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By SHARON GINN
© St. Petersburg Times, published September 18, 2001
TAMPA -- The much-maligned Lightning Hockey Network returns, but team officials hope this season it will be better known for the good it brings than the bad.
For the first time, all 41 of the Lightning's road games will be televised. Fourteen of those games will be shown on the Lightning Hockey Network, a loose network of cable channels that had technical problems last season.
Team officials had hoped Sunshine Network, which holds the rights to Lightning broadcasts, would reach an agreement with another station (WXPX-Ch. 66 was one possibility) to show 10-15 Lightning games. But that didn't happen, so Sunshine decided to revive last year's approach, airing 50 games on its network and 20 on the Lightning Hockey Network.
Last season, the Lightning Hockey Network had numerous audio and video problems. In Hillsborough County, one game and two-thirds of another didn't air because of equipment failure. But Sunshine and team officials agree the network improved as the season went on -- a trend both parties say needs to continue.
"We made every effort to get an over-the-air affiliate," said Jason Dixon, the Lightning's director of broadcasting and programming. "Both sides of the story had pluses and minuses. If we had been able to secure an over-the-air affiliate, we guarantee we would not have some of the problems we had with the Lighting Hockey Network, but we would have aired less games for the fans."
In previous seasons, Dixon said, the average number of televised road games has been about 30 to 35.
Though the team released a schedule for Lightning Hockey Network games -- which will be preceded by a new half-hour pregame show -- Sunshine has yet to hear from individual cable systems to confirm they will carry the games or on what channel they will air.
Sunshine Network will air 50 Lightning games and 20 others will be carried on the Lightning Hockey Network (LHN), a station to be designated by local cable systems.
OCTOBER 5 -- N.Y. Islanders, 7:15 (Sunshine); 7 -- Florida, 7:30 (Sunshine); 11 -- at San Jose, 10:30 (LHN); 13 -- at Los Angeles, 10:30 (LHN); 14 -- at Anaheim, 8 (LHN); 16 -- at Colorado, 9 (Sunshine); 20 -- N.Y. Rangers, 7:30 (Sunshine); 23 -- Washington, 7:30 (Sunshine); 27 -- at Atlanta, 7 (LHN); 30 -- at Toronto, 7:30 (LHN).
NOVEMBER 2 -- at Buffalo, 7 (Sunshine); 3 -- at Pittsburgh, 7:30 (Sunshine); 6 -- at N.Y. Islanders, 7 (Sunshine); 8 -- Philadelphia, 7:30 (LHN); 10 -- Pittsburgh, 7:30 (Sunshine); 15 -- Toronto, 7:30 (Sunshine); 17 -- Carolina, 5 (Sunshine); 20 -- Anaheim, 7:30 (Sunshine); 21 -- at Washington, 7 (LHN); 25 -- at Carolina, 1:30 (Sunshine); 27 -- at Boston, 7 (Sunshine).
DECEMBER 1 -- at Philadelphia, 7 (Sunshine); 2 -- at New York Rangers, 7 (LHN); 4 -- at New Jersey, 7:30 (Sunshine); 8 -- at Ottawa, 7 (Sunshine); 10 -- at Vancouver, 10 (LHN); 12 -- at Calgary, 9 (Sunshine); 14 -- at Edmonton, 9 (Sunshine); 17 -- at Montreal, 7:30 (Sunshine); 26 -- at Nashville, 7:30 (LHN); 29 -- Boston, 7 (LHN); 31 -- Toronto, 7:30 (Sunshine).
JANUARY 2 -- at Minnesota, 8 (LHN); 4 -- at Chicago, 8:30 (Sunshine); 6 -- at Phoenix, 8 (LHN); 13 -- at Atlanta, 7 (LHN); 15 -- at New Jersey, 7:30 (LHN); 18 -- Chicago, 7:30 (Sunshine); 19 -- Montreal, 7 (Sunshine); 21 -- New Jersey, 7:30 (Sunshine); 23 -- at Pittsburgh, 7:30 (Sunshine); 25 -- at Buffalo, 7 (Sunshine); 26 -- at N.Y. Islanders, 7 (Sunshine); 28 -- at N.Y. Rangers, 7 (Sunshine).
FEBRUARY 4 -- Ottawa, 7:30 (LHN); 6 -- at Florida, 7:30 (Sunshine); 7 -- Florida, 7:30 (LHN); 9 -- Washington, 7:30 (Sunshine); 11 -- at Washington, 7 (Sunshine); 26 -- Detroit, 7:30 (Sunshine).
MARCH 2 -- Florida, 7:30 (Sunshine); 8 -- Philadelphia, 7:30 (LHN); 10 -- New Jersey, 6 (Sunshine); 12 -- at Atlanta, 7:30 (Sunshine); 14 -- Calgary, 7:30 (Sunshine); 17 -- Buffalo, 6 (Sunshine); 18 -- at Philadelphia, 7 (Sunshine); 20 -- Atlanta, 7:30 (Sunshine); 24 -- Boston, 7 (Sunshine); 26 -- at Toronto, 7:30 (LHN); 28 -- at Montreal, 7:30 (Sunshine); 30 -- at Ottawa, 7 (Sunshine).
APRIL 1 -- N.Y. Rangers, 7:30 (Sunshine); 3 -- at Washington, 7 (Sunshine); 4 -- Pittsburgh, 7:30 (LHN); 7 -- Buffalo, 6 (Sunshine); 9 -- at Boston, 7 (Sunshine); 10 -- at Carolina, 7 (Sunshine); 12 -- N.Y. Islanders, 7:30 (Sunshine); 14 -- at Florida, 3 (Sunshine).