Exclusive Lightning coverage by Gary Shelton Sports

Vasilevskiy will remain in the Bolts’ goal for a while

July 30, 2019 general

Tuesday, 4 a.m. He is the goaltender for today, and he is the goaltender for the tomorrow. He is the goaltender for the day after, and for a lot of days thereafter. He is your goalie. And he is your son’s goalie. They will grow old together. His future is longer than his past. Ahead […]

Read the full article →

When will it be Tampa Bay’s time in the sun?

June 25, 2019 general

Tuesday, 4 a.m. A common draft suggests the home team has as many chances as the next one. A salary cap, which two of the three teams have, suggest that, eventually, things will even out. Shared TV revenues say that everyone has a shot at confetti. So when is it our turn? When does Tampa […]

Read the full article →

Kucherov, Vasilevskiy win major awards in NHL

June 20, 2019 general

Thursday, 3 a.m. During their longest, most bitter off-season, members of the Tampa Bay Lightning will have some polishing to do. It might feel empty, but when the  NHL announced their season winners  their major awards Wednesday night, there was plenty of Lightning representation.  It won’t make the season more memorable, but it is at […]

Read the full article →

Random thoughts: Do Bucs’ fans desire nastiness?

June 2, 2019 general

Sunday, 4 a.m. Ndamukong Suh swears taht, really, he’s a teddy bear. As long as you keep in mind that the teddy bear will step on your neck. “Before you pass judgement on somebody I always take the time to get to know them, meet them, have coffee with them, whatever it may be and […]

Read the full article →

Random thoughts: Wishing Yzerman farewell.

April 21, 2019 general

Sunday, 3 a.m. This is how they felt in College Station back in 1957 when Bear went back home. This is how they felt at Duke in 1990 when Steve Spurrier went home to Florida. Stevie Y has taken his puck and gone home, because he likes it there better than he likes it here. […]

Read the full article →

Ask Gary: Dissecting the Lightning defeat

April 20, 2019 general

Each week, the readers take over GarySheltonsports.com and play Ask Gary. They send in a question, or a couple, on Thursday night or Friday morning and we all talk about the world of sports. Think of it as a radio show where you don’t have to be on hold. Join us and ask a question, […]

Read the full article →

Lightning suffer another post-season loss

April 20, 2019 general

Saturday, 2 a.m. Shocked, I tell you. I’m shocked. Steve Yzerman is going home to the Red Wings. Why, that’s stunning. Heck, we’ve only had seven months to get used to the idea. Think Yzerman had time to pack? The least surprising headline of the year happened Friday when Yzerman announced he was going to […]

Read the full article →

What is next for what’s left of the Lightning?

April 18, 2019 general

Wednesday, 3 a.m. And now, all that remains is a lone figure in a lonely office. Any suggestion of greatness will be laughed away today. Any pretense of excellence is gone. The only coupling with history that the Lightning has is to describe the size of their flop. In the annals of the league, no […]

Read the full article →

It’s over: Lighting blown out of opening series

April 17, 2019 general

Tuesday, 4 a.m. So, remind me. What was the big deal about these Tampa Bay Lighting? Sixty-two points? Big deal. Three 40-goal scorers? So what? The goaltender who led the league in wins? Double whoopee. Yeah, these Lightning will always be remembered as being pretty spiffy by those who value regular season victories. But if […]

Read the full article →

10 disappointing days for Tampa Bay sports fans

April 16, 2019 general

Tuesday, 4 a.m. The sun does not shine. The air is not sweet. Food does not taste good. The traffic is annoying. Your co-workers get on your nerves. The water is never chilled. These are the days after failure. The worst of all possible times. The night before, there was life, and there were possibilities. […]

Read the full article →