Tampa Bay Lightning is a professional hockey team that plays in the National Hockey League (NHL) . Tampa Bay competes in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays in Amalie Arena in Tampa.
Tampa Bay entered the NHL as an expansion team for the 1992-1993 season. The team made the playoffs only once until the 2002-2003 season, when it won its division. The Lightning won the Stanley Cup in 2003-2004 behind left winger Dave Andreychuk, right winger Martin St. Louis, centers Vincent Lecavalier and Brad Richards, and defenseman Dan Boyle. Tampa Bay won its conference title for the 2014-2015 season, led by centers Steven Stamkos and Tyler Johnson. The team lost in the Stanley Cup finals to the Chicago Blackhawks .
Tampa Bay had the best record in the Eastern Conference for both the 2017-2018 and the 2018-2019 seasons. In 2020 and 2021, the Lightning won consecutive Stanley Cups. Stars of those teams included defenseman Victor Hedman, right winger Nikita Kucherov, center Brayden Point, Stamkos, and goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy.
