A happy return

On the ice, it's a victory in the first game since winning the Stanley Cup in 2004. Off the ice, the CEO believes that after this season, profits can be made in Tampa.

By TOM JONES
Published September 20, 2005

	[Times photo: Dirk Shadd]
	Brad Richards celebrates his goal that tied it at 1 in the first. Richards, Fredrik Modin and Marty St. Louis combined for four goals and nine points.

DETROIT - The Lightning doesn't have to win the Stanley Cup this season to make money.

But it better come darn close.

The way Lightning CEO Ron Wilson, the right-hand man of owner Bill Davidson, sees it, the Lightning has to make it to the third round of the playoffs to keep from losing money.

But Davidson has renewed faith because of the NHL's new collective bargaining agreement that hockey can work long term in Tampa Bay and the franchise, at least for the moment, is not for sale or a candidate for relocation.

"We are committed, and we have tremendous confidence in this team," Davidson said.

Davidson and Wilson made the 35-minute drive from Auburn Hills, Mich., to Joe Louis Arena to check out the Lightning's preseason opener Monday night at Detroit, a 5-3 victory in its first game since winning the Stanley Cup on June 7, 2004.

It appears the CBA, which has a $39-million salary cap, gives the Lightning hope.

"We're very pleased," Davidson said.

But despite a new NHL landscape with cost certainty, Wilson believes the Lightning has to go deep into the playoffs this season to see a profit.

"(Lightning president Ron Campbell) said second round, (but) I think it's worse than that," Wilson said. "I think at least the third round to break even. We're not out of it yet. Part of it is because we made the (labor) deal so late. You don't know about sponsorships. A lot of the national guys are saying, "Well, you guys have been out a year. I don't know that we want to come back."'

However, for the first time since buying the team in June 1999, Davidson and Wilson see light at the end of the tunnel.

"You feel like you have a chance to make a dollar and be competitive," Wilson said. "Now under this system, if you can manage it right, you can be competitive every year. You can keep your players, control your ticket prices and you can start to grow your business."

Under the old system, Wilson doesn't know if the Lighting could have stayed competitive. The contracts of most of the team's top players expired in the summer or will expire next summer.

"If we would've kept our guys, our payroll would have gone up 60 percent," Wilson said. "We would not have been able to keep everybody together under the old system."

In fact, if the old system had stayed in place, Davidson might have chosen not to keep the Lightning at all. Asked if it would have been difficult to make the Lightning work without a new CBA, Davidson shook his head and said, "Very difficult."

"It's not fun losing $10-million and you don't have anybody that wants to buy your fun," Wilson said. "If we had not gotten a deal like this, you would've had 10 clubs up for sale and four or five declare bankruptcy."

The Lightning could have been one of those teams up for sale. But now, Wilson said Davidson is not considering putting a For Sale sign outside the St. Pete Times Forum.

"We'd love to sign a deal that keeps us there for 20 years," Wilson said. "Mr. D is committed to keeping this team. He's loving it."

The Lightning has some tax issues with the city and state, but Davidson and Wilson said negotiations have gone well. The current lease in Tampa runs through 2026, but the penalties to get out of it are not severe enough to keep Davidson from staying if he was truly interested in moving the team to another city, such as, say, Auburn Hills.

Wilson does not expect that to be a part of the Lightning's future. Davidson, he said, wants to stay in Tampa Bay.

"Yeah, I think so," Wilson said. "I say I think so because the fans have done everything they've been asked to do. ... But we're so glad to get the deal done, and we feel like everything is going very, very well."

[Last modified September 20, 2005, 01:55:19]