Catching Lightning in a Bottle: A NHL 12 Tampa Bay Dynasty

[SENS_AK27]

Well I will be shutting down my Ottawa dynasty after I post the playoffs as I feel I've grown out of it and will be shutting down all my other loose ended dynasties in favor of something fresh and new.

I have chosen to do a Tampa Bay Dynasty, for a couple of reasons.
1. I don't see a lot on the boards so it'll be refreshing to see a Lightning one.
2. I like a lot of the players on the team, and they are a lot better on paper then they finished this season.
3. Unlike Ottawa, they are not rebuilding and have a pretty competitive team so it'll be interesting to come into a situation I can immediately start winning at.
4. Stamkos is becoming one of my favorite players, with his playstyle and scoring ability. Also I'm a big fan of Stevie Y and will be portraying him as the GM of the Lightning.

Specifics:
System: PS3
Difficulty: All-Star
Sliders: Trying out Tazers this go around
GM Difficulty: Hard
Period Length: 9 Minutes
Roster: Ultimate Roster Update
Presentation: I am going with the 20 Game Update Route, less work so I can focus on the games, mingled in with the updates will be Interviews, News Updates, Around the League type stuff.

[seb170455]

Re: Catching Lightning in a Bottle: A NHL 12 Tampa Bay Dynasty

A shame you shut down your Senators dynasty, but GOOD LUCK with the Bolts.

[SENS_AK27]

Re: Catching Lightning in a Bottle: A NHL 12 Tampa Bay Dynasty

TAMPA BAY SPLITS PRESEASON GAMES 2-2
October 1st, 2011
NHL.COM

After a remarkable Cinderella run to the Eastern Conference Finals in last years Stanley Cup Finals, the Tampa Bay Lightning are no longer the NHL's best kept secret. With a returning cast, and a few minor additions there is no reason to believe that the Lightning won't be back in the hunt when the postseason begins in April.

All eyes will be on the young Steven Stamkos to see if he can top last years impressive scoring feat. The veterans Lecavalier and St. Louis return to give guidance to the younger players that weren't around for the magical cup run back in 2004. The team also has veteran experience on defense and in net. Guys like Brewer, Clark and Ohlund will be able to mentor the youngsters Hedman, Aulie, and Lee. In net, Dwayne Roloson is a proverbial Grandfather at the age of 41 but will still give guidance to Mathieu Garon.

General Manager Steve Yzerman was conservative over the offseason, only making minor tweaks to his roster. Shipping out offensive defenseman Matt Gilroy to the Ottawa Senators for Brian Lee. Stevie Y also acquired defenseman Keith Aulie for forward Carter Ashton in a trade with Toronto. The moves helped to add depth on the backend. From their prospect pool, youngster Brett Connolly has made the team, while Vladislav Namestnikov has been sent back to Major Junior for another year.

Add to the mix, the grinders and bangers in Downie, Hall, Pyatt, Malone, and Purcell and you have yourself a pretty competitive hockey team on paper. But nobody has won a Stanley Cup with a team on paper so we'll have to see if the Lightning can endure the rigors of the 82 game schedule and a grueling Stanley Cup Playoffs to recapture Lord Stanley's Trophy.

[bthomp05]

Re: Catching Lightning in a Bottle: A NHL 12 Tampa Bay Dynasty

Excellent write-up Sens, I look forward to this. About time a Lightning Chise was on here.

Good luck.

[SENS_AK27]

Re: Catching Lightning in a Bottle: A NHL 12 Tampa Bay Dynasty

LIGHTNING ANNOUNCE OPENING NIGHT LINES
October 4th, 2011
NHL.COM

Tampa Bay Head Coach Guy Boucher has announced his opening night lines, when the Lightning travel to North Carolina to take on the Carolina Hurricanes. The team begins the 2011/12 NHL season with 5 consecutive road games. When asked if this was fair Boucher was quick to point out that spending time on the road helps build camaraderie and strong bonds with your teammates and that in itself will help the team down the road.

Looking at the lines it would appear that Boucher is counting on the continuation of team chemistry this year with several players playing with their old playoff partners. Boucher has also decided to spread his offense a little, moving Stamkos to the 2nd line for more scoring depth. Lecavalier and St. Louis will be reunited on the top line, while Stamkos hopes to rekindle his chemistry with Freddie Purcell on the 2nd line. The Lightning have a very solid 3rd line for grinding with Connolly, Pyatt, and Downie and lastly the 4th will be a functional energy line with Hall, Thompson, and Shannon.

*NOTE - I wasn't a huge fan of the Downie or Kubina trades seeing how it was for picks and I can't trade picks so I decided to leave them on Tampa for now.

[bthomp05]

Re: Catching Lightning in a Bottle: A NHL 12 Tampa Bay Dynasty

I like the lines Sens - though I don't know about putting yoru best scorer on the 2nd line, hope it works for you.

[SENS_AK27]

Re: Catching Lightning in a Bottle: A NHL 12 Tampa Bay Dynasty

YZERMAN ADDS DEPTH TO THE TEAM SIGNS 2 FREE AGENTS
October 7th, 2011
NHL.COM

A day after Tampa Bay defeated Carolina by a score of 4-3 in overtime, Lightning GM Steve Yzerman signed 2 free agents. First up was veteran right winger Ethan Moreau to a 2 year deal worth 600K. Moreau last played 37 games for the Columbus Blue Jackets before becoming a free agent this year. That signing was followed by a move to bring in some toughness when Yzerman signed tough guy Kip Brennan to a 1 year deal worth $525K. Brennan last played 12 games for the Chicago Wolves before he had to undergo shoulder surgery.

[SENS_AK27]

Re: Catching Lightning in a Bottle: A NHL 12 Tampa Bay Dynasty

NEW FACES MEANS CHANGES TO LIGHTNING LINE UP
October 9th, 2011
NHL.COM

Coach Boucher has had 1 practice to evaluate his new players and seeing where they will fit with this team. After practice was over he stated to the media that both players will be given an opportunity to play for the team, and that could be as early as the next game when Tampa travels to Boston for a game against the Bruins. When asked about Brennan's fitness level and his penchant for drawing penalties, Boucher responded "Look, Steve didn't bring in Brennan to go sit up in the pressbox. He is here to protect our star players. He'll get limited minutes but if he can make an impact in a game he'll play more". When asked about Moreau, who is a natural leader, being a Captain in Edmonton and an Alternate in Columbus he said "Ethan is a great locker room guy, he is already taking a leadership role and helping out the younger players. He won't be wearing a letter but that doesn't mean he is not a leader. He is an asset to this organization."

Both Shannon and Hall saw limited ice time at practice, so it is expected that both Brennan and Moreau will take their roster spots on the 4th line.

[bthomp05]

Re: Catching Lightning in a Bottle: A NHL 12 Tampa Bay Dynasty

Great pickups - though Brennan in my dynasty ended up being more of an offensive asset then a tough guy.

Hope they work out for you.

[SENS_AK27]

Re: Catching Lightning in a Bottle: A NHL 12 Tampa Bay Dynasty

Great pickups - though Brennan in my dynasty ended up being more of an offensive asset then a tough guy.

Hope they work out for you.

I thought he was just another goon, maybe he'll turn out to be like Neil for me. But with 90 Strength, 90 Fighting, and 88 Body Checking he was just what I was looking for to add toughness to my team.

[SENS_AK27]

Re: Catching Lightning in a Bottle: A NHL 12 Tampa Bay Dynasty

AROUND THE NHL: DMAN ON THE MOVE
October 10th, 2011
NHL.COM

The NHL can be a strange place sometimes, and players never truly feel comfortable without a coveted 'No Trade Clause'. The uncertainly became quite apparent when in the course of 2 days two teams put a top 4 defenseman on waivers. First, it was the Vancouver Canucks parting ways with stalwart defender Sami Salo by placing him on waivers. Salo has played the last 8 seasons in Van City and was a fan favorite. Salo was claimed by the Dallas Stars.

The second occurrence happened when the Philadelphia Flyers waived Kimmo Timonen. Timonen has spent the last 4 seasons with the Flyers but recently the Flyers were running out of cap space and was already crowded at the defensive position. With no offers coming forth for the aging offensive defenseman he was waived and picked up by Colorado.

[bthomp05]

Re: Catching Lightning in a Bottle: A NHL 12 Tampa Bay Dynasty

I thought he was just another goon, maybe he'll turn out to be like Neil for me. But with 90 Strength, 90 Fighting, and 88 Body Checking he was just what I was looking for to add toughness to my team.

Well it was over 4 years with my chise. But I hope he fits in well for you.

[bthomp05]

Re: Catching Lightning in a Bottle: A NHL 12 Tampa Bay Dynasty

AROUND THE NHL: DMAN ON THE MOVE
October 10th, 2011
NHL.COM

The NHL can be a strange place sometimes, and players never truly feel comfortable without a coveted 'No Trade Clause'. The uncertainly became quite apparent when in the course of 2 days two teams put a top 4 defenseman on waivers. First, it was the Vancouver Canucks parting ways with stalwart defender Sami Salo by placing him on waivers. Salo has played the last 8 seasons in Van City and was a fan favorite. Salo was claimed by the Dallas Stars.

The second occurrence happened when the Philadelphia Flyers waived Kimmo Timonen. Timonen has spent the last 4 seasons with the Flyers but recently the Flyers were running out of cap space and was already crowded at the defensive position. With no offers coming forth for the aging offensive defenseman he was waived and picked up by Colorado.

Wow, got love the cpu.

[Block M]

Re: Catching Lightning in a Bottle: A NHL 12 Tampa Bay Dynasty

Love to see a Tampa dynasty. I nearly picked Tampa Bay over Buffalo to start my franchise just because of Stamkos, so I'll be following this one closely.

[SENS_AK27]

Re: Catching Lightning in a Bottle: A NHL 12 Tampa Bay Dynasty

Love to see a Tampa dynasty. I nearly picked Tampa Bay over Buffalo to start my franchise just because of Stamkos, so I'll be following this one closely.

Thanks for following, I am having a lot of fun playing as Tampa and Stamkos has been amazing for me so far, definitely a lot different then playing as Ottawa.