreal Canadiens (1993–94) 9–18–3 Recap
31 W December 15, 1993 4–3 Ottawa Senators (1993–94) 10–18–3 Recap
32 L December 18, 1993 3–5 Boston Bruins (1993–94) 10–19–3 Recap
33 T December 19, 1993 3–3 OT @ Buffalo Sabres (1993–94) 10–19–4 Recap
34 L December 21, 1993 3–8 @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1993–94) 10–20–4 Recap
35 L December 23, 1993 4–7 @ St. Louis Blues (1993–94) 10–21–4 Recap
36[a] L December 26, 1993 1–3 Florida Panthers (1993–94) 10–22–4 Recap
37 W December 28, 1993 4–1 @ Quebec Nordiques (1993–94) 11–22–4 Recap
38 W December 30, 1993 3–0 @ Ottawa Senators (1993–94) 12–22–4 Recap

Notes:
a Game played at the Orlando Arena.[5]

January: 7–4–2 (home: 3–3–1; road: 4–1–1)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
39 T January 1, 1994 5–5 OT @ Washington Capitals (1993–94) 12–22–5 Recap
40[a] L January 2, 1994 1–4 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1993–94) 12–23–5 Recap
41 W January 4, 1994 1–0 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1993–94) 13–23–5 Recap
42 W January 8, 1994 4–2 Philadelphia Flyers (1993–94) 14–23–5 Recap
43 W January 10, 1994 5–2 @ New York Rangers (1993–94) 15–23–5 Recap
44 W January 12, 1994 4–2 @ Detroit Red Wings (1993–94) 16–23–5 Recap
45 L January 13, 1994 0–1 @ Chicago Blackhawks (1993–94) 16–24–5 Recap
46 W January 16, 1994 3–2 OT @ Winnipeg Jets (1993–94) 17–24–5 Recap
47 L January 17, 1994 3–6 Detroit Red Wings (1993–94) 17–25–5 Recap
48 W January 19, 1994 4–3 OT New York Islanders (1993–94) 18–25–5 Recap
49[a] W January 24, 1994 4–0 Buffalo Sabres (1993–94) 19–25–5 Recap
50 T January 26, 1994 1–1 OT Florida Panthers (1993–94) 19–25–6 Recap
51 L January 29, 1994 1–2 San Jose Sharks (1993–94) 19–26–6 Recap

Notes:
a Game played at the Orlando Arena.[5]

February: 4–7–2 (home: 1–2–2; road: 3–5–0)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
52 L February 2, 1994 1–3 Detroit Red Wings (1993–94) 19–27–6 Recap
53 L February 5, 1994 3–6 @ Washington Capitals (1993–94) 19–28–6 Recap
54 W February 7, 1994 2–1 @ Toronto Maple Leafs (1993–94) 20–28–6 Recap
55 W February 10, 1994 6–2 @ Ottawa Senators (1993–94) 21–28–6 Recap
56 L February 12, 1994 2–3 Vancouver Canucks (1993–94) 21–29–6 Recap
57 T February 13, 1994 3–3 OT New Jersey Devils (1993–94) 21–29–7 Recap
58 L February 15, 1994 1–2 @ New York Islanders (1993–94) 21–30–7 Recap
59 W February 17, 1994 4–3 Montreal Canadiens (1993–94) 22–30–7 Recap
60 L February 19, 1994 4–5 @ New Jersey Devils (1993–94) 22–31–7 Recap
61 T February 20, 1994 2–2 OT Boston Bruins (1993–94) 22–31–8 Recap
62 W February 24, 1994 4–0 @ Calgary Flames (1993–94) 23–31–8 Recap
63 L February 26, 1994 1–3 @ Vancouver Canucks (1993–94) 23–32–8 Recap
64 L February 27, 1994 2–3 @ Edmonton Oilers (1993–94) 23–33–8 Recap
March: 3–7–3 (home: 1–4–2; road: 2–3–1)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
65 W March 1, 1994 4–3 @ Washington Capitals (1993–94) 24–33–8 Recap
66 L March 3, 1994 4–5 OT New Jersey Devils (1993–94) 24–34–8 Recap
67 W March 5, 1994 4–2 Hartford Whalers (1993–94) 25–34–8 Recap
68 L March 6, 1994 1–3 Philadelphia Flyers (1993–94) 25–35–8 Recap
69 L March 9, 1994 1–4 @ Hartford Whalers (1993–94) 25–36–8 Recap
70 T March 13, 1994 5–5 OT @ Philadelphia Flyers (1993–94) 25–36–9 Recap
71 L March 15, 1994 3–7 Calgary Flames (1993–94) 25–37–9 Recap
72 T March 16, 1994 4–4 OT Edmonton Oilers (1993–94) 25–37–10 Recap
73 L #March 20, 1994 0–3 Washington Capitals (1993–94) 25–38–10 Recap
74 L March 22, 1994 4–5 OT @ New York Islanders (1993–94) 25–39–10 Recap
75 L March 24, 1994 1–2 @ New Jersey Devils (1993–94) 25–40–10 Recap
76 T March 27, 1994 2–2 OT Dallas Stars (1993–94) 25–40–11 Recap
77 W March 30, 1994 3–2 OT @ Buffalo Sabres (1993–94) 26–40–11 Recap
April: 4–3–0 (home: 2–1–0; road: 2–2–0)
Game Result Date Score Opponent Record Recap
78 W April 1, 1994 4–3 St. Louis Blues (1993–94) 27–40–11 Recap
79 L April 4, 1994 1–2 @ Pittsburgh Penguins (1993–94) 27–41–11 Recap
80 W April 6, 1994 3–1 @ Montreal Canadiens (1993–94) 28–41–11 Recap
81 W April 9, 1994 3–0 @ Boston Bruins (1993–94) 29–41–11 Recap
82 L April 10, 1994 4–6 @ Hartford Whalers (1993–94) 29–42–11 Recap
83 L April 13, 1994 0–2 New York Islanders (1993–94) 29–43–11 Recap
84 W April 14, 1994 5–2 Quebec Nordiques (1993–94) 30–43–11 Recap
Legend:

  Win (2 points)   Loss (0 points)   Tie (1 point)

Player statistics

Skaters

Regular season[6]
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

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

Transactions

Trades

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

Phase I

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

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

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

Tampa Bay's draft picks at the 1993 NHL entry draft held at the Quebec Coliseum in Quebec City, Quebec.[7]

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

  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. ^ "1993-94 Tampa Bay Lightning Schedule". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
  5. ^ a b Ruiz, Stephen (September 24, 2018). "Tampa Bay Lightning will play in Orlando this week for 12th time — a look at their previous visits". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
  6. ^ "1993-94 Tampa Bay Lightning Statistics - Hockey-Reference.com". hockey-reference.com. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
  7. ^ "1993 NHL Entry Draft Picks at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved February 11, 2025.
Allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1993%E2%80%9394_Tampa_Bay_Lightning_season
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