That was the favorite saying of Art Williams, the kooky, good-ole-boy, rah-rah insurance salesman who owned the Lightning for one year (July 14, 1998-June 18, 1999). But what a year it was.
During his reign, Williams called No. 1 pick Vinny Lecavalier "the Michael Jordan of hockey" though Lecavalier had yet to play an NHL game and Williams had yet to see him play. He once called his team a "bunch of wussies" after a bad loss. And he fired general manager Phil Esposito only two games into the regular season.
He had a penchant for giving long pep talks to disinterested players, meddling in hockey affairs though he knew nothing about the game and he became the butt of jokes for hockey commentators.
But, looking back, Williams served a pivotal role in getting the Lightning to where it is now. He reduced the debt of the team and made it attractive to a responsible owner (Bill Davidson). Current general manager Jay Feaster was hired and Lecavalier, Brad Richards and Dmitry Afanasenkov were drafted during his ownership.
Since selling the team, Williams has rarely been heard from publicly, and he has not given any interviews of length. Still dabbling in insurance, he spends most of his time in Palm Beach.
