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111-451: The Florida Orchestra gives some 100 concerts yearly. Series include the "Tampa Bay Times Masterworks," "Raymond James Pops," "Coffee Concerts," "Rock Concerts," and the free "Pops in the Park" and "Youth Concerts." The Florida Orchestra's history is steeped in orchestral tradition from both sides of Tampa Bay. In the 1930s, Tampa already had a strong orchestra scene with a WPA orchestra, and by

222-594: A Stanley Cup run with the Montreal Canadiens in 1993, he was unable to change the team's fortunes and the Lightning ended up losing 55 games. That team's .268 winning percentage is still the worst in franchise history. By most accounts, the Lightning's plunge to the bottom of the NHL was due to inattentive ownership by Kokusai Green. Rumors abounded as early as the team's second season that the Lightning were on

333-704: A Tampa-based group fronted by Phil Esposito and his brother Tony , both members of the Hockey Hall of Fame . One of the Esposito group's key backers, the Pritzker family , backed out a few months before the bid, to be replaced by a consortium of Japanese businesses headed by Kokusai Green, a golf course and resort operator. Although it appeared on paper that the Karmanos/Rutherford group had more financial resources, it only wanted to pay $ 29 million of

444-525: A ThunderDome crowd of 28,183. This was the largest crowd for an NHL game, a record that stood until the 2003 Heritage Classic in Edmonton; and it still stands today as the largest crowd at a Stanley Cup playoffs game. An injury to Puppa in that game, however, would see the Lightning lose the next three games and the series. The Lightning moved into a new arena in downtown Tampa, the Ice Palace (later

555-746: A buyer. Although William Davidson , longtime owner of the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA), was thought to be the frontrunner, the buyer turned out to be insurance tycoon and motivational speaker Art Williams , who previously owned the Birmingham Barracudas of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The team was $ 102 million in debt at the time the sale closed. Williams knew very little about hockey, but

666-647: A chance to overtake the Thrashers one final time and once again become division champions for the third time in team history, on April 6, 2007, in the final week of the regular season, the Lightning suffered a loss to the Florida Panthers , the night before the season finale in Atlanta. That same night, the Thrashers defeated the Carolina Hurricanes and subsequently clinched the division. For

777-623: A combined increase in paid attendance of 15%. The orchestra collaborated with local NHL hockey team, the Tampa Bay Lightning , to produce the team's new theme song, Be the Thunder . The anthem, composed by Gregory Smith, was accompanied by video footage of the Lightning and The Florida Orchestra as the hockey team took the ice at every home game at the Tampa Bay Times Forum during the 2011–2012 season. In addition to

888-541: A company of which he was a director would raise millions of dollars in investments in the Lightning, but his plans were unsuccessful and he was later convicted of wire fraud. The Lightning played their first preseason game in September 1992 against the Minnesota North Stars , and then turned heads later that preseason when Manon Rhéaume became the first woman to play in an NHL game, which also made her

999-556: A fourth-round draft pick in 2009 . Jan Hlavac , a regular contributor, was also traded, moving to the Nashville Predators in exchange for a seventh-round pick in 2008 . Defenseman Dan Boyle was re-signed to a six-year contract extension reportedly worth $ 40 million. However, after the trade deadline, the Lightning fared no better than they had throughout the entire season. After the February 26 trade deadline,

1110-404: A franchise cornerstone player for years to come. The Lightning were the worst team on the road in the NHL, winning only 11 games. Another showing of the team's poor play was the difference from the previous season's success in the overtime/shootout periods. In the 2006–07 season, the Lightning had one of the best extra period records, winning 15 games in either overtime or the shootout. However, in

1221-512: A guest conductor with instrumental soloists, including Benny Goodman in 1960 for a performance of Mozart's Clarinet Concerto at Lewisohn Stadium. In addition, he conducted the Symphony of the Air in the live prime-time television special Spring Festival of Music for CBS Television . This collaboration with the pianist John Browning and the producer Robert Herridge showcased a performance of

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1332-446: A lower point total at this time of the season, with 40 points. On February 13, 2008, it was announced that Palace Sports & Entertainment had agreed to sell the Lightning to OK Hockey LLC, a group headed by Oren Koules , a producer of the Saw horror movies, and Len Barrie , a former NHL player and real estate developer. The Lightning were active during the trade deadline, similar to

1443-501: A movement from Sergie Rachmaninoff's Second Piano Concerto. The performance was noted for its musical excellence as well as its dramatic visual presentation on television. In 1962, Antonini collaborated with First Lady of the United States Jacqueline Kennedy , director Franklin J. Schaffner , and journalist Charles Collingwood of CBS News for the groundbreaking television documentary A Tour of

1554-589: A multi-year cultural exchange with Cuba. After several months of communications with Cuba's Music Institute of Havana (Instituto de Música de La Habana), The Florida Orchestra Wind Quintet performed in Havana at the end of September 2011, which was the first time since 1999 that a professional American orchestra had sent musicians to Cuba and only the second time since the 1959 revolution. The cultural exchange continued in November 2012, when The Florida Orchestra presented

1665-399: A performance of Delius' Sea Drift and Appalachia . In 2014, the orchestra released another CD, Holiday Pops Live! on its label TFO Live! In 2003, the orchestra musicians ratified a contract that cut their pay by 16%, after the prior season had reported a fiscal deficit . There was also a plan to increase the endowment of the orchestra from $ 8 million to $ 25 million. However,

1776-476: A player who would be a cornerstone of the team for years to come. Williams was widely seen as being in over his head. Early in the 1998–99 season, the Lightning lost ten games in a row, all but ending any chance of making the playoffs. They ended up losing 54 games that year, more than the expansion Nashville Predators . By the spring of 1999, Williams had seen enough. He had not attended a game in some time because "this team broke my heart". He lost $ 20 million in

1887-611: A playoff spot. Unable to make a final push for the playoffs, they were officially eliminated from contention within the first week of April. The Lightning finished the season 34–36–12 for 80 points, fourth in the Southeast Division and 12th in the Eastern Conference. Steven Stamkos scored 51 goals in just his second NHL season, earning himself a share of the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy by finishing tied for

1998-732: A purchase agreement for the team and the leasehold on the St. Pete Times Forum. MacLean is the former president and general manager of the Columbus Blue Jackets and former head coach for both the Blue Jackets and the Florida Panthers. The group announced it planned to keep the team in Tampa, but the deal collapsed during the 2007–08 season. The Lightning struggled to maintain success during the 2007–08 campaign . Although

2109-438: A record of 30–43–11 for 71 points. Another disappointing season followed in the lockout-shortened 1994–95 season with a record of 17–28–3 for 37 points. In their fourth season, 1995–96 , backed by Bradley's team-leading 79 points, second-year forward Alexander Selivanov 's 31 goals, and Roman Hamrlik 's All-Star year on defense, the Lightning finally qualified for the playoffs, posting a 38–32–12 record for 88 points, ahead of

2220-588: A record of 36–25–16 for 93 points, breaking the 90-point barrier for the first time in team history. They won the division by just one point, giving them home-ice advantage in their first-round match-up with the Capitals. At season's end, coach Tortorella was recognized for his efforts by being named a finalist for the Jack Adams Award , losing out to Jacques Lemaire of the Minnesota Wild . In

2331-538: A record of 46–22–8–6 for 106 points, second-best in the NHL after the Western Conference's Detroit Red Wings—the first 100-point season in franchise history. The Lightning lost only 20 man-games to injury. In the first round of the playoffs, the Lightning ousted the New York Islanders in five games, with Khabibulin posting shutouts in games 1, 3, and 4. In the second round, the Lightning faced

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2442-608: A recording of the song Amapola (Columbia, #17202-D) and Nestor Chayres for a recording of Granada (Decca, #23770 A). At the close of the decade in 1948, Antonini also appeared as the conductor in the premier program of the CBS Symphony Summer Series which was broadcast live over the CBS Radio network. During this time he also collaborated with leading orchestral musicians including Julius Baker , and Mitch Miller . Several of his performances with

2553-458: A season, with 95 (finishing with 108). The record was previously held by Martin St. Louis, who had set the record in the 2003–04 Stanley Cup-winning year. Lecavalier also broke the franchise's goal-scoring record, finishing with a league-leading 52 goals. The Lightning were busy during the final weeks before the NHL's trade deadline, acquiring wingers Kyle Wanvig , Stephen Baby and defenseman Shane O'Brien . Former first-round pick Nikita Alexeev

2664-775: A variety of gala concerts. He also performed with Roberta Peters at the Lewisohn Stadium at City College . In 1971, Antonini served as musical director on the CBS Television premier of Ezra Laderman 's opera And David Wept , earning an Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Religious Programming (1972). He collaborated in this premier production with such operatic luminaries as Sherrill Milnes , Rosalind Elias , and Ara Berberian . Several years later, in 1975, he joined forces once again with Berberian and mezzo-soprano Elaine Bonazzi for

2775-525: A website with the slogan "Seen Stamkos?" On July 4, 2008, Dan Boyle, despite coming off a recent contract extension, was traded (along with Brad Lukowich ) to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Matt Carle , Ty Wishart , a first-round draft pick in 2009 and a fourth-round pick in 2010 . Boyle was pressured to waive his no-trade clause by Tampa Bay's ownership, who said they would otherwise place him on waivers, where he would likely be claimed by

2886-482: Is held at the Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museum. Certain concerts are performed at other locations. In the fall of 2011, The Florida Orchestra announced its Accessibility Initiative, which effectively reduced ticket prices to all of its Masterworks and Pops concerts. Due to this initiative, as well as the programming on the 2011–2012 season, the orchestra saw a marked growth in subscriptions and single tickets, with

2997-522: Is owned by Jeffrey Vinik , and the general manager is Julien BriseBois . Jon Cooper has served as head coach since March 2013, and is the longest-tenured active head coach in the NHL. In the late 1980s, the NHL announced it would expand. Two rival groups from the Tampa Bay Area decided to bid for a franchise: a St. Petersburg -based group fronted by future Hartford Whalers / Carolina Hurricanes owners Peter Karmanos and Jim Rutherford , and

3108-663: Is the Ocean - Irving Berlin and A Perfect Day - Carrie Jacobs-Bond . He also collaborated with the Latin group Los Panchos Trio in a recording of the Chilean cueca dance La Palma for Pilotone records (#P45-5067). In addition, he recorded several songs for Columbia records with operatic baritone Carlo Morelli which included " La spagnola " (#17192-D), Alma Mia (#17192-D) Canta Il Mare (#17263-D), Si Alguna Vez (#17263-D). Additional collaborators included: Nino Martini for

3219-689: The 2014–2015 season. Appointed as part of an initial three-year contract, his duties include being the primary conductor and providing the artistic leadership for concert programming and related artistic decisions. Although his primary role is with the Tampa Bay Times Masterworks series, he will also be conducting one concert each season for the Raymond James Pops and the morning Coffee Concert series. The three main venues are: Some, but not all, concerts are performed at all three main venues. A series of chamber concerts

3330-660: The 2008–09 season in the Czech Republic against the New York Rangers as a part of the NHL's regular season "Premiere" that selects several teams to open the regular season in Europe. Barry Melrose would record his first win as a head coach in over 13 years on October 21, 2008, with a 3–2 victory over the Atlanta Thrashers. However, the Lightning did not get off to a great start as hoped, and Melrose

3441-856: The Bolts ) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida . The Lightning compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference . They play their home games at Amalie Arena in Downtown Tampa . The Lightning were founded as an expansion team on December 6, 1990, and began play in the 1992–93 NHL season . The team has won three Stanley Cup championships: in 2004 , 2020 , and 2021 . Since 2015,

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3552-662: The CBS Symphony Orchestra were also broadcast over the Voice of America network in 1948 and 1949. In addition, his recordings with the operatic vocalists Juan Arvizu and Nestor Mesta Chayres were transcribed during this time for broadcast by the Armed Forces Radio Network . During the 1950s, Antonini was a professor of music at St. John's University, located in Brooklyn, New York. He taught

3663-660: The Detroit Vipers of the now-defunct International Hockey League . Davidson remained in Detroit, but appointed Tom Wilson as team president to handle day-to-day management of the team. Wilson immediately fired Demers, who despite his best efforts (and fatherly attitude toward Lecavalier) was unable to overcome the damage from the Kokusai Green ownership. Wilson persuaded Ottawa Senators general manager (and former Vipers general manager) Rick Dudley to take over as

3774-689: The Florida Panthers . Martin St. Louis led the team and the NHL with 94 points (his 38 goals were fourth-most after the 41 of tied trio Jarome Iginla, Rick Nash and Ilya Kovalchuk ), and won the Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player. St. Louis also won the Lester B. Pearson Award for the NHL's most outstanding player as voted by the NHL Players' Association , and tied the Vancouver Canucks ' Marek Malik for

3885-511: The Montreal Canadiens ; Lecavalier, Richards, and Khabibulin led the team to a four-game sweep of Montreal. Next, they faced the Philadelphia Flyers in the conference finals. After a tightly fought seven-game series in which neither team was able to win consecutive games, Fredrik Modin notched the winning goal of the seventh and deciding game, earning the Eastern Conference championship for the Lightning and their first-ever berth in

3996-520: The NHL Plus/Minus Award . A season of superlatives was capped with one final accolade, as The Sporting News named general manager Jay Feaster as the league's executive of the year for 2003–04. The Lightning had to wait a year to defend their title due to the 2004–05 NHL lockout , but in 2005–06 , they barely made the playoffs with a record of 43–33–6 for 93 points in a conference where six teams notched 100 or more points. They lost to

4107-697: The Philadelphia Flyers when they won two Stanley Cups in the mid-1970s and coached the Calgary Flames to a Stanley Cup in 1989 , was tapped as the first head coach. Phil Esposito also hired former teammates from the Boston Bruins of the 1970s, including former linemate Wayne Cashman as an assistant coach and former Bruin trainer John "Frosty" Forristal as the team's trainer. The inaugural team photo has him flanked by Cashman and player Ken Hodge, Jr. , son of his other Bruins' linemate. In 1991, Angus Montagu, 12th Duke of Manchester announced that

4218-554: The Stanley Cup Finals. Their opponent in the final round was the Calgary Flames . The final round also went the full seven games, with the deciding game played in the St. Pete Times Forum on June 7, 2004. This time, Ruslan Fedotenko was the game 7 hero, scoring both Lightning goals in a 2–1 victory. Brad Richards, who had 26 points in the postseason, won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of

4329-552: The "Big 3" of Vincent Lecavalier , Martin St. Louis and Brad Richards , along with Vaclav Prospal , had performed up to expectations, they had little consistent play from supporting players. At the start of the All-Star Break on January 25, 2008, the Lightning had a 20–25–5 record, and with 45 points, were in last place in both the Southeast Division and the Eastern Conference. Only the Los Angeles Kings had

4440-558: The $ 50 million expansion fee before starting operations. In contrast, the Esposito/Kokusai Green group was one of the few groups willing to pay the full $ 50 million fee up front. The Esposito group would win the expansion franchise on December 6, 1990, and name the team the Lightning, after Tampa Bay's status as the "Lightning Capital of North America". Phil Esposito assigned himself president and general manager, while Tony became chief scout. Terry Crisp , who played for

4551-818: The 1950s. During this time he also founded the Tampa Philharmonic Orchestra in Tampa, Florida, which eventually merged into the Florida Gulf Coast Symphony. In the 1960s, Antonini also appeared as a guest conductor with the New York Philharmonic at Philharmonic Hall during a grand opera benefit concert which featured the artistry of Jan Peerce and Robert Merrill . Throughout the 1960s he continued to collaborate with such operatic luminaries as Jan Peerce, Robert Merrill , Franco Corelli , Nicolai Gedda , Giorgio Tozzi , Gabriella Tucci , and Dorothy Kirsten in

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4662-662: The 1950s.  He composed half the scores and led the CBS Orchestra in performances for the popular documentary series, The Twentieth Century (1957-66).   He conducted the CBS Orchestra on the American Musical Theater documentary series (1959) which also featured Robert Weede and Laurel Hurley . Other early network credits included the long-running ecumenical religious program, Lamp Unto My Feet , and specials such as Cinderella and The Fabulous Fifties . Antonini continued to collaborate as

4773-407: The 1998–99 season alone, as much money in one year as he had estimated he could have reasonably lost in five years. Williams sold the team for $ 115 million—$ 2 million less than he had paid for the team a year earlier—to Detroit Pistons owner William Davidson, who had almost bought the team a year earlier. Along with the sale, the Lightning acquired a new top minor league affiliate; Davidson also owned

4884-484: The 2007–08 season, they won only three games, losing nine. Vincent Lecavalier suffered a dislocated shoulder as the result of an open-ice hit from Matt Cooke of the Washington Capitals in the game before the season finale in Atlanta. Lecavalier, who planned on having arthroscopic wrist surgery after the season's ending, would undergo surgery to repair his right shoulder as well. Cooke was fined $ 2,500 by

4995-411: The 2018–19 season, tying the 62 wins of the 1995–96 Detroit Red Wings (later broken by the 2022–23 Boston Bruins ), and won eleven straight playoff series from 2020 to 2022. The team's sustained success in the time period from 2015 to 2022 has led some outlets to regard the Lightning as a modern NHL dynasty within that time span. The Lightning also went to the conference finals in 2011. The franchise

5106-479: The Atlanta Thrashers. In the fallout from the trade, Boyle would call Lightning ownership "liars" for misrepresenting the aforementioned events to the public, while former coach Tortorella later labeled them as "cowboys" and said he had zero respect for them. Frustrated at interference in the team's hockey operations by Barrie and Koules, seven days later, Jay Feaster resigned as general manager, despite having three years remaining on his contract. The Lightning opened

5217-467: The Bruins. After the firing of Melrose, the Lightning went 19–33–14 and would finish the season 24–40–18 with 66 points, their lowest point total since the 2000–01 season. With the second overall pick in the 2009 NHL entry draft , the Lightning selected Swedish defenseman Victor Hedman , who would also be another major part of the franchise for years to come. In the 2009 off-season, the Lightning removed

5328-845: The CBS Pan American Orchestra (1940–1949), as part of the cultural diplomacy initiative of the Department of State and the Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs during World War II , the Columbia Concert Orchestra (1940–1949) and the CBS Symphony Orchestra . During the 1940s Antonini also led the CBS Symphony Orchestra in several recordings for the Voice of America broadcasting service. His performances with

5439-633: The CBS Pan American Orchestra were noteworthy for helping to introduce Latin American music and the Mexican bolero to large audiences in the United States. During the 1940s Antonini conducted live radio broadcasts of the program Viva America on the CBS Radio and La Cadena de las Americas (Network of the Americas) in collaboration with several international artists including: Nestor Mesta Chayres (aka "El Gitano De Mexico"), Terig Tucci , Juan Arvizu (aka "El Troubador de las Americas" ), Elsa Miranda , Eva Garza , Kate Smith , Pat O'Brien , and John Serry . He also appeared with Chayres and

5550-490: The CBS television movie, A Handful of Souls . Antonini's collaborations at CBS Television extended beyond the realm of opera to include prominent figures from several professions including: Alfredo Antonini died at the age of 82 during heart surgery in Clearwater, Florida, in 1983. He was buried in Sylvan Abbey Memorial Park cemetery in Clearwater and was survived by his wife Sandra and a son. Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as

5661-448: The Florida Gulf Coast Symphony. The St. Petersburg Times , now known as the Tampa Bay Times , noted in an article on November 24, 1966, "The mood was one of pride for the entire Tampa Bay area, not one city over another." The merger became official two years later, and the Florida Gulf Coast Symphony opened its first season on November 14, 1968, under the baton of 43-year-old Music Director Irwin Hoffman, who had previously guest conducted

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5772-453: The Italian Republic in 1980. Antonini was born in Alessandria and pursued his musical studies at the Royal Conservatory in Milan. He was a student of the Italian conductor Arturo Toscanini , whom he first met at the age of thirteen while performing on the celesta in the Italian premier of Igor Stravinsky's Petrouchka . He distinguished himself as both an organist and pianist with La Scala Orchestra in Milan prior to emigrating to

5883-516: The Lewisohn Stadium Orchestra during the series of Italian Night concerts frequently attracted audiences which exceeded 13,000 guests. These performances featured arias from the standard Italian operatic repertoire and showcased such operatic luminaries as: Jan Peerce , Eileen Farrell , Richard Tucker , Beverly Sills , Licia Albanese , Eva Likova , Robert Weede , Cloe Elmo and Robert Merrill . Antonini’s work with CBS soon led to television work as that medium came to prominence in

5994-416: The Lightning a "skating vaudeville show." Even in their first playoff season, the team was awash in red ink and Kokusai Green was looking to sell the team; however its asking price of $ 230 million for the team and the lease with the Ice Palace deterred buyers. A possible sale was further hampered by the team's murky ownership structure; many team officials (including Crisp) did not know who really owned

6105-454: The Lightning a financial nightmare, with a debt equal to 236% of its value, the highest of any major North American sports franchise. Even though the Ice Palace was built for hockey and the Lightning were the only major tenant, Forbes called the team's deal with the arena a lemon since it would not result in much revenue for 30 years. It was also behind on paying state sales taxes and federal payroll taxes. Finally, in 1998, Kokusai Green found

6216-443: The Lightning have reached the conference finals six times ( 2015 , 2016 , 2018 , 2020 , 2021 and 2022 ) and have made four appearances in the Stanley Cup Finals, winning in 2020 and 2021 and finishing as runners-up in 2015 and 2022 to the Chicago Blackhawks and Colorado Avalanche , respectively. Additionally, the Lightning won the Presidents' Trophy in 2019 after they tied the then all-time record for regular season wins in

6327-415: The Lightning narrowly missed the playoffs. They would not tally as much as 60 points again for five years. Most of the Lightning's early stars were gone by the 1998–99 season due to free agency and a series of ill-advised trades. Crisp was fired 11 games into the 1997–98 season and replaced by Jacques Demers . Though Demers had presided over the resurgence of the Detroit Red Wings in the 1980s and helmed

6438-416: The Lightning were thought to be very close to respectability. However, they arrived somewhat earlier than expected in 2002–03 . The young team was led by the goaltending of Nikolai Khabibulin and the scoring efforts of Lecavalier, St. Louis, Modin, Richards and Ruslan Fedotenko . Throughout the season, the Lightning battled the Washington Capitals for first place in the Southeast Division. They finished with

6549-405: The Lightning won only five games. Finishing with a 31–42–9 record, with 71 points, they had the highest chance of winning the top overall pick in the 2008 NHL entry draft through the draft lottery, which they eventually won on April 7. They would use their first overall pick to select Steven Stamkos of the Ontario Hockey League 's Sarnia Sting who, like Lecavalier before, was expected to become

6660-409: The Lightning's new general manager; Dudley, in turn, brought Vipers coach Steve Ludzik in as the team's new head coach. Wilson, Dudley and Ludzik had helped make the Vipers one of the premier minor league hockey franchises, having won a Turner Cup in only their third season in Detroit (the team had originally been based in Salt Lake City ). However, as had been the case with Demers, the damage from

6771-407: The Lightning's new song, the orchestra worked with the hockey team to create a variety of youth concerts for children in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties during the 2011–2012 school year. Featuring TFO musicians, Lightning players, and even Lightning mascot Thunderbug as conductor, the youth concerts focused on how teamwork is involved with both hockey and music. Also in 2011, the orchestra launched

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6882-448: The Lightning, beginning in 2008–09. The next day, the Lightning officially introduced him as their new head coach. Steven Stamkos was selected first overall by Tampa Bay. On July 29, 2008, he signed an entry-level contract with the Lightning in which he could earn as much as $ 8.55 million in performance bonuses. Leading up to the start of the 2008–09 season , the Lightning centered their promotional efforts around Stamkos, including

6993-435: The Lightning, this meant having to settle for the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference with a final record of 44–33–5 (93 points). However, the Lightning were eliminated from playoff competition on April 22, after a 3–2 home loss to the New Jersey Devils in game 6 of the conference quarterfinals. Following their playoff exit, on August 7, 2007, Absolute Hockey Enterprises, a group led by Doug MacLean , announced it had signed

7104-557: The Music Appreciation course. As a musical director for CBS Television during the 1950s, he was instrumental in presenting a program of classical and operatic music to the general public. His collaboration with Julie Andrews , Richard Rodgers , and Oscar Hammerstein II in a production of Cinderella for CBS television was telecast live in color on 31 March 1957 to an audience of 107 million. During this decade, he also appeared with several noted operatic sopranos including: Eileen Farrell and Beverly Sills . Later in 1957, he became

7215-500: The NHL for the hit, as Lecavalier did not have possession of the puck at the time. Perhaps the lone bright spot in the season was Lecavalier's winning both the King Clancy Memorial Trophy and the NHL Foundation Player Award for work through his foundation, including a $ 3 million pledge to All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida, for what would become the Vincent Lecavalier Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at All Children's Hospital. Head coach John Tortorella

7326-432: The NHL lead in goals with Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby . During the season, the team was sold to Bostonian investment banker Jeffrey Vinik . Following the late-season collapse, Vinik cleaned house, firing both head coach Rick Tocchet and general manager Brian Lawton on April 12, 2010, one day after the season ended. In May 2010, Vinik hired Steve Yzerman away from the Detroit Red Wings front office to be

7437-527: The National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba as part of a Tampa Bay area residency that included chamber music, an orchestra concert and master classes. In May 2013, Concertmaster Jeffrey Multer performed as soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra of Cuba while in Havana. The orchestra released its CD on the Naxos label in the fall of 2012 featuring music by Florida-influenced classical composer Frederick Delius. The recording includes The Florida Orchestra, The Master Chorale of Tampa Bay, and baritone Leon Williams in

7548-431: The New York Philharmonic in the Night of the Americas Concert series at Carnegie Hall ., which, according to The New York Times , was eagerly anticipated by the general public. Additional performances in collaboration with Arvizu and the CBS Tipica Orchestra for the Inter-America Music Fiesta at Carnegie Hall also attracted widespread acclaim. In 1946, Antonini recorded several popular Latin American songs on

7659-432: The Ottawa Senators in five games in the first round of the 2006 playoffs . During the off-season, the Lightning traded Fredrik Modin and Fredrik Norrena to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for goaltender Marc Denis in an effort to replace the departing John Grahame , who had signed with the Carolina Hurricanes. However, free agent Johan Holmqvist would eventually receive the majority of playing time and most of

7770-473: The St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa Bay Times Forum and now Amalie Arena ) for the 1996–97 season . They had acquired goal-scorer Dino Ciccarelli from the Detroit Red Wings during the 1996 off-season, and he did not disappoint, scoring 35 goals while Chris Gratton notched another 30 goals. The team appeared destined for another playoff appearance, but suffered a devastating rash of injuries. Puppa developed back trouble that kept him out of all but six games during

7881-463: The Tampa Philharmonic. The program included Berlioz' Overture to Benvenuto Cellini , Respighi's Pines of Rome , and Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5, Op. 47 . That first season, the Florida Gulf Coast Symphony presented five concerts from November through April, performing each concert three times. The orchestra continued to perform as the Florida Gulf Coast Symphony until its name was changed to The Florida Orchestra in 1984. The first music director of

7992-601: The United States in 1929. His musical talents were shared by his father who served as a member of the Buenos Aires Opera company at the Teatro Colón after leaving Italy for Argentina. In addition, his wife Sandra was a both a piano accompanist and voice teacher. During the 1940s, he distinguished himself as a conductor of several leading orchestras while performing on CBS Radio . These included:

8103-621: The White House with Mrs. John F. Kennedy . The documentary television program was watched by more than 80 million viewers throughout the world and received wide critical acclaim. In 1964, Antonini appeared as conductor of the CBS Symphony Orchestra in an acclaimed adaptation of Hector Berlioz 's sacred oratorio L'enfance du Christ for CBS Television. His operatic soloists included: Sherrill Milnes , Giorgio Tozzi , Ara Berberian , and Charles Anthony as supported by

8214-587: The album Latin American Music - Alfredo Antonini and Viva America Orchestra for Alpha Records (catalogue #'s 12205A, 12205B, 12206A, 12206B) including: Tres Palabras ( Osvaldo Farres ), Caminito de Tu Casa ( Julio Alberto Hernández ), Chapinita ( Miguel Sandoval ) and Noche De Ronda ( Augustin Lara ). Critical review of the albums in The New Records praised his conducting talents and hailed

8325-502: The blossoming of Lecavalier and Brad Richards into NHL stars. Ludzik was replaced in early 2001 by career NHL assistant John Tortorella . The March 5 trade deadline offered another glimmer of hope when the team acquired hold-out goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin from the Phoenix Coyotes for three players and a draft pick. The 2001–02 season , Tortorella's first full year behind the bench, saw some improvement. Martin St. Louis

8436-442: The brink of bankruptcy and that the team was part of a money laundering scheme for the yakuza (Japanese crime families). Its scouting operation consisted of Tony Esposito and several satellite dishes. The Internal Revenue Service investigated the team in 1994 and 1995, and nearly threatened to put a tax lien on the franchise for $ 750,000 in back taxes. The situation led longtime NHL broadcaster and writer Stan Fischler to call

8547-683: The choral voices of the Camerata Singers. At this time, he collaborated as conductor for a televised episode of The CBS Repertoire Workshop , "Feliz Borinquen", which showcased the talents of such leading Puerto Rican-American performers as: Martina Arroyo and Raul Davila . In addition to performing as a conductor on WOR radio in New York City during the 1940s, he appeared as a guest conductor for leading symphonic orchestras in Chicago, Milwaukee, Oslo, Norway and Chile during

8658-524: The club's wins. The first half of 2006–07 was inconsistent for the Lightning, maintaining an 18–19–2 record throughout the first few months. January and February were far better months for the team, going 9–4–0 in January and 9–2–2 in February, driving them back into the playoff race. Fourteen games in March were split even, and on March 16, 2007, Vincent Lecavalier broke the franchise record for most points in

8769-551: The collection as among the best new albums of Latin American music. Later in the 1940s, Antonini collaborated with vocalist Victoria Cordova in a series of recordings for Muzak , featuring compositions familiar to audiences in both North and South America. Included among these were: What a Difference a Day Made - Maria Grever , You Belong to My Heart - Agustin Lara , Siboney - Ernesto Lecuona , Amor - Gabriel Ruiz , Say It Isn't So - Irving Berlin , How Deep

8880-482: The conductors of the two orchestras, Alfredo Antonini of the Tampa Philharmonic and Thomas Briccetti of the St. Petersburg Symphony. An official intent of the merger was made on November 23, 1966, and on that day, representatives from both the Tampa Philharmonic and the St. Petersburg Symphony traveled by boat to the center of Tampa Bay, where they married the two institutions in a symbolic union and became

8991-576: The defending Stanley Cup champion New Jersey Devils for the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference by a single win. Due to his stellar play in net, Puppa was named a finalist for the Vezina Trophy (losing out to Jim Carey of the Washington Capitals ). Playing the Philadelphia Flyers , a team seen as a Stanley Cup contender, in the first round, the Lightning split the opening two games in Philadelphia before taking game 3 in overtime before

9102-552: The first round of the playoffs , the Lightning quickly fell two games behind in the series but followed the two losses with four consecutive wins for their first playoff series win in franchise history. However, in the semifinals, they went down in five games to the New Jersey Devils , who went on to win the Stanley Cup. The Lightning's dramatic improvement continued through the 2003–04 regular season , finishing with

9213-461: The first symphony orchestra to ever be invited to perform at a Super Bowl. The 2001–02 season marked Jahja Ling's final season as music director of The Florida Orchestra, and in May 2002, Stefan Sanderling was appointed music director. In the summer of 2012, Sanderling's departure from The Florida Orchestra was announced. His contract had been intended to run through the 2013–2014 season, at which point he

9324-443: The first time anyone connected with the Lightning or the NHL even saw Okubo was in the spring of 1998. Esposito was forced into several trades just to keep the team above water. The team's financial situation was a considerable concern to NHL officials; rumors surfaced that the NHL was seriously considering taking control of the team if Okubo failed to find a buyer by the summer of 1998. Forbes wrote an article in late 1997 calling

9435-585: The first woman to play in any of the major professional North American sports leagues. She played for the Lightning against the St. Louis Blues , and stopped seven of nine shots. The Lightning played their first regular season game on October 7, 1992, in Tampa's tiny 11,000-seat Expo Hall at the Florida State Fairgrounds . They surprised the visiting Chicago Blackhawks , winning 7–3 with four goals by little-known Chris Kontos . The team rose to

9546-421: The interim status of Rick Tocchet, making him the full-time head coach and signing him to a multi-year contract. The Lightning had an up-and-down beginning to the 2009–10 campaign. Despite an overmatched roster on paper, and a team that struggled in the first two periods of many games, the Lightning remained competitive in the playoff race until March, when they went 5–10–1 for the month and fell eight points out of

9657-511: The last few seasons under Kokusai Green was too much for Ludzik to overcome. Even with a wholesale transfer of talent from Detroit to Tampa (a move that eventually doomed the Vipers, which folded along with the IHL in 2001), the Lightning lost 54 games in 1999–2000 and 52 in 2000–01 , becoming the first team in NHL history to post four straight 50-loss seasons. The lone bright spots in those years were

9768-560: The mid-1940s, the Tampa Symphony Orchestra was born, although it would be renamed the Tampa Philharmonic in 1959. Similarly, across the bay in St. Petersburg, community and city orchestras had already formed by the mid-to-late 1940s, and in 1950, members of the Carreno Music Club formed the St. Petersburg Symphony. Talks of the two orchestras merging began to surface in 1964. Instrumental in these talks were

9879-711: The musical director/conductor of the Tampa Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1951 he also served as both the orchestra leader and the Choral leader for the CBS Radio program Music Land U.S.A which featured talented vocalists. Included on the broadcast were Lois Hunt , Earl Wrightson and Thomas Hayward . These performances by the Alfredo Antonini Orchestra were included among several transcriptions of Antonini's work which were selected for broadcast to America's armed forces throughout

9990-647: The new general manager on a five-year contract. Yzerman then hired Guy Boucher from the Montreal Canadiens organization to succeed Rick Tocchet as the head coach two weeks later. Yzerman's first off-season with Tampa Bay began with a splash. With the sixth pick of the 2010 NHL entry draft , the Lightning selected forward Brett Connolly despite a history of injuries while playing for the Western Hockey League (WHL)'s Prince George Cougars . On July 1, 2010, veteran blueliner Andrej Meszaros

10101-498: The orchestra named Jeff Tyzik its new principal pops conductor, effective with the 2012–2013 season, with an initial contract of three years. Also in June 2012, the orchestra named Stuart Malina as its principal guest conductor, effective with the 2012–2013 season. In June 2014, the orchestra announced the appointment of Michael Francis as its new music director starting with the 2015–2016 season, serving as music director designate for

10212-471: The orchestra was Irwin Hoffman , from 1968 to 1987. During the 1988–89 season, Jahja Ling made his debut as music director to tremendous critical acclaim. Ling brought the orchestra into the international spotlight as he led them in the performance of the U.S. national anthem with Whitney Houston at Super Bowl XXV before a worldwide audience of 750 million. The Florida Orchestra made musical history as

10323-418: The planned announcement of the campaign did not occur, by early 2004. Seven musicians from the orchestra left as a result. In November 2006, the orchestra reported a deficit of $ 676,615 for the 2006 fiscal year. The orchestra signed a contract in June 2012, with a base salary of $ 29,034 (for 25 weeks of work) that increased to $ 32,000 for 27 1 ⁄ 2 weeks in the 2014–2015 season. The current 3-year contract

10434-536: The playoffs; the Lightning had won all 31 contests in which he had scored a goal since the opening of the season. Tortorella won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL's Coach of the Year. Only three years after their last of four consecutive seasons of 50 or more losses, and in only their 12th year of existence, the Lightning became the southernmost team ever to win the Stanley Cup, an accomplishment since surpassed by

10545-584: The previous season. More notable trades included Vaclav Prospal's trade to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for prospect Alexandre Picard and a conditional draft pick. Additionally, former Conn Smythe Trophy winner Brad Richards and goaltender Johan Holmqvist were traded to the Dallas Stars in exchange for goaltender Mike Smith and forwards Jussi Jokinen and Jeff Halpern , as well as

10656-422: The season, was fired and replaced by his assistant, Jay Feaster . Still the Lightning showed some signs of life, earning more than 60 points for the first time since 1997. Tortorella stripped Lecavalier of the captaincy due to contract negotiations that had made the young center miss the start of the season. With a young core of players led by Vincent Lecavalier, Brad Richards, Martin St. Louis and Fredrik Modin ,

10767-478: The season; he would only play a total of 50 games from 1996 until his retirement in 2000 . Bradley also lost time to a series of concussions that would limit him to a total of 49 games from 1996 until his retirement in December 1999. Center John Cullen developed non-Hodgkin lymphoma , and missed the last 12 games of the 1996–97 season; he would eventually be forced to retire in 1999. Decimated by these ailments,

10878-529: The team. Kokusai Green's owner, Takashi Okubo, had never met with the Espositos or with NHL officials in person prior to being awarded the Lightning franchise, and never watched his team play during his seven years as owner. Nearly all of Kokusai Green's investment in the team and the Ice Palace came in the form of loans, leaving the team constantly short of cash. At least one prospective buyer pulled out after expressing doubts that Okubo even existed. In fact,

10989-476: The time, one of the best-ever showings by an NHL expansion team. Bradley's 42 goals gave Tampa Bay fans optimism for the next season; it would be a team record until the 2006–07 season. The following season saw the Lightning shift to the Eastern Conference 's Atlantic Division , as well as move into the Florida Suncoast Dome (a building originally designed for baseball) in St. Petersburg, which

11100-585: The top of the Campbell Conference 's Norris Division within a month, behind Kontos' initial torrid scoring pace and a breakout season by forward Brian Bradley . However, it buckled under the strain of some of the longest road trips in the NHL—their nearest division rival, the Blues, were over 1,000 miles (1,600 km) away—and finished in last place with a record of 23–54–7 for 53 points. This was, at

11211-745: The world by the Armed Forces Radio Network Service during the 1940's and 1950's. Antonini served as a conductor of the open-air summer concerts held at the landmark Lewisohn Stadium in New York City during the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. He appeared at least once during each season while featuring leading talent from the Metropolitan Opera . His appearances with the New York Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra and

11322-509: Was active on the international concert stage as well as on the CBS radio and television networks from the 1930s through the early 1970s. In 1972 he received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Religious Programming on television for his conducting of the premiere of Ezra Laderman 's opera And David Wept for CBS television during 1971. In addition, he was awarded the Order of Merit of

11433-551: Was eventually fired by the Lightning with a 5–7–4 record. Rick Tocchet , who had been hired as assistant coach during the previous off-season, was promoted to interim head coach. On March 4, veterans Mark Recchi and Olaf Kolzig were traded by the Tampa Bay Lightning to the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs , respectively. The Lightning acquired top round picks Matt Lashoff and Martins Karsums from

11544-471: Was fired by the Lightning following their worst season since Tortorella was hired. At the time working as an NHL analyst for ESPN , Barry Melrose stated on June 4 during an episode of Pardon the Interruption that he missed coaching and would entertain any NHL coaching offers. He stated, "I miss not having a dog in the fight." On June 23, ESPN reported Melrose had been chosen to be the head coach of

11655-481: Was having a breakout season when he broke his leg in game number 47 and was lost for the remainder of the season. Khabibulin recorded a shut out at the NHL All-Star Game but was not named its MVP , by all accounts due to the game's voting protocol. By mid-February, the Lightning were well out of playoff contention and were sinking under a rash of injuries. Dudley, who had guaranteed a playoff berth before

11766-460: Was ratified in the summer of 2022 and covers through the 2024–25 season. It provides for a 12% raise for musicians over the life of the contract (5% in year 1, 4% in year 2, 3% in year 3), an additional week of paid vacation, and will increase the duration of season to 39 weeks by the end of the agreement. Alfredo Antonini Alfredo Antonini (May 31, 1901 – November 3, 1983) was a leading Italian-American symphony conductor and composer who

11877-496: Was reconfigured for hockey and renamed the "ThunderDome." The team acquired goaltender Daren Puppa , left wing goal scorer Petr Klima , and veteran forward Denis Savard . While Puppa's play resulted in a significant improvement in goals allowed (from 332 to 251), Savard was long past his prime and Klima's scoring was offset by his defensive lapses. The Lightning finished last in the Atlantic Division in 1993–94 with

11988-526: Was scheduled to conclude his tenure. There were reports of conflict between Sanderling and the orchestra management as factors in his departure. However, in June 2012, the orchestra announced the early conclusion of Sanderling's Florida Orchestra tenure after the 2011–2012 season, at which time he took the titles of conductor emeritus and artistic adviser to the orchestra. In past years, the orchestra has had as its principal pops conductor Skitch Henderson (1987–2000) and Richard Kaufman (2004–2009). In June 2012,

12099-620: Was traded on deadline day to the Chicago Blackhawks. Other mid-season additions to the team included Filip Kuba , Luke Richardson and Doug Janik . Veteran Andre Roy , who had won the Stanley Cup with the Lightning in 2004, was claimed off waivers from the Pittsburgh Penguins . Throughout March, the Lightning had been competing with the Atlanta Thrashers for first place in the Southeast Division. With

12210-522: Was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for their second-round pick in 2011 . Later that day, the Lightning signed star winger Martin St. Louis to a four-year, $ 22.5 million contract extension to come into effect on July 1, 2011. On July 19, in another move with the Flyers organization, the Lightning traded defenseman Matt Walker and Tampa Bay's fourth-round pick in 2011 for high-scoring winger Simon Gagne . Other off-season acquisitions included

12321-471: Was very visible and outspoken, and immediately pumped an additional $ 6 million into the team's payroll. He also cleared most of the debt from the Kokusai Green era. After taking control, Williams publicly assured the Espositos that their jobs were safe, only to fire them two games into the 1998–99 season. He then gave Demers complete control of hockey operations as both coach and general manager. The Lightning drafted Vincent Lecavalier first overall in 1998,

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