Hockey fans everywhere let out a long anticipated sigh of relief when the first puck was dropped on October 12^th at Rogers Place, the Edmonton Oiler’s Arena, against the Calgary Flames. This season opener, along with three other matchups on the 12^th, ended the 4-month drought from hockey that couldn’t have arrived quicker for fans. The beginning of the 2016-2017 season is filled with highly anticipated returns from top franchises, with the Penguins remaining in the conversation after their Stanley Cup title last year in a 3-1 win over the San Antonio Sharks in game 6 of the finals. Another team however at the top of the list, a team that has become very custom with having a stellar regular season only to end up disappointed by the outcome of the playoffs, is the Tampa Bay Lightning, who enter the 2016-2017 season with anticipation and hopes that surpass many other franchises. According to NHL.com, the Lightning are predicted to take the Cup home back to Tampa for the first time since 2004, when they defeated the Flames four games to three in the finals. This prediction, due to the season only just beginning and teams remaining healthy for the most part, is still extremely premature but still has some very solid validation behind it. With one of the most respected and knowledgeable coaches in the league, two of the best goalies the league has faced in many years with a strong defense in front of them, and arguably the current best scorer in the league holding the position as the Bolt’s captain, the anticipation is backed by more than just sheer fan-opinion.

Tampa Bay Head Coach, John Cooper

Cooper, who came to Tampa Bay in 2013 following the dismissal of former coach Guy Boucher, has grown the franchise exponentially. The Lighting have made it to the playoffs three out of Cooper’s four years in Tampa, with making it to the Stanley Cup finals in the 2014-2015 season and the conference finals in the 2015-2016 season. He has been honored with seven nationally recognized awards, two of which are from the NHL, and two from his time with the Syracuse Crunch in the AHL.

Ben Bishop / Andrei Vasilevskiy

The story of this previous season was whether or not the Lightning would keep Ben Bishop, who is the current 4^th best goalie in the league with an overall 0.92% average shots saved, or if they would utilize the backup in Andrei Vasilevskiy. Lucky for Tampa Bay fans, the franchise was able to keep both and now remain one of the most dynamic defense in the league; none of which can be mentioned however without the name Victor Hedman who leads the defense, and is predicted to be the winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy as well. This award is given to the most valuable player during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, emphasizing the optimism in the team making it to the Finals.

Captain, Stephen Stamkos

The face of Tampa Bay Lightning. Stamkos, The Stammer, has been one of the best players in the league for the past few seasons, and is arguably the best scorer playing the game right now. The same nervous anticipation that followed the question of whether or not the team would keep both goalies was mirrored by the question as to whether they would resign Stamkos or not as his contract ended, but he was thankfully kept on with one of the largest contract in the league right now, keeping him on for another eight years. During his time with the Lightning, he has accumulated 314 goals, 252 assists, and has been the front-runner in leading the team to some historic recent seasons. With his injuries behind him and his well-known goal line shot stronger than ever, Stamkos hopes to lead the team to yet another playoff visit, and to take the Cup back home to Tampa.

The common hope of Lightning fans everywhere is a simple one: to utilize some of the greatest talent, coaching, and team cohesiveness the organization has ever seen, and make the 2016-2017 season the one that finally lets us no longer live in the glory days of 2004. With an amazing coach, scoring threats that never run out, a defense and goalie that hardly ever get scored on, and one of the greatest captains that is Stephen Stamkos, the hope that the Bolts will be the Stanley Cup champions yet again is becoming more and more of a reality. It doesn’t hurt when you have 50% of NHL predictions on your side as well, but only the upcoming season will truly tell.