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It probably doesn't help their on-ice team that they can't get along and make good decisions

Maybe if he stopped acting like a clown, people would stop treating him like a clown.

Lets see if this adds up...rookie owners who are movie producers, a rookie GM who's prior experience was as a scout, a rookie head coach with a gambling problem and a losing record. Just another Southeast conference team with issues, like Atlanta and Florida.

i would say that shopping your star playing while assuring him that he`s going nowhere and also refinancing your businesses to accomodate his salary (leaving him to wonder if he will get paid) is probably not the recipe for success. Oh, that and maybe holding back from signing every single player who`s name you recognize to stupid contracts...

thats not surprising

QUOTE(#3):

Originally posted 01:18 PM ET  06.07 by Psycho Ocho

Lets see if this adds up...rookie owners who are movie producers, a rookie GM who's prior experience was as a scout, a rookie head coach with a gambling problem and a losing record. Just another Southeast conference team with issues, like Atlanta and Florida.

I am a Lightning fan but I agree 100% here.

I just cant understand how this is a story.

The Lightning are a good team and they will address their mess of a defense this off season. Their offensive is good and productive. Their Goalie is very good and in my opinion a team captain.

I would not be amazed if they are a surprise team next year.

The NHL's great "warm weather experiment" is becoming a failure over time. Just look, Phoenix Coyotes are Bankrupt, Atlanta Thrashers average 11,000 a game, Nashville Predators can't financially re-sign players and now the fued in Tampa Bay. Why to go Bettman.

QUOTE(#8):

Originally posted 05:11 PM ET  06.07 by CGCP

The NHL's great "warm weather experiment" is becoming a failure over time. Just look, Phoenix Coyotes are Bankrupt, Atlanta Thrashers average 11,000 a game, Nashville Predators can't financially re-sign players and now the fued in Tampa Bay. Way to go Bettman.

Way

If there is tension between these Lightning owners there must be a spark !!!

If Koules is upset that the team has become a laughing stock, perhaps he should have thought about that before he let a proven GM go, and before he and Barrie and their wunder kid Lawton started trying to run this franchsie like it belonged in a fantasy league. Yes, the defense was decemated by injury last year, but it wasn't a top 20 defense to start with. Then you add in the hodge podge of over paid Free Agent players last year, and you have a recipe for disaster. So perhaps Koules should actually do what EVERY SINGLE PERSON in the league told him to do last year, and that is find an EXPERIENCED AND TALENTED GM and, (here's the IMPORTANT PART) L E A V E H I M A L O N E!!!!!!

This guy needs to learn from Charles Wang that you need to leave the hockey decisions to the hockey-people.

So they fire a Cup winning coach because he can't get along with the media and prima donnas, hire a not-much winning coach that hadn't touched the ice in many years only to fire him in the first quarter of the season, behave like the Yankees in free agency, treat their front office poorly, alienate their players, and ask us to be fans.

I don't think so. I've given away my Lightning garb and hope Martin St Louis is smart enough to get out of that city.

This organization (although I am ashamed to admit) is actually doing better on the ice with Tocchet. However, YES, the front office needs a complete overhaul.

So he's frustrated that his team is getting laughed at. And to think, they were shopping around their star player before his no-movement clause kicks in, they also hired a tv guy to coach the team and fired him after what 13 games. Gee I can't figure out why this team gets laughed at.

"Koules is frustrated that the Tampa Bay Lightning has become the butt of many NHL jokes..."
LOL I'm already laughing (at them) and an nhl joke hasn't even been told.

Why is their owner 17 years old?