The Dysfunctional 1997-98 Tampa Bay Lightning

Alright, so doing a video on their best got me looking through old yearbooks and I had to discuss agruably their worst season in the NHL which included a lot of uncertainty at the top.
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[@stayfrosty7558]

vinny lecavalier “The Michael Jordan of hockey” Wayne Gretzky~ Am I a Joke to you?

[@luctoulouse]

It was said by the owner at the time...... A guy that never watch a hockey game.....

[@youknowimright.3137]

Our owner at the time really didn't know sqaut about hockey at the time.

[@hugh2hoob668]

Nah but Wayne was a baby cried in 1993 after habs won

[@kyyva4533]

Lecavalier changed the way guys played, bedore the crosby era , before lecavalier the wayne and mario days were over,players were stale which became more fighting and tough hockey... vinny gets drafted he came out showing a biggee kid can use skill and speed to change the way hockey was played

[@JarradBruessel32]

You can add the coyotes from 2018-2019 to the list of teams to not produce one 20 goal scorer in a single season.

[@ScarecrOmega]

Ysebaert was league worst -43 in '97/'98, but league best +44 in '91/'92

[@SverigeiSverige]

Yes, with Detroit.

[@mthees08]

The year is 2055 and THG is making a video about Keith Marner (Mitch Marner's Son) winning the double overtime game 7 Stanley Cup winning goal for the New Mexico Bombs against the Boston Bruins. As the video ends, he now says his famous signature signoff "Please remember to wash your hands, and good night". The younger members of the audience don't get the reference. I have deep flashbacks to the toilet paper wars of '21. My son wakes me from my comatic stare into the distance. It was all a dream...

[@jasonfire3434]

Chara and Thornton are probably still playing

[@Nikkerman]

Lmao I love the fact that the yakuza had a stake in the franchise at some point here

[@Kenny_D27]

You should do a “Worst Season Series” where you go over each teams worst single season

[@resterdebout57]

I remember Mark Fitzpatrick being the worst rated goalie in NHL99.

[@JHockeyFan]

Never forget that the Lightning were owned by the Yakuza.

[@JustinMullally]

I remember 97-98. I was 13yo. My saddest Bolts memory was that April: My dad had a ticket package and we had one game left. We started driving to the game and I mentioned that I had homework to do, he said he was tired too. A few minutes later I told him I lied about the homework and I just really didn't want to go to the game. He quietly turned around and went home. I think he felt the same way because I was fully expecting a lecture about how much he paid for those tickets and instead got a nod. We weren't fair weather fans at all. We've probably watched or listened to 99% of games since 1992, but the Bolts were just brutal to watch that year. I believe we got blown away by the Flyers that night.

[@ScarecrOmega]

OK, so this should put the lid on people asking "When will _____ team win the Stanley Cup?" 20 times every livestream

[@schlatt2574]

Scarecrow7 yes

[@Beetchaz]

You are underestimating humans ability to be dumb

[@ricktacular6316]

Which Canadian team will in the cup first is another question I hear a lot on the live stream.

[@paulvardon6653]

So your saying their is a chance ,

[@brianpisz4471]

Zach birek is younger brother of Sabastian Bach from 80’s metal band Skid Row

[@mayureshanmuhunthan3876]

One year ago today... You know what happened.

[@LeanMrfuzzles]

At least we've won a playoff round in the last 16 years

[@youknowimright.3137]

2012 first round....you had 2 minutes then... choke

[@SverigeiSverige]

Derek Fox who?

[@BadErnest]

I went to my first hockey game that season. Bolts beat the Sharks 2-1 on December 29. We were going to buy tickets but we ran into two league officials in the parking garage and they gave us free ones! Louie DeBrusk fought Marty McSorley. Not 100% sure but I think it was Hamrlik’s last game as a bolt.

[@patch8376]

Great to hear you have a bunch of lists ideas. Goalies of the future THN curse, more bad seasons, great seasons/bad playoffs, etc.

[@TheCanucksfan59]

It’s so weird to me how Tampa was a struggling team for so long. Goes to show how some franchises really can change their destiny

[@thatguywatchingyou17]

As a Rangers fan, a career video on Marty St. Louis would be cool if you haven't done that yet

[@ianzellick4980]

Can’t wait for the goalies of the future video. Freakin looooong one though

[@poonking3628]

Tampa Bay from 1998-2001 couldn’t crack 60 points as a team.... That’s a hilarious level of awful

[@skinflaver]

This looks like the natural rotation of a team. But canadian teams can't seem to do this. Be bad then get really good. I think this is because the pressure canadian teams are under to spend to cap and always be good. So we end up fighting the current and just staying above water and missing franchise players. Like Toronto struggling to stay relivent traded two future stars for a quick fix in Kessel. Montreal same thing. The only team to allow this just happened recently in Toronto and Edmonton. They let the natural flow of being bad for awhile to make the gradual claw to contender. This doesn't always happen at the same speed. And its not an exact science. But all the teams that allow themselves to be bad and have good management end up being a top team.

[@bladecutter1]

I think a series of "What in the world went wrong with this team?" videos is a great idea. But leave out obvious ones, where the reason was because they were tanking was to try to get a specific player (Yes, I'm looking at you, Pittsburgh), but where the team should have been decent, but just slipped on a banana peel, and landed face first into a whoopee cushion cream pie game in and game out, all season long (Yes, I'm looking at you, 2016-2017 Colorado Avalanche).

[@jasonfire3434]

06-07 Flyers for sure. Playoffs before and after, dead last that year

[@bdonaghu]

I present the 2018-19 Buffalo Sabres... First place team after November, then just collapsed.

[@c71score]

I remember those Lightning teams. As a Pens fan, I was scared to play against them. Was anticipating the line brawls of the Trader Phil Ranger teams.

[@santib9039]

Only recently found this channel, and I've enjoyed this content. I definitely feel kinda lucky that I was essentially a baby when the Lightning were in their years of bottoming out around the turn of the millennium. If I thought last year's first round exit was bad I can't even imagine watching a whole season of worse hockey than that series lol. But as to your point with how things can change quickly it's pretty cool that in this historically bad season for the franchise Pavel Kubina got his first cup of coffee and the season would lead to the Lightning drafting Lecavalier first overall: and those two guys were key cogs to the 2004 Cup out of awfulness of the 97-98 campaign. Goes to show how much changes in this sport quickly.

[@OttawaNow]

TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING IN THE HOCKEY HALL OF FAME 01. 2000: Denis Savard 02. 2004: Cliff Fletcher 03. 2010: Dino Ciccarelli 04. 2017: Mark Recchi 05. 2017: Dave Andreychuk 06. 2018: Martin St. Louis

[@tevinsherrill5653]

Little known fact: The 1997-98 Lightning started 2-1-1. After beating the Blackhawks 4-1 in Chicago, they didn't win again until November 19 against the Rangers.

[@victorm3237]

I swear this team had every enforcer on it: Mick Vukota, Sandy McCarthy, Lois Debrusk, Andrei Nazarov, Erinco Ciccone, Bryan Marchement

[@checubanil7385]

Man Jacques Demers had a tough time in Tampa: 15-428 record

[@flyingtiger1603]

Canucks “Goalies of the future” who didn’t work: Mike Fountain, Alex Auld, Kevin Weekes, Eddie Lack, Mike DiPietro. There’s also probably more that I’m not thinking of.

[@rileykazama3145]

0 12 and 1 ouch

[@-EJ-]

Fun fact, these videos are posted on the one year anniversary of the blue jackets sweeping the bolts. I’m sorry lighting fans, but it’s still funny.

[@UncleAnaesthesia]

You forgot to mention they also had Mick Vukota and Bryan Marchment, so yeah, this team was goon central after the trade deadline that year.

[@lonelycake4114]

That renberg for 4 1st rounders was weird, then tampa traded himback to philly 🤦

[@jadenippersiel912]

A lot of gms get seem to get the wrong idea when it comes to building a “mean” team. They seem to go out and get guys who can fight but that doesn’t often work out for them. An actual tough team plays the game well, and isn’t afraid to stand up for teammates or have the occasional fight. Adding players who are well rounded with a hint of intimidation are much better than having a slow guy just to pound someone’s skull, as the team is still suffering every minute he is on and off the ice

[@LSLS5555]

They did such a disservice to Vinny at the start of his career. Torts really turned his entire career (and Vinny will tell you as much). Anyways, great review.

[@ricktacular6316]

44 points for Tampa, Detroit this season has 39 points so if we had a full season would Detroit surpass 44 points?

[@klompsauce]

Hell of an over/under you got there. I'd call it a push, but I think we'd get it

[@jasonfire3434]

There were no OT or shootout points that season, so Tampa probably would've gotten 2 or 3 more points now.

[@cjt-zv8vx]

I remember that season; I actually got to witness a win over the Panthers with about 4000 other fans. That was their last home win that year. It really was a joke of season!

[@youknowimright.3137]

I had luxury box tickets for that game. Still have my program.

[@bdonaghu]

11:03, I get nervous when Buffalo fans say that about Ukka-Pekka Luukkonen...

[@ghammer01]

Rick Dudley was actually the GM that got the team on the path to the Stanley Cup. Feaster was the assistant GM, and took over the year before the Stanley Cup. Dudley had acquired St. Louis and other big pieces of that championship team. Just saying...

[@boltinabottle6307]

My first jersey looked just like that. No name or number but I loved it.

[@Al-jq6yp]

Fun Fact: Enrico Ciccone is now a politician in Québec

[@youngcarlos123]

Keep up the Tampa videos

[@GreatLordJason]

Rick Dipietro is the king of the Goalies of the Future.

[@youknowimright.3137]

Feaster didn't take over as GM. Rick Dudley did.

[@hugh2hoob668]

Loved Vinny Lecavalier

[@schlatt2574]

Do a career video on St. Louis

[@CheapSeatsSports]

Was this team more dysfunctional than the 2010 Mariners?

[@maverik094]

Two videos about Tampa on the same day? Is that X-mas? lol

[@329woody]

I'll be damned Enrico Ciccone name just popped into my head before I watched the video.

[@ckendall67]

Calling the 1997-98 Tampa Bay Lightning "Dysfunctional" is actually being kind to them - they were gawd awful that year Lol( 17 wins, 44 pts in 82 GP ) ;-) But over time, they gradually began to turn the corner....and in 2004 they finally realized their dream.... :-D

[@love4nycyaya]

You can argue they were less bad at home.

[@kyyva4533]

Ps 4 yrs into vinny career.. lord stanley

[@schanderson]

Wow...I'm wondering how many fans would think that the 1989-1990 Nordiques were worse than the 1997-1998 Tampa Bay Lightning if you ignored their records.

[@ScarecrOmega]

That Quebec team had 4 HOFers on the roster plus a handful of other decent players, it's weird to think how bad they were.

[@SverigeiSverige]

Scarecrow7 Joe Sakic, Michel Goulet? Peter Stastny?, and?

[@Nickleblanc41]

Art Williams was just referencing the wrong Rimouski Oceanic.

[@Madbro204]

So they’re the 19/20 Detroit red wings. 😖

[@JuicyPlayer]

Was Takashi Okubo a real person?

[@nonameisaname8480]

awesome

[@adamkerr9872]

Are you doing a off-season outlook today for the Red Wings are you doing it tomorrow

[@AndreMikulec1]

Red Wings need help. I am going to start crying now!

[@Nickleblanc41]

So Detroit wins the cup in 6 years?

[@michaeltammara5171]

I’m listening 🎧 ⛑️

[@skinflaver]

I remember this, when Tampa was bad.

[@198634]

Dysfunctional??? Jesus - have you been watching the leafs these past seasons ?? THATS DYSFUNCTIONAL!!

[@billybrah4904]

Zac Bierk was the brother of some heavy metal rocker who had about 15 minutes of fame

[@youknowimright.3137]

He was fun to watch.

[@RayLahey]

All fighters and no offense, now all offense and no fighters,

[@clydeblair9622]

I love fish sticks!

[@schlatt2574]

So the Wing’s could turn around?

[@joeyc9208]

Wings outlook today?

[@S.M.214]

Millions earned by the players and spent by the fans for a really poor product. The NHL is not worth hard earned dollars in many markets.