Tampa, Florida					Thursday, September 09, 2010

A Special Bolt Fan At A Special Game
Saturday, October 11, 2003
TAMPA—Rinkside, on the fifty, first row behind the glass on the penalty box side, and so glad to be there and involved in the compelling Lightning opening night, was one among those who made all this hockey experience in Tampa Bay happen. David LeFevre flew in from New York with a couple of sports franchise associates for the Friday night 5-1 Lightning domination of the Boston Bruins. This usually composed New York lawyer, LeFevre, cheered at every opportunity which began early in this game, and never abated. He loved it, and why not? The night belonged to this team he helped found in the sleek arena (St.Pete Times Forum) he helped made possible. I know, I was alongside him in his adventure, as well as Friday night rinkside, as we were with wife Linda Friday in two of the five lightning season ticket seats he plans to keep forever. With him Friday, too, was a Toronto architect who specializes in arenas, as does LeFevre in the franchise developing and lawyering from his New York offices. A sports patron, you bet. Yep, LeFevre has season tickets to the New York Yankees and Rangers and with our Phil Esposito they still own, buy, build and sell sports franchises all over the place. But Friday night, LeFevre was celebrating with the sellout crowd of over 20,000 at the splendid this hockey performance of the team with which he has always been so involved. With Esposito and Associates years ago won the Lightning franchise from the National Hockey League, then did so much to assure the construction of the arena that was first the Ice Palace, and now is the Times Forum. He got some reward Friday night when the newest Lightning starter, Cory Stillman, scored the first Tampa goal less than two minutes into the action and then scored another, the third of the game, in the second period. LeFevre and the rest of us saw the runaway no one could have predicted, and all that of the rest that went with opening night. Why, the packed house saw the raising of the NHL Southeast Division championship banner to the Forum rafters, the stirring national anthem presentation by Brooke Bollea, talented and beautiful daughter of Tampa ring (not rink) star, wrestler Hulk Hogan, by birth, Terry Bollea, fireworks, fun, but mostly the 5-1 runaway over Boston. LeFevre was an associate of Esposito and Associates in winning the NHL franchise for Tampa, finding the funding for the old Ice Palace which would be home to the first Lightning teams. LeFevre and Esposito and Partners in time sold to insurance man Art Williams, never comfortable in the role, who sold to the Bill Davison Group out of Detroit (Pistons) who have produced now the top of the line Lightning with which LeFevre was so impressed—weren’t	all?—Friday with the 5-1 blap of Boston in the 2003-04 regular season opener. I mean, four different skaters scored in that game, with more than a dozen involved in the point-producing, and as important as anything in this impressive Tampa win, the stopping of 29 shots on goal by the Lightning all-star goalie, Nikolai Khabibulin, 29 of 30, by the way. He had another all-star night. But, the play of the newest Lightning stud scorer, Cory Stillman, was a capper. “Here’s what I saw,’’ said LeFevre, “was the product of three difference ownerships who did what has proven right for the team. No owner came in to Tampa and cleaned house just to clean house. All brought in good players, just like Ron Campbell and Jay Feaster brought in Cory Stillman now. “:This has been a kind of building block principle and it has worked well. Just look, Fredrik Modin, Pavel Kubina, Jassen Cullimore, Vincent Levavalier, Khabibulin and Grahame in goal have been signed and played. Brad Richards, Martin St, Louis, and so on. And now they have a balanced team of youth and experience, quality, speed and muscle. “Hockey is 50 per cent goal tending. The Lightning has it. In fact, its tandem may be the best in the NHL:. And clearly, John Tortorella has done a top notch job putting this team together, in no small part due to the people in the front office,’’ including LeFevre. I have to add. “Just look at the addition of the new man, Stillman.’’ During this past 2002-2003 season of winning the Southeast title, GM Feaster began to prepare for whoever he may lose. Vinny Prospal looked like the man. Salary cappage would prevent the Lightning paying Prospal, a scoring hero last season here with Richards, St. Louis and Lecavalier, would become a free agent the Lightning figured could not pay the $10 million he might want. They went looking. Bill Barber, a former top notch left winger and talent man of the Lightning, liked Stillman at St. Louis, who was going to be on the market. He had scored 30 goals the last five healthy seasons. He was a veteran approaching 30 and a point producer. He was married with three kids, from near Toronto. The Lightning like the style of North American players, the tough-guy approach. Feaster did the deal for $2.8 million and is glad he did for this good guy, scorer who is good in the locker room and what do you know, he scored twice in his first ever Lightning Friday. “Looks like a good deal to me,’’ LeFevre, a Lightning founder and one time governor. All who saw the new man score 1:54 minutes into his first game as a Bolt agree. I know all in the LeFevre Row rinkside Friday feel that way. Don’t you? ##
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