1992 | NHL awards an expansion team to Tampa Bay |
1993 | Phil Esposito is named the Lightning’s first general manager |
1995 | Lightning play their first game in the NHL, a 7-3 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks |
1996 | Tampa Bay’s first NHL season ends with a 23-54-7 record |
1996 | The team selects Chris Gratton with the third overall pick in the NHL Entry Draft |
1996 | Terry Crisp is named the Lightning’s second head coach |
1996 | The team moves into the new Ice Palace, now known as Amalie Arena |
1997 | The Lightning make their first playoff appearance, losing in the first round to the Philadelphia Flyers |
1998 | Jacques Demers is named the Lightning’s third head coach |
1998 | Tampa Bay trades Chris Gratton to the Buffalo Sabres for Dominik Hasek |
2000 | John Tortorella is named the Lightning’s fourth head coach |
2002 | Tampa Bay wins the first Stanley Cup in franchise history, defeating the Calgary Flames in seven games |
2004 | The Lightning win their second Southeast Division title |
2004 | Tampa Bay wins the Stanley Cup for the second time, defeating the Calgary Flames in seven games |
2007 | The Lightning make their third playoff appearance, losing in the first round to the New Jersey Devils |
2008 | Tampa Bay trades Brad Richards to the Dallas Stars |
2008 | The Lightning sign free agent Vincent Lecavalier to an 11-year contract extension |
2010 | The Lightning reach the Eastern Conference Finals, losing to the Boston Bruins in seven games |
2012 | Steve Yzerman is named the Lightning’s general manager |
2014 | Tampa Bay reaches the playoffs for the first time in four years |
2015 | The Lightning reach the Stanley Cup Finals, losing to the Chicago Blackhawks in six games |
2018 | The Lightning win the Presidents’ Trophy for the best regular season record in the NHL |
2019 | The Lightning are swept by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the first round of the playoffs |
2020 | Tampa Bay wins the Stanley Cup for the third time in franchise history, defeating the Dallas Stars in six games |