An Outbreak of Tampa-Bashing in the Media

On the eve of the Stanley Cup Final, the hockey world is ganging up on the Tampa Bay Lightning. Reporters and columnists like the team well enough; it's the thought of the Stanley Cup bobbing in the Gulf of Mexico that has them breaking out in hives. The argument, simply put, is that the fans and the city do not deserve a championship.

Leading the charge is Al Strachan, veteran columnist with the Toronto Sun, in a piece headlined "Canada Deserves the Cup":

In Tampa, the game is a trend -- and a very recent one at that. The building is sold out these days, but in a holdover from a promotion established in the hope of gaining fans, 200 tickets still go on sale each game day for $8.

As recently as last Tuesday morning, the day of Game 5 of the Eastern Conference final against the Philadelphia Flyers, 1,500 tickets were still waiting to be sold.

The Lightning fans, many of whom work in the local media, have no idea of the game's nuances, and for that matter aren't terribly clear on the rules.

Jack Todd of the Montreal Gazette dismisses the Lightning faithful as "fans who wouldn't know a slapshot from a flu shot."

It's not just a Canadian thing. Phil Sheridan at the Philadelphia Inquirer (registration required), still smarting from the Flyers' defeat, calls the Lightning a "McFranchise."

Dan Bickley at the Arizona Republic declares that a Stanley Cup for Calgary is "only fair:"

On the back of Canada's $5 bill, four boys are playing hockey on a frozen pond.

There is no such passion on our currency, much less our television ratings.

This is why the Calgary Flames must win the Stanley Cup Finals. This is why they must beat the Tampa Bay Lightning in a series that will struggle to draw an American yawn.

Meanwhile, in defense of hockey in Florida, Joey Johnston at TBO.com suggests the rise of the Lightning might represent the first genuine success story of the NHL's southern expansion campaign.

There were early returns when the Florida Panthers (1996) and Carolina Hurricanes (2002) reached the Stanley Cup finals, but neither Sun Belt franchise could sustain those moments. Instead, it became a momentary spike, then a return to concerns over competitiveness and drawing fans.

Twelve years after the birth of a franchise, youth hockey leagues are everywhere in Tampa Bay. The fan base keeps growing. The key will be sustaining that growth. And that's an achievable goal, according to Feaster.

'I think we have a team that is built to last,' he said.

Can we expect long-lasting progress from Sun Belt hockey? The conversation itself might represent progress.