NHL NOTES : Lightning Not a Typical Expansion Team

Lightning strikes. Once, twice, many times.

Consider four goals by Chris Kontos in Tampa Bay’s 7-3 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on opening night and seven goals on eight shots in his first six games. Or a 35-save performance by goalie Pat Jablonski against his former teammates in a 2-1 victory at St. Louis. Or General Manager Phil Esposito punching Toronto Star columnist Bob McKenzie for several negative articles he wrote about the Lightning the last couple of years.

If you get the impression this is not your typical expansion team composed of misfits and journeyman players, you are right.

What makes the Lightning different is a group of six defensemen -- Roman Hamrlik, Rob Ramage, Doug Crossman, Joe Reekie, Peter Taglianetti and Marc Bergevin -- that will keep the Lightning in most games.

It’s true you have to score to win, but it is also true that you have to work hard on defense to keep from being embarrassed if you are on a typical expansion team.

There aren’t many teams in the NHL that can play three games in four nights on the road and be in all of those games. But that is exactly what the Lightning did last week, when they finished a five-game trip with the victory at St. Louis, a 5-3 loss at Toronto and a 5-4 overtime setback at Buffalo.

The San Jose Sharks had to play 17 times to win two games last season, and they didn’t get their first road victory until November 30 en route to a 17-58-5 record. In their first four games, the Lightning equaled those totals.

With six of their next eight games at home, the Lightning figure to add to their impressive start.

“We’ve got an $11-million payroll and theirs is $5 million, but they outworked us,” Blues General Manager Ron Caron says. “There are going to be a lot of teams surprised by that team if they don’t show up ready to work against them.”

The Lightning could be the best pure expansion team in NHL history, considering that ...

--The 1967-68 Philadelphia Flyers had a 31-32-11 record, but they played 50 of 74 games against the other five expansion teams that came into the NHL that season.

--The 1979-80 Hartford Whalers were 27-34-19, but at least half of that team had been part of the World Hockey Association team that played for seven seasons in the WHA.

--The 1972-73 Atlanta Flames were 25-38-15 -- the best of the pure expansion teams.

--The 1970-71 Buffalo Sabres were 24-39-15

There is definitely no comparison between the Lightning and the 1974-75 Washington Capitals, who were a disastrous 8-67-5. The Ottawa Senators might be a better comparison to that Washington team.

When he hasn’t been confronting sportswriters, Esposito shrewdly has been drafting Hamrlik and signing free agents such as Bergevin, Rob Zamuner and Kontos.

Hamrlik, 18, had been playing against 20-and 25-year-old players in Czechoslovakia before being the first pick in the NHL draft in June. In three or four years, he will be challenging Ray Bourque and Brian Leetch for the Norris Trophy as the league’s best defenseman.

Esposito is superstitious to a fault, but that didn’t stop him from enjoying the “Poseidon Adventure” the afternoon of the Lightning’s debut.

“I think I’ve seen that movie 10 times,” Esposito says. “The scene where the water comes crashing through the ship is awfully exciting.

“You won’t find a more superstitious SOB around than me, but I didn’t even think about it as a bad omen for us. Why should I? I know we have put together an exciting team. It may be an adventure at times during this first season, but I’m confident we have built a pretty sturdy foundation.”

Better than the S.S. Poseidon.

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Get out your checkbook: Edmonton Oilers center Bernie Nicholls has not traded in his Jaguar and is still unrepentant about swinging his stick at Boston’s Darren Banks in an exhibition game September 28, but he is $10,143 poorer than he was last week.

Instead of suspending players and depriving fans from seeing their favorite players, NHL President Gil Stein believes heavy fines commensurate with the suspension will help crack down on flagrant stick penalties.

Nicholls was suspended for seven off-days without pay -- totaling $10,143 -- plus $500. Montreal’s Mike Keane was suspended for four off-days, or $5,072, plus $500 for a stick infraction against Chicago’s Bryan Marchment.

Players are not allowed to practice with their teams during suspensions. Audits will be made by the NHL to make certain the players are paying their fines. More importantly, clubs found guilty of assisting players will be fined an additional $500,000.

“I think the response to that loss of money is going to get their attention,” Vancouver General Manager-Coach Pat Quinn says. “I think that will help get rid of the deliberate stickwork. Meanwhile, the fan doesn’t suffer because the player still gets to play.

“Too many guys are deliberately trying to hurt people. It’s a dirtier game today than I’ve ever witnessed because too many players are using the stick all the time.”

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Icy bits: Forget the rumors about Mike Keenan leaving Chicago to continue coaching somewhere else next season. Keenan, now the general manager, signed a five-year contract with the Blackhawks. ... After 43 games, there were 41 fights in the NHL, compared with 105 through the same period last season -- proving the new instigator rule has been a deterent. ... The Quebec Nordiques cannot escape without a fine for permitting their fans to enter Le Colisee last week with items that could be thrown on the ice to mock Eric Lindros, who refused to play in Quebec City. Wearing baby clothes is one thing, but tossing coins (estimated at around $400), bullets, batteries and pacifiers is another story. “If I ever had a baby, I’ll have a lifetime supply of pacifiers,” Lindros says.