Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Lightning sale goes through

When it’s all said and done, the Tampa Bay Lightning made the best trade of the day by changing owners. Damian Cristodero reports that the NHL’s Board of Governors signed off on the team’s sale to Jeffrey Vinik.

“The NHL’s Board of Governors today unanimously approved the sale of the Lightning to Jeffrey Vinik, the league announced in a news release. This was the final step in the sale of Tampa Bay’s hockey team to the Boston hedgefund manager.”

The sale confirms the official end of the Len Barrie-Oren Koules ownership era, which must be a great relief to Lightning fans. It’s great news for everyone but Barrie, Koules and sarcastic sports headline writers.

The co-owners really delivered when it came to entertainment (intentionally or not) which is surprising since Koules’ claim to fame were the artistically devoid “Saw” movies. Who will forget the Mirtle-Wyshysnki debate, the shameless goalie mask promotion or the gone-in-the-blink-of-an-eye Barry Melrose experience?

The two didn’t exactly split on good terms, but they should be proud of their work. Hollywood itself couldn’t have scripted a more comically incompetent regime.