The Bolts and friends and beer
Members of the Tampa Bay Lightning are probably not even allowing themselves ONE beer this offseason, especially Nikita Kucherov, who famously doesn’t drink. On the plus side, a fair number of us hockey fans are not professional athletes, and are free to head over to Amalie Arena on Friday, August 16 (from 7 – 10 PM) to try 50 breweries worth of unlimited beer samples. Check out the price of admission (a portion of which will benefit the Humane Society of Tampa) over here at [Creative Loafing]
Bolt the dog got a lot of media attention yesterday, AS WELL HE SHOULD, BECAUSE HE IS A VERY GOOD DOG. It’s not every day you get to read such fine material as, “While most puppies love to chase around tennis balls or furry toys, Bolt is adapting well to the hockey environment, choosing to chew on hockey sticks and chase rolling pucks.” Go check out more at the [Bradenton Herald] and [WTSP]
Also, follow Bolt’s instagram, @boltspup !
There is actually an interesting amount of soul-searching from other teams around the league about Kevin Shattenkirk, who was reportedly also looking at the Arizona Coyotes before ultimately choosing Tampa. “Richard Morin of AZCentral Sports posted on Twitter that league sources claimed the Coyotes were in on Shattenkirk, but were not willing to give him the deal he got from the Lightning.” [Five for Howling]
The LA Kings and Anaheim Ducks were also prodding him, but Shattenkirk is looking for a team that gives him money AND a chance to play in the post-season. [Bleacher Report]
The offer from Anaheim was better than the one he ultimately signed with Tampa, according to Eric Stephens of The Athletic.
According to Stephens, the Ducks offered a two-year deal worth more than $2 million per season. Shattenkirk signed a one-year, $1.75 million deal with the Lightning.
Writer Filip Canda speculates that with the addition of Shattenkirk, the Lightning are gaining a puck-moving defenseman who can play on the first D-pair with Victor Hedman, and an Old Guy in the Room. I actually disagree that he’ll play with Hedman, though — I’m guessing Braydon Coburn is more likely. [Last Word on Hockey]
Shattenkirk as a right-handed defenceman would complete the first pair with Hedman. Last year, the Lightning were pretty comfortable playing Girardi alongside Hedman. Shattenkirk is an even better defenceman, mainly offensively.
Last but not least, yesterday we made it to #23 in our annual Top 25 Under 25 count! And it went to… Ryan Lohin! [Raw Charge]
Drafted as an overager in 2016 (7th round, 208th overall) the Lightning were content to let Lohin develop in college before signing him after his junior season. His profile fits in with what the Lightning look for at the back-end of the draft. Lohin is a two-way forward with excellent hockey sense and above average passing skills. His shot could use some work as could his skating (a couple of sessions with Barb Underhill should help).
Apparently the 1994 Tampa Bay Lightning draft really sucked! Geo is here to help straighten it out. Tampa Bay Lightning Draft Mulligan: The 1994 NHL Entry Draft [Raw Charge]
The top of the 1994 NHL Entry Draft was an interesting one. There were a handful of good players, but no big award winners. The Lightning, still struggling in their start in the NHL, had the 8th overall pick in their third draft class. This was also the last year of 11 rounds in the draft. In 1995, it dropped down to just nine rounds. The Lightning ended up without a 5th round pick and with an extra sixth round pick for a total of 11 picks. Three players made the NHL with two being impact players. Unfortunately, one of the two impact players was never signed by the Lightning as they allowed his rights to expire.
Ryan McDonagh joined @JamisonCoyle and @Rupper17 on #NHLTonight to talk about gearing up for another season with the @TBLightning‘s outstanding defensive group.
Watch the full interview here: https://t.co/SyRNOO8Da8 pic.twitter.com/HBRGrPy5Yc
— NHL Network (@NHLNetwork) August 7, 2019
Reminder that our 2019-20 single game ticket pre-sale is tomorrow!
Join our Lightning Insider list at https://t.co/Ibi8NwSaRd to get the details first. ⚡️
More info: https://t.co/ZvW3zb4Ez1 pic.twitter.com/3RHAJeZW71
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) August 7, 2019
New jerseys coming soon 👀 pic.twitter.com/4Eq49QtZHY
— Orlando Solar Bears (@OrlandoHockey) August 7, 2019
The Game
Much love to you, Peter Budaj! [NHL.com]
Budaj always knew leaving the game would be difficult, but it was made a little easier by the fact that he left on his own terms, rather than being forced out by a lack of interest or a plaguing injury.
”I was very blessed; I didn’t have many injuries and I was able to stay pretty healthy. I’m very thankful that I was able to go as long as I could and long as I decided to.”
