Tampa Bay Lightning: 10 Best Performances In Franchise History

Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

1. Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Calgary Flames

Game 7 – Stanley Cup Finals

Monday, June 7, 2004

Whether you have been a Tampa Bay Lightning fan since the very beginning when the Tampa Bay Lightning played at Expo Hall at the Florida State Fairgrounds, or if you’re a newcomer to the Lightning fandom in the last couple of years there is one moment in Tampa Bay Lightning history that shines like a beacon of light for all to see.

This singular moment is the moment in time when the Tampa Bay Lightning raised the Stanley Cup high above their heads for the very first time. To this day, the Tampa Bay Lightning are fighting to reclaim some semblance of this glory and once again have their names engraved on this legendary trophy of hockey excellence. The Tampa Bay Lightning came close last season, but ultimately fell just once game shy.

Much like the game that came before this epic Game 7, there was a lot of back and forth between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Calgary Flames. The difference maker in this one was a young twenty-five year old left wing by the name of Ruslan Fedontenko.

Just after the halfway point in the first period, Fedotenko would sink the first goal of the game with the assistance of his teammates Brad Richards and Freddy Modin. The Lightning would hold the Flames to just three shots in the first period, preventing them from building any real offense against Lightning goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin.

In the second period, it would once again be the young winger from Kiev, Ukraine who would sink the puck past Calgary Flames netminder Miikka Kiprusoff and extend the Lightning’s lead to two points. Once again, the Tampa Bay Lightning would act like a brick wall against the Flames offense, holding them to a mere four shots in the second period.

In the third period, the Calgary Flames would turn on the afterburners and really push the Tampa Bay Lightning to the limit. Just before the halfway point in the third period, the Calgary Flames would finally make their mark on the scoresheet as they capitalized on the man-advantage with a goal from Flames center Craig Conroy.

As the final minutes continued to tick off the clock, the Tampa Bay Lightning knew they had to keep the pressure on the Flames if they wanted to win it all in front of their hometown crowd. Meanwhile, in the stands the Lightning faithful could feel the intensity of the moment they were about to bear witness to.

Suddenly, the happiness the fans felt inside turned to a slight case of fright as Lightning captain Dave Andreychuk was sent to the penalty box for two minutes on a Tripping call. Andreychuk, who had been waiting 22 years in the National Hockey League for this moment to finally come, would have to watch his team win (or potentially fail to obtain) the Stanley Cup from behind the glass in the penalty box.

Then…it happened.

Nikolai Khabibulin was able to deflect the last of the Calgary Flames offense, the final buzzer would sound, and the Tampa Bay Lightning would capture their first Stanley Cup Championship in franchise history.

Dave Andreychuk would finally get his moment on the ice as he held the Stanley Cup high above his head, and Brad Richards would win the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player of the 2004 Stanley Cup Playoffs. To this very day, we still get tears in our eyes when we watch this epic battle between the Lightning and the Flames; especially when we think of the impact this win had on our franchise as a whole.

There is no denying this moment was the most memorable in Tampa Bay Lightning history to date. The Tampa Bay Lightning were still a very young franchise with a lot to prove to a league full of teams who still had doubts that a little team from Tampa, Florida could compete on the highest level in the National Hockey League. In typical Tampa Bay Lightning fashion, they proved all the haters wrong.

The Tampa Bay Lightning may be struggling right now, but if there is any team in the National Hockey League who has built a reputation upon proving their detractors wrong it is our Tampa Bay Lightning. They have plenty of work ahead of them, but we have no doubt in our minds there are plenty of Stanley Cup moments ahead for the Tampa Bay Lightning.