Martin St. Louis Photo by Linda Hamilton

A Lightning goalie pitched a shut out in their debut game with the club while wearing their old team’s mask. If this sounds familiar, that’s because Dwayne Roloson did it in his first game with the Bolts in 2011. Ben Bishop joins those ranks tonight after backstopping a 5-0 Tampa Bay victory against the Carolina Hurricanes. Even more impressive, Big Ben faced 45 shots over the course of the game.

The entire team had a different personality. Bishop was quick, moves extremely well for being such a big guy. Jon Cooper allows the offense to be extremely creative and that made this one a whole lot of fun to watch. An offensive flurry in the second period saw Teddy Purcell, Tom Pyatt, and Keith Aulie score. Marty St. Louis and Benoit Pouliot extended the lead in the third.

- Captain Vinny Lecavalier made his return to the line up after missing nine games.

-Victor Hedman sustained a lower body injury and did not return to the game after the first period. He is listed as day to day.

Another solid win that ties Tampa with Carolina in the Southeast division standings. The Bolts head off to meet the Islanders on Saturday.

Mathieu Garon Photo by Linda Hamilton

After two excellent showings by new goaltender Anders Lindback, the netminding duties were turned over to veteran Mathieu Garon for tonight’s match up with the Carolina Hurricanes. If there were any lingering questions about Garon’s health after injuring his groin last spring, they were more than answered. He made 35 saves, some absolutely spectacular, to earn his first win of the season.

The good news is that Tampa got off to a much stronger start than they did on Long Island yesterday. They were sharp and organized. Tom Pyatt scored the first goal of the game at 5:08 in the first by batting an airborne pass from Vinny Lecavalier past Cam Ward. Tampa’s flurry continued from there.

» Continue reading “Storm Warning: Lightning Defeat ‘Canes 4-1″

Mike Commodore Photo by Jason Haas

As a journeyman than has spent part of the last 11 NHL seasons with 7 different teams, it’s not too surprising to see that defenseman Mike Commodore is on a new adventure. Commodore has signed with the AHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs on a Professional Try-Out Contract. He’ll join the team for a practice on Saturday.

Commodore is an avid Twitter member and he had this to say about his new team:

“If I want to continue my career I need to play. I felt the @BulldogsAHL is my best option. Young team looking for some experience. Perfect.” (@commie22)

Originally drafted by the New Jersey Devils in the second round of the 1999 NHL Entry Draft, the 33 year old blue liner is an easily identified figure with his giant red afro and giant personality. In 484 regular season games he has accumulated 106 points and 686 penalty minutes.

Already a familiar face for long time Lightning fans, Commodore was a member of the 2004 Calgary Flames that faced off against the Bolts in the Stanley Cup Finals. He went on to win the Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006. His status as a free agent is affected by the lockout, so it’s good to see that he’s found a place to play that may lead to more opportunity in the future.

Chris Dingman Photo by Linda Hamilton

- Newer hockey fans may know former Bolt Chris Dingman for his work in the media than on the ice. A staple of the Sun Sports television broadcast, he shared some of his favorite hockey memories with The Hockey News.

Dinger played for Calgary, Colorado, and Carolina before landing in Tampa. The two time Stanley Cup Champion known for his tough play shared some great stuff. Ever wonder how he got the nickname “Dish” or the funniest hockey person he came across? Wonder no more.

» Continue reading “Nuts & Bolts: Dingman’s Hockey Memories, Lightning Essentials”

Nate Thompson Photo by Linda Hamilton

After a season of changes for the Lightning, more seemed to be on the horizon where their jerseys are concerned. It was rumored that Tampa could see a new 3rd jersey after wearing the blue “Bolts” uniforms primarily for Saturday games since the 2008-2009.  According to Raw Charge, that’s going to stay largely the same.

The only difference seems to be an updated shoulder patch. The photo of Nate used in this post was taken from November of 2011. As you can see, they were still rocking the second primary team logo that debuted in 2007.

» Continue reading “A Love-Hate Relationship With Tampa’s 3rd Jersey”