When a Hockey Team Played in a Baseball Stadium: Remembering the ThunderDome
Amalie Arena. What’s not to love?
Located in a premier spot in Downtown Tampa along the water, you could argue that the arena is one of the crown jewels of the city.
In addition to the huge concerts and events the arena has hosted, what makes the Amalie truly special is its ability to host an NHL team. From the tesla coils, to a concourse filled with local dining options, to the fan-friendly environment and so much more, the Tampa Bay Lightning’s home is consistently ranked as one of the best arenas in the NHL.
Having an arena similar to Amalie is one that many teams dream of and you could argue that a key contributing factor to the Lightning’s recent success is the arena they play in.
All that said, you know this wasn’t always the case for the Lightning?
Before Amalie Arena came along, the Bolts didn’t play in a high-standard hockey arena in the center of Tampa. Instead, they played in an arena that wasn’t even designed for the sport they played in a completely different city. And yet despite all of that, it somehow worked.
Sounds crazy, but it’s true. For three seasons this was the Lightning’s reality. And in honor of the 30th anniversary of their first season in this previous arena, we here at RBLR Sports want to look back at this time. The time a hockey team played in a baseball stadium. So ladies and gentlemen, let’s remember the ThunderDome.
Background
When the Lightning were officially founded they didn’t have an official arena plan. They knew they needed to build one, but they hadn’t created an official agreement or even officially decided where one would be built.
While that process went on, the team needed to find a temporary home. Expo Hall at the Florida State Fairgrounds was chosen to serve as the team’s home barn for their inaugural season. A unique choice to say the least.
The team needed to bring in portable bleachers and even a portable ice system to play games. The team was able to fit around 10,000 people per game, making it the smallest arena in the league. But it wasn’t just small, it also lacked the space and equipment normally found at regular NHL arenas. This led to several quirky stories from players and coaches. For example the Lightning’s first head coach Terry Crisp has said that he was looking for his players before the first game, only to find them outside under the sun getting massages due to there being no room inside for the tables.
After this season concluded the team decided they needed to move to a place that could fit more fans. And to do that they would turn to an arena on the other side of the Howard Franklin.
The team chose the then-named Florida Suncoast Dome, better known today as Tropicana Field, to be their new arena. The irony of the move is that the team would go from the smallest NHL arena to an arena way larger than anything the league had to offer, as the Dome could hold over 30,000 people.
Why was the arena’s capacity so big? Well because it wasn’t built for hockey, it was built for baseball. The Suncoast Dome opened in 1990. It was built in an attempt to attract a Major League Baseball team to St. Petersburg. Both the Chicago White Sox and San Francisco Giants looked into moving to the stadium, only to decide against the move at the last moment.
We all know that the arena would eventually get an MLB team when the Tampa Bay Devil Rays began play in 1998. But for a long time, the Suncoast Dome sat there unused. It would eventually go on to occasionally host some concerts and the Tampa Bay Storm of the Arena Football League had started using it, but it still wasn’t hosting a major sports team. But that all changed once the Lightning decided to move in.
What Happened
The Lightning’s first season in the arena was the 1993-1994 season. They would go on to play there for three seasons.
The rink was set up along where the Trop’s baseball diamond currently sits. The outfield walls were covered with large curtains and the team set up large portable bleachers in front of it to try and prevent fans from being too spread out.
The move to the Suncoast Dome, which at this point was renamed to the Thunderdome, was followed by a huge increase in the Lightning’s average attendance. In their first season, the team’s attendance jumped up from 10,000 to 19,000. For three straight seasons, the Lightning ranked second in the league in attendance, sitting only behind the Red Wings.
The reason for this increase was due to both not just the fact that they were now playing in an arena with a larger capacity. It was also because of the larger-than-normal capacity, ticket prices were very low. The Hockey Writer claimed that fans could purchase season tickets in the upper deck for only $99.
The Lightning struggled in its first two seasons in the Thunderdome, going 30-43-11 in the first year and 17-28-3 in the second year. But in their third and final year, the team would go on to obtain a 38-32-12 record and make the playoffs for the first time in team history. And even though they would fall in six games in the first round to the Philadelphia Flyers, this season is still remembered fondly by players and fans as it played a key role in getting the city interested in hockey.
Games 3 and 4 of the Flyers series are the most memorable moments from the Lightning’s time in the Thunderdome. In Game 3 the Lightning won its first home playoff game thanks to an overtime goal scored by Brian Bellows. And in Game 4 the team played in front of a crowd of 28,123 fans. This broke the all-time NHL attendance record. While this number has since been crushed by all of the Stadium Series and Winter Classic games, this is still the record for the largest attendance at a game held at a team’s normal stadium. Considering the NHL’s current largest arena, the Montreal Canadians Bell Center, holds 21,105 fans, this is a record that will probably never be broken.
“Those first two games where we had 28 or 30,000 people to the game was absolutely fantastic,” Brian Bradley, the Lightning’s star player at the time, said. “And it was something we all remembered for the rest of our lives.”
The Lightning’s final game at ThunderDome was a loss in Game 6 of the Flyers series. Due to finishing the construction of Amalie Arena, then called the Ice Palace, shortly after this, the team would officially move out of the ThunderDome and into the arena they call home to this day, ending one of the strangest times in NHL history.
The ThunderDome’s Legacy
When you look back at the ThunderDome, you think of something that really shouldn’t have worked. The Lightning were a new team playing in a city that was far away from their main market, in a baseball stadium that held way more fans than a typical NHL arena. But instead, ask any longtime Lightning fan and they will have nothing but praise for the ThunderDome.
While there, the team brought in large crowds and gained longtime fans. It was here that the team was first able to connect with the city. There are definitely issues with playing in a baseball stadium. The wonky setup. Obstructed views due to a weird bleacher setup. But fans seemed to ignore that.
A possible reason that the team’s time in the Thunderdome worked is that it didn’t last that long. The truth is, playing in a baseball stadium is kind of a gimmick. Heck, that’s kind of part of the marketing for l several of the NHL’s outdoor games. “Come watch hockey in a place where hockey isn’t supposed to be played.”
The thing with gimmicks is that the amount of time people are willing to go along with it is short. They can wear out their welcome fast and when that happens that becomes annoying.
Want an example? Take a look at the New York City FC of Major League Soccer. For the team’s entire existence, they have played in Yankee Stadium, the New York Yankees home ballpark. This was supposed to be temporary. However, the team has been unable to build its own soccer-specific stadium and as a result, they have been playing at Yankee Stadium for 10 years now.
During the first few years of their existence, fans liked the idea of NYCFC playing at a baseball stadium. It was seen as quirky and unique. Attendance was high and you could argue part of that was due to fans wanting to see what it was like watching soccer in a baseball stadium.
But as the years went on, the team’s attendance has dipped. Fans of both NYCFC and other MLS teams are now more negative when talking about the team playing at Yankee Stadium. Instead of seeing it as quirky, it’s seen as annoying and fans now complain about things like obstructed viewing and the terrible playing surface.
Unlike NYCFC, the Lightning avoided this by only playing at the ThunderDome for a short period. By doing so they didn’t wear out the gimmick of playing in a baseball stadium. By playing there for only three seasons, the Lightning was able to portray their stadium situation as quirky, but also were able to leave before this became stale. They were able to avoid fan backlash because the short period allowed fans to simply enjoy the strange idea of watching a hockey team in Florida, which you could also argue was a gimmick at the time, in a baseball stadium.
The Lightning left before there was anything negative to say about the ThunderDome and by doing so they have left only positive memories in fans’ heads. Memories of a unique hockey viewing experience, the team’s first playoff appearance and the time when the Lightning truly connected with Tampa. And because of that, the ThunderDome should be seen as nothing but a success.
As previously mentioned it’s been 30 years since the Lightning played at the Dome. And it was just recently announced the Rays had finally gotten plans for a new stadium in St. Petersburg approved, meaning the days of the former ThunderDome are now numbered. But before that day comes, there is a possibility we’ll see another hockey game in that arena.
Due to the recent success of not just the Lightning but another Florida team in the Panthers, there have been rumors that the NHL is looking to host a Stadium Series game in Tampa. So who knows, before Tropicana Field closes for good, there may be a chance we’ll get to see a puck drop in that arena one last time.
