Hatfield and McCoys Running Lightning into the Ground

One owner wants to slice payroll by $10 million dollars, trade the franchise player (one of the best players in hockey), and backs a general manager that traded away the team's best defenseman (on a team that was weak on the blue line) for prospects - most of whom are no longer with the franchise - as well as the 2004 Conn Smythe trophy winner for a goalie who lost more than he won, showed inconsistency and now has a specter surrounding his career due to lingering effects of a nasty concussion last season. The other owner wants to keep said franchise player, spend another $10 million up to the salary cap ceiling and isn't married to said General Manager. Owner #1 is Oren Koules, hollywood movie producer and the guy some believe has been calling the shots the last two years of the Tampa Bay Lightning's freefall from relevancy in the NHL. The other owner is former NHL hockey player Len Barrie.

Published reports in the local Tampa Bay fishwraps confirm what has been rumored for some time now - the Lightning franchise is in disarray with infighting between the two majority owners of the team. Its gotten so bad that today NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman will mediate a meeting between the two disgruntled partners and help decide who exactly has controlling interest in the franchise....continued