Nuts and 'Bolts

By Times staff
© St. Petersburg Times
published October 10, 2002

For the fans

TELEVISION: Sixty-one Lightning games will be shown locally with 56 on Sunshine Network, four on WFTS-Ch. 28 and the Dec. 29 game against the Rangers will be shown nationally on ESPN2. Rick Peckham enters his eighth season as the play-by-play announcer and will be joined by analyst Bobby "Chief" Taylor, entering his 10th season. Most telecasts will be preceded by a half-hour pregame show. Mike Nabors joins as rinkside reporter. He will host a half-hour show, Lightning Ice Time, before each game on Sunshine. Nabors also will host Inside the Lightning monthly during the season. Ch. 28 will broadcast the All-Star game Feb. 2, five weeks of ABC's regional regional games in March and part of the Stanley Cup final. ESPN and ESPN2 will broadcast 71 league games throughout the season, down from 102 last season.

RADIO: David Mishkin starts his first season as the Lightning play-by-play voice on WDAE-AM 620. Former Lightning general manager Phil Esposito enters his second season as analyst for home games. Broadcasts begin with a 30-minute pregame show and end with a 30-minute postgame show. WDAE also will air a two-hour Lightning Hockey Night at 8 p.m. on Thursdays when the team doesn't play.

WEB SITES: The Lightning's official Web site is www.tampabaylightning.com. The Times has a special Lightning area on its site, www.sptimes.com/Lightning. The NHL site is www.nhl.com with links to each team's site. The players association site is www.nhlpa.com.

FAN CLUB: Call (813) 814-BOLT for information or check the Web site at www.tampabaylightningfanclub.com or www.tampabaylightningfanclub.org. The mailing address is P.O. Box 20394, Tampa, FL 33622.

About the St. Pete Times Forum

ADDRESS: 401 Channelside Drive, Tampa.

SEATING CAPACITY: 19,758 for hockey.

FOOD/DRINK: Fans may not bring food and drink into the arena, but concessions are available. Also, the XO Club is a special season ticket level with food and drink included and Shots at Channelside is a sports and entertainment bar on the west side of the building.

CAMERAS: Still cameras are allowed as long as they don't have detachable lenses. No video cameras or camera bags.

SECURITY: Bags, backpacks, laser pointers, weapons, bottles, cans, sharp objects, sticks, poles, fireworks, pepper spray, mace, food, beverages and wrapped gifts are prohibited. Fans are subject to search at all entries.

SMOKING: It is prohibited in the building, but smoking is allowed outside exits behind section 126/128, behind section 212 and behind section 326/328. Fans can exit and re-enter the building during events at those areas.

AUTOGRAPHS: Players enter and leave through Gate D. Some stop to sign autographs before and/or after games.

POWER PLAY: THE ENTERTAINMENT ZONE: The area opens two hours before home games on the main plaza west of the St. Pete Times Forum. It allows fans to show their form in activities such as a hockey slapshot and a bungee run.

Down on the farm

MINOR LEAGUES: The Lightning has two minor league affiliates, the Springfield (Mass.) Falcons of the American Hockey League, which it shares with Phoenix, and the Pensacola Ice Pilots of the East Coast Hockey League.

JUNIORS: The Lightning holds the rights to many amateur players in the Canadian junior leagues, the Ontario Hockey League, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and the Western Hockey League. These players may be signed at a later date.

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