St. Petersburg Times Forum officially becomes Tampa Bay Times Forum

On New Year’s Day, the St. Petersburg Times officially changed its name to the Tampa Bay Times, so on New Year’s Eve Tampa Bay Lightning fans helped their team christen the newly renamed Tampa Bay Times Forum in a 5 to 2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes.

   The renamed forum had new look logos throughout the stadium. It also marked another historical night for the Lightning faithful when the Hall of Fame inductee, Phil Esposito statue was unveiled.  Phil Esposito, the co-founder of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Hall of Fame skater, and current play by play color commentator was honored with a brilliant introduction.

   The night was full of memories for many of the players as well. Steve Stamkos delivered his fifth overall hat trick, while Marty St. Louis delivered three assists to reach his 500th for his career.