Tampa Bay Times Forum The Tampa Bay Times Forum is an arena in Tampa , Florida , that has been used for ice hockey , basketball , and arena football games , as well as concerts . It is home to the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League and the Tampa Bay Storm of the Arena Football League . In January 2012 , the facility was renamed Tampa Bay Times Forum in keeping with the renaming of the " St . Petersburg Times " , which has the arena ' s naming rights . The newspaper ' s naming rights agreement is through August 31 , 2018 . History . The venue , located in Downtown Tampa ' s Channelside District was a secondary location chosen after the failure of Tampa Coliseum Inc . to secure funding to construct an arena on Tampa Sports Authority land near Tampa Stadium . The government paid $ 86 million and the Tampa Bay Lightning paid $ 53 million for the venue ' s construction and infrastructure . It opened in 1996 as the Ice Palace . Its first event was a performance by the Royal Hanneford Circus . The first hockey game was the Lightning hosting the New York Rangers , which the Lightning won by a score of 5 – 2 . The arena was built as a new home for the Lightning , necessary because of the lack of another suitable facility , as both the Bayfront Arena in St . Petersburg and the Expo Hall at the Florida State Fairgrounds were too small for an NHL team . Prior to the opening of the Ice Palace , the Lightning spent one season at the Expo Hall , and then moved to the Florida Suncoast Dome , which was nicknamed the " Thunderdome , " in St . Petersburg , Florida in 1993 . The Thunderdome , now Tropicana Field , is currently home to Major League Baseball ' s Tampa Bay Rays . Control of the venue has changed hands three times since the building ' s opening in 1996 . The lease agreement ties the arena to the ownership of the Tampa Bay Lightning . Naming rights to the Ice Palace were sold to the then - " St . Petersburg Times " , a daily newspaper which circulates throughout the Tampa Bay Area . Other entertainment events occasionally held in the Forum include concerts , NBA exhibition games , USF basketball and NCAA Tournament games , tennis , professional wrestling , boxing , figure skating , and rodeo s ( as well as stand - alone bull riding events ; the Forum has hosted an event by the PBR ' s premier tour , the Bud Light Cup ( renamed Built Ford Tough Series in 2003 ) , annually since 1998 . ) The Tampa Bay Times Forum was ranked , in 2010 , as the 4th busiest arena in the United States . A $ 35 million renovation was scheduled to be completed before the 2012 Republican National Convention . The renovation includes a rebuilt grand plaza entrance , elimination of 2 lower - level suites in each corner ( 8 of current 28 suites ) leaving views from the concourse area to the playing area , renovation of each suite , elimination of sections 323 and 324 on the terrace level ( 574 seats ) for a bar and stage area that will feature a new digital theatre organ , more concessions areas on the terrace level , an 11 , 000 - sq ft outdoor deck and party area overlooking outside plaza and facing the downtown skyline , new climate controls that improve both the ice surface and spectator comfort , new lighting , all new padded seats , resurfaced and redecorated concourse , combining Icons and Medallions restaurants into one venue , and updated restrooms . Also in 2012 , the Tampa Bay Times Forum installed a new video display board . The board is billed as the largest of its kind in North America . Its two larger faces measure , while its two smaller faces are . In comparison , the arena ' s old display board measured on all sides . Notable events . The building played host to the 1999 NHL All - Star Game , World Wrestling Federation Survivor Series 2000 and games of the NCAA Men ' s Division I Basketball Tournament in 2003 , 2008 and 2011 . The Forum played host to four of the seven games during the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals , as the Lightning defeated the Calgary Flames four games to three to win their first Stanley Cup . The Forum also hosted ArenaBowl XII ( 1998 ) and ArenaBowl XVII ( 2003 ) and the 2007 ACC Men ' s Basketball Tournament . The Forum hosted the 2008 NCAA Women ' s Division I Final Four Basketball Tournament on April 6 – 8 . Tennessee beat Stanford , 64 – 48 . In 2009 , the Forum hosted the Southeastern Conference Men ' s Basketball Tournament . In 2009 , Britney Spears performed at the Forum for her " The Circus Starring Britney Spears " tour . The show is also notable for a wardrobe malfunction and the remark , " Okay , my pussy is hanging out of this fucking - - " , after she performed " I ' m a Slave 4 U " and didn ' t realize that her mic was still on . The incident later received notable attention and has received thousands of views on YouTube . She returned to the arena two years later for her Femme Fatale Tour . WWE Raw and WWE SmackDown has been held at the arena numerous times . Raw hosted their three hour 800th episode celebration on November 3 , 2008 along with the December 21 , 2009 edition where Johnny Damon served as the guest host and the first Raw of 2013 on January 7 featuring the return of The Rock . Tampa hosted WWE Extreme Rules on May 1 , 2011 and it was the arena ' s first WWE PPV since Survivor Series 2000 in 11 years after they replaced the Amway Center in Orlando , the original location for the event . Following the PPV ' s conclusion , newly crowned WWE Champion John Cena announced the death of Osama Bin Laden which resulted in a big " USA ! " chant and internal public address system of the Forum then proceeded to play " Stars and Stripes Forever " . The arena was slated to host an NBA preseason game in 2010 between the Orlando Magic and Miami Heat , the league ' s two Florida teams . However , months before the game , the arena ' s basketball floor was treated with an oil - based cleaning solution that resulted in a slippery film forming on it . According to Magic players , the floor was so slippery that they had to walk through their shootaround . The game was canceled half an hour before the scheduled tipoff , and fans received a full refund . In 2012 , the Tampa Bay Times Forum played host to the NCAA Hockey Frozen Four championship finals ; this was the first time the " Frozen Four " was held outside the northern US since 1999 , when the University of Alaska Anchorage hosted the event at the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim , now the Honda Center , in Anaheim , California . The Frozen Four was hosted by the University of Alabama in Huntsville , the nearest collegiate hockey team to Florida . Boston College won the National Championship game 4 – 1 against Ferris State . On April 21 , 2012 , The Tampa Bay Times Forum was host to Rammstein on their Made In Germany tour . The Tampa Bay Times Forum hosted the 2012 Republican National Convention . The Tampa Bay Times Forum is set to be the home of the Tampa Bay Flames of the Universal Basketball Association .