What if Peter Karmanos Got the Tampa Bay Expansion Bid Over Phil Esposito?

How hockey's arrival to Florida sent waves across hockey still felt today.

Hockey Hall of Famer Phil Esposito has built an entire second legacy post-playing career as the founder of the Tampa Bay Lightning. He’s in the team’s hall of fame and has been the radio color commentator alongside Dave Miskin for years. However, there is an alternate reality in which Esposito remains exclusively known for being a legendary player with no place in Tampa Bay sports history.

He had stiff competition for an NHL expansion team in 1990. His competition was not just from other parts of the country. It was right in his backyard. While Esposito was looking to land a team in Tampa, businessman Peter Karmanos, the eventual owner of the Hartford Whalers/Carolina Hurricanes, was vying to put an NHL team in St. Petersburg.

A hypothetical decision by the NHL Board of Governors to award the team to Karmanos would’ve changed the course of hockey history, even if Tampa Bay still landed a team.

How Close Was This To Happening?

Before we look at how things would be different, it’s important to know how and why things turned out the way they did in our timeline.