Phil Esposito had no money, no plan and little hope of getting an NHL franchise. Fourteen years later the Lightning plays for the Stanley Cup.
By TOM JONES
Published May 25, 2004
TAMPA - The buzzer sounded, though it could not be heard over 20,000 screaming fans inside the St. Pete Times Forum. The Lightning spilled onto the ice, having just earned a berth in the Stanley Cup final.
High above the ice in a radio booth, Phil Esposito smiled while tears welled in his eyes.
"I was ecstatic," Esposito said. "What I was watching, it was everything I wanted when we started this thing. It was everything I had dreamed was going to happened, everything I ever wanted to happen. And there it was on the ice before my eyes."
Esposito is only a commentator now, lending expertise as one of the game's greatest players to the Lightning's radio broadcasts. But had it not been for him, the scene Saturday night would not have taken place.
If not for him, there would be no St. Pete Times Forum. There would be no Stanley Cup final appearance. There would be no Lightning.
Esposito is the man who brought hockey to Tampa Bay and how he did it remains a mystery to this day.
"I don't know how I did it," said Esposito, 62. "I have no idea. And, frankly, I don't care. It's here. That's all that matters."
Back in 1990, Esposito, using the skills of a charismatic smooth talker and a snake-oil salesman, persuaded the National Hockey League to grant him a franchise even though he had no arena, no money and no plan. Fourteen years later, the Lightning is on the verge of reaching the pinnacle of the sport.
When the NHL awarded Esposito a franchise on Dec. 6, 1990, at the Breakers resort in Palm Beach, then-St. Petersburg Mayor Bob Ulrich said he was "mystified" as to why the NHL went with Esposito over Compuware Corp., an organization he considered to be more financially sound.
"It defies logic and explanation," Ulrich said at the time.
To this day, Esposito doesn't debate that point.
Did he have money, the $50-million expansion fee? "No," Esposito said.
Did he know where he could get it? "No," he said.
Did he have a plan? "Sort of, but not really," Esposito said. "But the NHL believed in me. They knew I could get it done."
He did.
Along with partners Mel Lowell and Henry Paul, Esposito essentially told the NHL what they wanted to hear. Yes, he would meet the deadlines. Yes, he would have the money in place. No, he had no conditions.
Compuware, led by owner Peter Karmanos and hockey point man Jim Rutherford, wanted to put a team in what is now Tropicana Field. They had the finances, but raised concerns among the NHL owners after questions of contingency plans should there be a problem.
"It is difficult when you're not only bidding against several other cities around North America, but bidding with another potential franchise from the same market," Rutherford said. "That made it difficult. But our bid was solid. It just wasn't totally 100 percent in line with what the league was looking for."
What the league was looking for was no complications. Esposito gave it none in his presentation. But there was a problem. Esposito's original investment groups pulled out. Esposito had no money and no prospects.
Sitting in a funeral-like atmosphere in a Manhattan Japanese steakhouse with Lowell and Paul, Esposito faced the thought that his dream was dead.
"Inside I was panicking," Esposito said. "But I didn't want Mel and Henry to panic, so I remained calm. I said, "We'll get this done. We'll find a way.' "
Just then, the owner of the restaurant, who overheard the conversation, told Esposito about a hockey-loving American who dealt with Japanese companies. His name was David LeFevre.
"I got in touch with David, who was a big Rangers fan," Esposito said. "Five days later, he called me from Japan and said, "How quick can you get here?' I said, "As soon as I can get a flight.' We left the next day."
Esposito jokes that when talking to the potential Japanese investors that he said "hockey" and they thought he said, "sake" and agreed to give him the money.
Esposito also lined up another investor, the infamous Duke of Manchester.
"A nut," Esposito said. "Total nut job. Guy had a $380-million trust fund, but he could only get out $150-million of it and that wasn't enough for a hockey team."
Waiting in the wings were the Compuware people, ready to come to the NHL's rescue when Esposito's pockets were empty. Somehow, though, Esposito, backed by the Japanese investors, scraped together the money.
"It's all ancient history now," Rutherford said. "I don't know how it all went down, but it really doesn't matter anymore. It worked out for us, too."
Compuware eventually bought the Hartford Whalers and moved them to Raleigh, N.C., where they are now the Carolina Hurricanes with Rutherford as president and general manager.
Esposito, meantime, ran the Lightning with Kokusai Green Co. Ltd. as the principal owner. The Lightning played in the revamped Expo Hall on the Florida State Fairgrounds for its inaugural season in 1992-93 then moved to what was then called the Florida Suncoast Dome and renamed the ThunderDome for two seasons. In August 1995, final bond financing was completed to secure the funding for what is now the St. Pete Times Forum, which opened in October 1996.
Esposito's run with the Lightning ended in October 1998. Kokusai Green sold the team to insurance salesman Art Williams in July of that year for $117-million. Esposito remained as general manager but was fired by Williams two games into the 1998-99 season.
His team, his baby, was no longer his.
"That part doesn't bother me," Esposito said. "Sure, I wish I was involved more, but I get satisfaction out of knowing that me and Henry and Mel put a hockey team in Tampa Bay."
Esposito remains as passionate as ever about the Lightning. He lends his opinions on radio, but doesn't meddle. He doesn't force his opinions or advice on general manager Jay Feaster or coach John Tortorella.
Occasionally, he mentions the possibility of owning the Lightning again, but seems content with his role and, mostly, his legacy. He brought the team here. He came up with the name "Lightning." He drew up the logo.
"This team here, this was me, along with Henry and Mel," Esposito said. "I'm the one who picked Tampa Bay. That was my decision. I'm the one who put the whole thing together. Yeah, I guess you could say this wouldn't be happening now if it weren't for me. That's something I'll always be proud of."
