Phil Esposito named to the Tampa Bay Lightning Hall of Fame
Feb 15, 2023
Published in
Not in Hall of Fame News
Regular visitors of Notinhalloffame.com know that we are slowly working on the top 50 of every major team in the NHL, NBA, NFL and MLB. Once that is done, we intend to look at how each team honor their past players, coaches and executives. As such, it is important to us that the Seattle Mariners have announced that Phil Esposito has been chosen for the inaugural Tampa Bay Lightning Hall of Fame class.
Esposito will be honored on alumni weekend (March 16-18), and will be part of the first class with already named inductees, Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier.
"As good as the Lightning are now, expanding the NHL into Florida was a daunting task as big-time hockey had never been tried in this warm weather state. Esposito was tasked as the team’s first General Manager, and he used his creativity to generate as much interest in the product as he could. The Lightning only reached the playoffs once under Esposito, but he laid the groundwork for the team to make it. He would later serve as their radio color analyst.
We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Phil Esposito for this impending honor.
Tampa Bay to Retire Martin St. Louis' Number
Oct 06, 2016
Published in
Not in Hall of Fame News
Sometime…eventually, we will finish our look at the Top 50 Players of all-time for each major franchise.
Once that is completed, our next step is a look at how each organization honors their past players/executives. As such, it is news to us that the Tampa Bay Lightning will be retiring the #26 of Martin St. Louis who recently retired from professional hockey.
St. Louis played two uneventful seasons in Calgary before signing with Tampa as a Free Agent. In 13 seasons as a Lightning, St. Louis scored 953 Points, won the Hart Trophy, The Art Ross, three Lady Byngs and was named to five post season All Star Teams. Most importantly, St. Louis took Tampa Bay to their first Stanley Cup win in 2004.
The retirement of his number will take place on January 13, 2017 at home against the Columbus Blue Jackets, who are currently coached by John Tortorella, who was Tampa Bay’s coach in their Stanley Cup win.
With the exception of the mandated retirement of Wayne Gretzky’s #99, this marks the first time the Lightning have retired the number of any former player.
We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Martin St. Louis for achieving this accolade.
Once that is completed, our next step is a look at how each organization honors their past players/executives. As such, it is news to us that the Tampa Bay Lightning will be retiring the #26 of Martin St. Louis who recently retired from professional hockey.
St. Louis played two uneventful seasons in Calgary before signing with Tampa as a Free Agent. In 13 seasons as a Lightning, St. Louis scored 953 Points, won the Hart Trophy, The Art Ross, three Lady Byngs and was named to five post season All Star Teams. Most importantly, St. Louis took Tampa Bay to their first Stanley Cup win in 2004.
The retirement of his number will take place on January 13, 2017 at home against the Columbus Blue Jackets, who are currently coached by John Tortorella, who was Tampa Bay’s coach in their Stanley Cup win.
With the exception of the mandated retirement of Wayne Gretzky’s #99, this marks the first time the Lightning have retired the number of any former player.
We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Martin St. Louis for achieving this accolade.
Dan Boyle Retires
Oct 06, 2016
Published in
Not in Hall of Fame News
This week, 17 year NHL veteran Dan Boyle retired in San Jose, the home of six of his pro seasons.
The defenseman grinded out a long career after being undrafted out of Miami University. Signing with the Florida Panthers, the native of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada would play 129 games for the South Florida team but a trade across the state to the Tampa Bay Lightning would see him turn around his career.
Under the guidance of John Tortorella, Boyle would enjoy his first 50 Point season (2002-03) and was a significant part of the Lightning’s first (and to date, only) Stanley Cup win in 2004. Three years later he would be named a Second Team All Star.
Following the 2007-08 season, Boyle was traded to the San Jose Sharks, where he would go to his first All Star Game and again make Second Team All Star honors. Despite being a loaded team, San Jose was never able to get over the hump and make the Stanley Cup Finals. After six seasons in San Jose, Boyle would play his last two years with the New York Rangers.
Over his career in the National Hockey League, Dan Boyle played in 1,093 Games scoring 163 Goals with 442 Assists. Along with the coveted Stanley Cup he won with Tampa, he also has a Gold Medal with Team Canada in the 2010 Olympics.
Boyle will be eligible for the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2019. While he isn’t likely to get enshrined, we suspect he will earn a spot on our Notinhalloffame.com Hockey 100.
The defenseman grinded out a long career after being undrafted out of Miami University. Signing with the Florida Panthers, the native of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada would play 129 games for the South Florida team but a trade across the state to the Tampa Bay Lightning would see him turn around his career.
Under the guidance of John Tortorella, Boyle would enjoy his first 50 Point season (2002-03) and was a significant part of the Lightning’s first (and to date, only) Stanley Cup win in 2004. Three years later he would be named a Second Team All Star.
Following the 2007-08 season, Boyle was traded to the San Jose Sharks, where he would go to his first All Star Game and again make Second Team All Star honors. Despite being a loaded team, San Jose was never able to get over the hump and make the Stanley Cup Finals. After six seasons in San Jose, Boyle would play his last two years with the New York Rangers.
Over his career in the National Hockey League, Dan Boyle played in 1,093 Games scoring 163 Goals with 442 Assists. Along with the coveted Stanley Cup he won with Tampa, he also has a Gold Medal with Team Canada in the 2010 Olympics.
Boyle will be eligible for the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2019. While he isn’t likely to get enshrined, we suspect he will earn a spot on our Notinhalloffame.com Hockey 100.
40. Vincent LeCavilier
Jul 26, 2015
Published in
Hockey
Vincent Lecavalier was saddled some lofty expectations when he entered the National Hockey League and while that level of excellence may not have been met (from the view he was seen at age 19), this is still a player who had one hell of a career.
88. Brad Richards
Jul 25, 2015
Published in
Hockey
Just how incredible was 2004 for Brad Richards? The product of Prince Edward Island won the Conn Smythe Award (with 7 Game Winning Goals) as the MVP of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, helping to bring the Tampa Bay Lightning their first taste of hockey’s holy grail. That regular season also saw Richards win the Lady Byng.
Martin St. Louis Retires
Jul 05, 2015
Published in
Not in Hall of Fame News
This retirement caught us a little by surprise.
Coveted hockey Free Agent, Martin St. Louis has announced that he is retiring from the game after seventeen seasons. The question we now always ask is has he done enough to enter the Hockey Hall of Fame?
St. Louis was a star player in the NCAA for the Vermont Catamounts where he would set the all time record for points scored for the collegiate hockey power. Considered undersized at five foot nine, the forward did not receive the attention from the National Hockey League and went undrafted but he would sign with the Calgary Flames, though that was after having to prove himself with the Cleveland Lumberjacks in the IHL.
He would make his official debut in the NHL in 1998 and was regulated to the fourth line and left unprotected in the NHL expansion draft. Following that he was released by Calgary and would sign with the Tampa Bay Lightning, a team that he thought would afford him the most playing time. As it turns out, he was right.
It was with the Lightning that his game would blossom and he would open up his game and rely on his initial instincts. In his third year with Tampa Bay, St. Louis would win the scoring title, led the NHL in plus/minus, and won the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player. Even better, this would be the season where he would win the Stanley Cup with the Lightning, which would be his only.
While Martin St. Louis would not win the Hart Trophy again, his trophy case continued to grow. Complimenting the NHL First Team honors he won during his Stanley Cup winning season, St. Louis would be named to the Second Team four times and win the Lady Byng three times. He would also win the Art Ross Trophy a second time, this time late in his career during the 2012/13 season.
St. Louis would finish his career with the New York Rangers where he was seeking a second Stanley Cup ring. It was expected that the still productive 39 year old would latch on to another NHL club, but he elected to retire instead.
His career would end with 1,033 Points in 1,134 career Games, a stat that accumulatively may not reflect other Hockey Hall of Fame inductees but is impressive when you look at the era in which he played. We here at Notinhalloffame.com expect that he has done enough to enter the hallowed halls of Toronto and will be giving him a very high ranking on out hockey list in three years when he is eligible.
Coveted hockey Free Agent, Martin St. Louis has announced that he is retiring from the game after seventeen seasons. The question we now always ask is has he done enough to enter the Hockey Hall of Fame?
St. Louis was a star player in the NCAA for the Vermont Catamounts where he would set the all time record for points scored for the collegiate hockey power. Considered undersized at five foot nine, the forward did not receive the attention from the National Hockey League and went undrafted but he would sign with the Calgary Flames, though that was after having to prove himself with the Cleveland Lumberjacks in the IHL.
He would make his official debut in the NHL in 1998 and was regulated to the fourth line and left unprotected in the NHL expansion draft. Following that he was released by Calgary and would sign with the Tampa Bay Lightning, a team that he thought would afford him the most playing time. As it turns out, he was right.
It was with the Lightning that his game would blossom and he would open up his game and rely on his initial instincts. In his third year with Tampa Bay, St. Louis would win the scoring title, led the NHL in plus/minus, and won the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player. Even better, this would be the season where he would win the Stanley Cup with the Lightning, which would be his only.
While Martin St. Louis would not win the Hart Trophy again, his trophy case continued to grow. Complimenting the NHL First Team honors he won during his Stanley Cup winning season, St. Louis would be named to the Second Team four times and win the Lady Byng three times. He would also win the Art Ross Trophy a second time, this time late in his career during the 2012/13 season.
St. Louis would finish his career with the New York Rangers where he was seeking a second Stanley Cup ring. It was expected that the still productive 39 year old would latch on to another NHL club, but he elected to retire instead.
His career would end with 1,033 Points in 1,134 career Games, a stat that accumulatively may not reflect other Hockey Hall of Fame inductees but is impressive when you look at the era in which he played. We here at Notinhalloffame.com expect that he has done enough to enter the hallowed halls of Toronto and will be giving him a very high ranking on out hockey list in three years when he is eligible.