# 1993–94 Tampa Bay Lightning season

The 1993–94 Tampa Bay Lightning season was the Lightning's second season of operation. The team finished last in the Atlantic Division and did not qualify for the playoffs.

## Offseason

Buoyed by an active off-season, confidence was high as the Lightning headed to Lakeland to prepare for the team's second National Hockey League season. The team was moved to the newly formed Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference, prompting the beginning of several heated rivalries with East Coast teams such as Philadelphia and Florida.
Brian Bradley, fresh from an 86-point All-Star season, returned to lead the offense. Notably absent was Chris Kontos, who couldn't agree to a contract with the team. Offense, however, was expected to be a stronger area for the Lightning, with the off-season additions of flashy playmaker Denis Savard fresh off a Stanley Cup championship the previous season (free agent) and renowned sniper Petr Klima (trade with Edmonton). And with a move from Expo Hall across Tampa Bay to the Florida Suncoast Dome (soon renamed ThunderDome), the team was hoping the added stars would help fill the almost 30,000 seats available in St. Petersburg.
Another notable addition that would prove to be the most significant for the Lightning was the claim of veteran goaltender Daren Puppa from Florida in Phase II of the 1993 NHL Expansion Draft. Puppa, a former NHL All-Star with Buffalo, moved to the forefront in the Lightning net and posted a 22-33-6 record while the team allowed 81 fewer goals than in 1992-93.
Other notable additions to the Lightning lineup in 1993-94 included first-round draft choice Chris Gratton and a pair of heavyweights Tampa Bay fans would grow to love—Rudy Poeschek and Enrico Ciccone. Poeschek, a defenseman/forward signed as a free agent after time with the Rangers and Winnipeg, stepped into the enforcer role and immediately elicited chants of "Rudy" from ThunderDome crowds. Ciccone was acquired in a late-season deal that sent Joe Reekie to Washington, and "Chico" quickly teamed with Poeschek to form one of the most formidable tandems in the league.

## Regular season

On the ice, the team couldn't match the hot start from 1992 to 1993, and quickly dropped to 3-12-2 by early November. However, a bit of NHL history was made early in the season when the first regular-season game at the ThunderDome, which drew an NHL-record 27,227 fans to watch the Lightning face the Panthers on October 9, 1993. That attendance mark remains as the league record for a regular season game. Also, that same month when the Los Angeles Kings came to town (October 20), NHL legend Wayne Gretzky faced his brother—Lightning 1992 draft choice Brent—for the only time in his career. Older brother Wayne got the better end of Brent this evening, helping Los Angeles to a 4-3 victory with a goal and an assist. The season did, however, have its share of highlights. The Lightning eventually began to show more consistency, and a 9-3-1 stretch through late December (a month that also featured the team's most successful road trip to that point, a 3–0 December swing through California that pushed the Lightning's record in the Golden State to a perfect 7-0.) and most of January put the Bolts back in the race. The Bolts closed out the season with a 5-2 victory against Quebec at the ThunderDome and with high hopes for even more improvement in 1994-95. Although they never managed to reach .500, the Lightning posted a marked improvement with seven more wins and 18 more points than the previous year.
In addition to being their first season in the ThunderDome, the team played four regular-season home games in Orlando at Orlando Arena.
The Lightning finished the regular season as the NHL's most disciplined team, being shorthanded only 335 times. They also allowed the most short-handed goals in the league, with 20.

### Final standings

Atlantic Division :
| No. | CR | | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | 1 | New York Rangers | 84 | 52 | 24 | 8 | 299 | 231 | 112 |
| 2 | 3 | New Jersey Devils | 84 | 47 | 25 | 12 | 306 | 220 | 106 |
| 3 | 7 | Washington Capitals | 84 | 39 | 35 | 10 | 277 | 263 | 88 |
| 4 | 8 | New York Islanders | 84 | 36 | 36 | 12 | 282 | 264 | 84 |
| 5 | 9 | Florida Panthers | 84 | 33 | 34 | 17 | 233 | 233 | 83 |
| 6 | 10 | Philadelphia Flyers | 84 | 35 | 39 | 10 | 294 | 314 | 80 |
| 7 | 12 | Tampa Bay Lightning | 84 | 30 | 43 | 11 | 224 | 251 | 71 |
Note: No. = Division rank, CR = Conference rank, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points
 Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.
Eastern Conference :
| R | | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | p-New York Rangers * | 84 | 52 | 24 | 8 | 299 | 231 | 112 |
| 2 | x-Pittsburgh Penguins * | 84 | 44 | 27 | 13 | 299 | 285 | 101 |
| 3 | New Jersey Devils | 84 | 47 | 25 | 12 | 306 | 220 | 106 |
| 4 | Boston Bruins | 84 | 42 | 29 | 13 | 289 | 252 | 97 |
| 5 | Montreal Canadiens | 84 | 41 | 29 | 14 | 283 | 248 | 96 |
| 6 | Buffalo Sabres | 84 | 43 | 32 | 9 | 282 | 218 | 95 |
| 7 | Washington Capitals | 84 | 39 | 35 | 10 | 277 | 263 | 88 |
| 8 | New York Islanders | 84 | 36 | 36 | 12 | 282 | 264 | 84 |
| 9 | Florida Panthers | 84 | 33 | 34 | 17 | 233 | 233 | 83 |
| 10 | Philadelphia Flyers | 84 | 35 | 39 | 10 | 294 | 314 | 80 |
| 11 | Quebec Nordiques | 84 | 34 | 42 | 8 | 277 | 292 | 76 |
| 12 | Tampa Bay Lightning | 84 | 30 | 43 | 11 | 224 | 251 | 71 |
| 13 | Hartford Whalers | 84 | 27 | 48 | 9 | 227 | 288 | 63 |
| 14 | Ottawa Senators | 84 | 14 | 61 | 9 | 201 | 397 | 37 |
* Final standings
bold – Qualified for playoffs; x – Won division; p – Won Presidents' Trophy (and division); * – Division leader

## Schedule and results

1993–94 regular season :
October: 3–8–1 (home: 3–5–0; road: 0–3–1)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
1LOctober 6, 19931–2@ New Jersey Devils (1993–94)0–1–0Recap
2LOctober 7, 19934–5@ New York Rangers (1993–94)0–2–0Recap
3LOctober 9, 19930–2Florida Panthers (1993–94)0–3–0Recap
4WOctober 14, 19933–2Pittsburgh Penguins (1993–94)1–3–0Recap
5WOctober 16, 19934–1Ottawa Senators (1993–94)2–3–0Recap
6TOctober 17, 19933–3 OT@ Florida Panthers (1993–94)2–3–1Recap
7LOctober 20, 19933–4Los Angeles Kings (1993–94)2–4–1Recap
8WOctober 22, 19934–1New York Rangers (1993–94)3–4–1Recap
9LOctober 23, 19930–2Toronto Maple Leafs (1993–94)3–5–1Recap
10LOctober 27, 19933–4Winnipeg Jets (1993–94)3–6–1Recap
11LOctober 29, 19932–4New York Islanders (1993–94)3–7–1Recap
12LOctober 30, 19931–2 OT@ Florida Panthers (1993–94)3–8–1Recap :
November: 3–8–1 (home: 3–3–0; road: 0–5–1)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
13LNovember 2, 19932–8@ Quebec Nordiques (1993–94)3–9–1Recap
14LNovember 3, 19930–1@ Montreal Canadiens (1993–94)3–10–1Recap
15TNovember 6, 19931–1 OT@ Boston Bruins (1993–94)3–10–2Recap
16LNovember 8, 19933–6@ New York Rangers (1993–94)3–11–2Recap
17LNovember 11, 19931–4Washington Capitals (1993–94)3–12–2Recap
18WNovember 13, 19934–3Quebec Nordiques (1993–94)4–12–2Recap
19LNovember 17, 19933–4@ Dallas Stars (1993–94)4–13–2Recap
20LNovember 19, 19933–5New York Rangers (1993–94)4–14–2Recap
21WNovember 20, 19934–3Chicago Blackhawks (1993–94)5–14–2Recap
22WNovember 24, 19934–1Hartford Whalers (1993–94)6–14–2Recap
23LNovember 26, 19930–3@ Philadelphia Flyers (1993–94)6–15–2Recap
24LNovember 27, 19933–4 OTPhiladelphia Flyers (1993–94)6–16–2Recap :
December: 6–6–2 (home: 1–4–1; road: 5–2–1)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
25LDecember 1, 19930–3Buffalo Sabres (1993–94)6–17–2Recap
26WDecember 4, 19935–4@ Los Angeles Kings (1993–94)7–17–2Recap
27WDecember 5, 19934–2@ Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1993–94)8–17–2Recap
28WDecember 7, 19933–1@ San Jose Sharks (1993–94)9–17–2Recap
29LDecember 11, 19933–6Pittsburgh Penguins (1993–94)9–18–2Recap
30TDecember 14, 19931–1 OTMontreal Canadiens (1993–94)9–18–3Recap
31WDecember 15, 19934–3Ottawa Senators (1993–94)10–18–3Recap
32LDecember 18, 19933–5Boston Bruins (1993–94)10–19–3Recap
33TDecember 19, 19933–3 OT@ Buffalo Sabres (1993–94)10–19–4Recap
34LDecember 21, 19933–8@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1993–94)10–20–4Recap
35LDecember 23, 19934–7@ St. Louis Blues (1993–94)10–21–4Recap
36LDecember 26, 19931–3Florida Panthers (1993–94)10–22–4Recap
37WDecember 28, 19934–1@ Quebec Nordiques (1993–94)11–22–4Recap
38WDecember 30, 19933–0@ Ottawa Senators (1993–94)12–22–4Recap
Notes:
$^a$ Game played at the Orlando Arena. :
January: 7–4–2 (home: 3–3–1; road: 4–1–1)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
39TJanuary 1, 19945–5 OT@ Washington Capitals (1993–94)12–22–5Recap
40LJanuary 2, 19941–4Mighty Ducks of Anaheim (1993–94)12–23–5Recap
41WJanuary 4, 19941–0@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1993–94)13–23–5Recap
42WJanuary 8, 19944–2Philadelphia Flyers (1993–94)14–23–5Recap
43WJanuary 10, 19945–2@ New York Rangers (1993–94)15–23–5Recap
44WJanuary 12, 19944–2@ Detroit Red Wings (1993–94)16–23–5Recap
45LJanuary 13, 19940–1@ Chicago Blackhawks (1993–94)16–24–5Recap
46WJanuary 16, 19943–2 OT@ Winnipeg Jets (1993–94)17–24–5Recap
47LJanuary 17, 19943–6Detroit Red Wings (1993–94)17–25–5Recap
48WJanuary 19, 19944–3 OTNew York Islanders (1993–94)18–25–5Recap
49WJanuary 24, 19944–0Buffalo Sabres (1993–94)19–25–5Recap
50TJanuary 26, 19941–1 OTFlorida Panthers (1993–94)19–25–6Recap
51LJanuary 29, 19941–2San Jose Sharks (1993–94)19–26–6Recap
Notes:
$^a$ Game played at the Orlando Arena. :
February: 4–7–2 (home: 1–2–2; road: 3–5–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
52LFebruary 2, 19941–3Detroit Red Wings (1993–94)19–27–6Recap
53LFebruary 5, 19943–6@ Washington Capitals (1993–94)19–28–6Recap
54WFebruary 7, 19942–1@ Toronto Maple Leafs (1993–94)20–28–6Recap
55WFebruary 10, 19946–2@ Ottawa Senators (1993–94)21–28–6Recap
56LFebruary 12, 19942–3Vancouver Canucks (1993–94)21–29–6Recap
57TFebruary 13, 19943–3 OTNew Jersey Devils (1993–94)21–29–7Recap
58LFebruary 15, 19941–2@ New York Islanders (1993–94)21–30–7Recap
59WFebruary 17, 19944–3Montreal Canadiens (1993–94)22–30–7Recap
60LFebruary 19, 19944–5@ New Jersey Devils (1993–94)22–31–7Recap
61TFebruary 20, 19942–2 OTBoston Bruins (1993–94)22–31–8Recap
62WFebruary 24, 19944–0@ Calgary Flames (1993–94)23–31–8Recap
63LFebruary 26, 19941–3@ Vancouver Canucks (1993–94)23–32–8Recap
64LFebruary 27, 19942–3@ Edmonton Oilers (1993–94)23–33–8Recap :
March: 3–7–3 (home: 1–4–2; road: 2–3–1)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
65WMarch 1, 19944–3@ Washington Capitals (1993–94)24–33–8Recap
66LMarch 3, 19944–5 OTNew Jersey Devils (1993–94)24–34–8Recap
67WMarch 5, 19944–2Hartford Whalers (1993–94)25–34–8Recap
68LMarch 6, 19941–3Philadelphia Flyers (1993–94)25–35–8Recap
69LMarch 9, 19941–4@ Hartford Whalers (1993–94)25–36–8Recap
70TMarch 13, 19945–5 OT@ Philadelphia Flyers (1993–94)25–36–9Recap
71LMarch 15, 19943–7Calgary Flames (1993–94)25–37–9Recap
72TMarch 16, 19944–4 OTEdmonton Oilers (1993–94)25–37–10Recap
73L#March 20, 19940–3Washington Capitals (1993–94)25–38–10Recap
74LMarch 22, 19944–5 OT@ New York Islanders (1993–94)25–39–10Recap
75LMarch 24, 19941–2@ New Jersey Devils (1993–94)25–40–10Recap
76TMarch 27, 19942–2 OTDallas Stars (1993–94)25–40–11Recap
77WMarch 30, 19943–2 OT@ Buffalo Sabres (1993–94)26–40–11Recap :
April: 4–3–0 (home: 2–1–0; road: 2–2–0)
GameResultDateScoreOpponentRecordRecap
78WApril 1, 19944–3St. Louis Blues (1993–94)27–40–11Recap
79LApril 4, 19941–2@ Pittsburgh Penguins (1993–94)27–41–11Recap
80WApril 6, 19943–1@ Montreal Canadiens (1993–94)28–41–11Recap
81WApril 9, 19943–0@ Boston Bruins (1993–94)29–41–11Recap
82LApril 10, 19944–6@ Hartford Whalers (1993–94)29–42–11Recap
83LApril 13, 19940–2New York Islanders (1993–94)29–43–11Recap
84WApril 14, 19945–2Quebec Nordiques (1993–94)30–43–11Recap :
Legend:
  Win (2 points)
  Loss (0 points)
  Tie (1 point) :

## Player statistics
### Skaters

Regular season :
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
| Brian Bradley | 78 | 24 | 40 | 64 | -8 | 56 |
| Petr Klima | 75 | 28 | 27 | 55 | -15 | 76 |
| Denis Savard | 74 | 18 | 28 | 46 | -1 | 106 |
| Danton Cole | 81 | 20 | 23 | 43 | 7 | 32 |
| Chris Gratton | 84 | 13 | 29 | 42 | -25 | 123 |
| John Tucker | 66 | 17 | 23 | 40 | 9 | 28 |
| Shawn Chambers | 66 | 11 | 23 | 34 | -6 | 23 |
| Chris Joseph † | 66 | 10 | 19 | 29 | -13 | 108 |
| Pat Elynuik † | 63 | 12 | 14 | 26 | -18 | 64 |
| Mikael Andersson | 76 | 13 | 12 | 25 | 8 | 23 |
| Roman Hamrlik | 64 | 3 | 18 | 21 | -14 | 135 |
| Adam Creighton | 53 | 10 | 10 | 20 | -7 | 37 |
| Marc Bergevin | 83 | 1 | 15 | 16 | -5 | 87 |
| Marc Bureau | 75 | 8 | 7 | 15 | -9 | 30 |
| Rob DiMaio ‡ | 39 | 8 | 7 | 15 | -5 | 40 |
| Gerard Gallant | 51 | 4 | 9 | 13 | -6 | 74 |
| Rob Zamuner | 59 | 6 | 6 | 12 | -9 | 42 |
| Joe Reekie ‡ | 73 | 1 | 11 | 12 | 8 | 127 |
| Tim Bergland | 51 | 6 | 5 | 11 | -14 | 6 |
| Rudy Poeschek | 71 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 3 | 118 |
| Donald Dufresne ‡ | 51 | 2 | 6 | 8 | -2 | 48 |
| Bill McDougall | 22 | 3 | 3 | 6 | -4 | 8 |
| Bob Beers ‡ | 16 | 1 | 5 | 6 | -11 | 12 |
| Chris LiPuma | 27 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 77 |
| Brent Gretzky | 10 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Jason Ruff | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Enrico Ciccone † | 11 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -2 | 52 |
| Eric Charron | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Cory Cross | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -3 | 6 |
| Jim Cummins † | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 13 |
| Jason Lafreniere | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 |
| Normand Rochefort | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 10 |
| Total | Total | 224 | 355 | 579 | — | 1,567 |

### Goaltenders

Regular season :
| Player | GP | GS | TOI | W | L | T | GA | GAA | SA | SV% | SO | G | A | PIM |
| Daren Puppa | 63 | 62 | 3,652:30 | 22 | 33 | 6 | 165 | 2.71 | 1,637 | .899 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Pat Jablonski | 15 | 13 | 833:46 | 5 | 6 | 3 | 54 | 3.89 | 374 | .856 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wendell Young | 9 | 6 | 479:42 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 20 | 2.50 | 211 | .905 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Jean-Claude Bergeron | 3 | 3 | 134:08 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 3.13 | 69 | .899 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | Total | 5,100:06 | 30 | 43 | 11 | 246 | 2.89 | 2,291 | .893 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
† Denotes player spent time with another team before joining the Lightning. Stats reflect time with the Lightning only. ‡ Denotes player was traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with the Lightning only.
Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/- = plus/minus; PIM = Penalty minutes; TOI = Time on ice; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts; SA = Shots against; SV% = Save percentage;

## Transactions
### Trades

| Date | Details | Details |
| June 8, 1993 (1993-06-08) | To Detroit Red WingsSteve Maltais | To Tampa Bay LightningDennis Vial |
| June 16, 1993 (1993-06-16) | To Edmonton Oilers1994 3rd-round pick (60th overall) | To Tampa Bay LightningPetr Klima |
| June 19, 1993 (1993-06-19) | To San Jose SharksDave Capuano | To Tampa Bay LightningPeter Ahola |
| June 25, 1993 (1993-06-25) | To Florida Panthers1993 3rd-round pick (78th overall) | To Tampa Bay LightningPanthers agreed to select Daren Puppa in the 1993 NHL expansion draft |
| June 25, 1993 (1993-06-25) | To New York RangersGlenn Healy | To Tampa Bay Lightning1993 TB 3rd-round pick (55th overall) |
| October 5, 1993 (1993-10-05) | To Calgary FlamesPeter Ahola | To Tampa Bay LightningCash |
| October 22, 1993 (1993-10-22) | To Washington Capitals1995 Conditional 5th-round pick (108th overall) | To Tampa Bay LightningPat Elynuik |
| November 11, 1993 (1993-11-11) | To Edmonton OilersBob Beers | To Tampa Bay LightningChris Joseph |
| February 21, 1994 (1994-02-21) | To Toronto Maple LeafsPat Jablonski | To Tampa Bay LightningFuture Considerations (Cash) |
| March 18, 1994 (1994-03-18) | To Philadelphia FlyersRob DiMaio | To Tampa Bay LightningJim Cummins 1995 4th-round pick (100th overall) |
| March 19, 1994 (1994-03-19) | To Los Angeles KingsDonald Dufresne | To Tampa Bay Lightning1994 6th-round pick (137th overall) |
| March 21, 1994 (1994-03-21) | To Washington CapitalsJoe Reekie | To Tampa Bay LightningEnrico Ciccone 1994 3rd-round pick (67th overall) 1995 Conditional 5th-round pick (108th overall) |
| May 31, 1994 (1994-05-31) | To New Jersey Devils1994 4th-round pick (91st overall) | To Tampa Bay LightningJeff Toms |

### NHL Expansion Draft
#### Phase I

The following two players were selected from the Tampa Bay Lightning roster in the 1993 NHL expansion draft:
| Pick # | Player | Selected by |
| 19 | Dennis Vial | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim |
| 41 | Randy Gilhen | Florida Panthers |

#### Phase II

In the second phase of the expansion draft, Tampa Bay Lightning selected the following players from the Panthers and Mighty Ducks:
| Pick # | Player | Selected from |
| 1 | Glenn Healy | Mighty Ducks of Anaheim |
| 4 | Daren Puppa | Florida Panthers |

### Departures

| Date | Player | Via | New Team |
| July 1, 1993 | Jock Callander | Free agency | Cleveland Lumberjacks (IHL) |
| July 1, 1993 | Alain Cote | Free agency | Quebec Nordiques |
| July 1, 1993 | Matt Hervey | Free agency | Milwaukee Admirals (IHL) |
| July 1, 1993 | David Littman | Free agency | Boston Bruins |
| July 1, 1993 | Keith Osborne | Free agency | Grasshopper Club Zürich (CHE.2) |
| July 1, 1993 | Shayne Stevenson | Free agency | EV MAK Bruneck (AL) |
| August 1, 1993 | Herb Raglan | Buyout | Ottawa Senators |
| August 1, 1993 | Steve Kasper | Retired | |

## Draft picks

Tampa Bay's draft picks at the 1993 NHL entry draft held at the Quebec Coliseum in Quebec City, Quebec.
| Round | # | Player | Position | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
| 1 | 3 | Chris Gratton | C | Canada | Kingston Frontenacs (OHL) |
| 2 | 29 | Tyler Moss | G | Canada | Kingston Frontenacs (OHL) |
| 3 | 55 | Allan Egeland | C | Canada | Tacoma Rockets (WHL) |
| 4 | 81 | Marian Kacir | RW | Czech Republic | Owen Sound Platers (OHL) |
| 5 | 107 | Ryan Brown | D | Canada | Swift Current Broncos (WHL) |
| 6 | 133 | Kiley Hill | LW | Canada | Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL) |
| 7 | 159 | Mathieu Raby | D | Canada | Victoriaville Tigres (QMJHL) |
| 8 | 185 | Ryan Nauss | LW | Canada | Peterborough Petes (OHL) |
| 9 | 211 | Alexandre LaPorte | D | Canada | Victoriaville Tigres (QMJHL) |
| 10 | 237 | Brett Duncan | D | Canada | Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL) |
| 11 | 263 | Mark Szoke | LW | Canada | Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL) |
| S | 3 | Brent Peterson | LW | Canada | Michigan Technological University (WCHA) |