How Brian Bradley's Lightning journey led to Hall of Fame induction

Eduardo A. Encina, Tampa Bay Times on Jan 30, 2025

Published in Hockey

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TAMPA, Fla. — When Brian Bradley was selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 1992 expansion draft, he really didn’t know what to expect.

But it might have been the best thing that happened to him.

Not only did Bradley revive his hockey career, but he became the fledgling franchise’s first All-Star. And he never left after his playing career ended.

Through ownership changes, personnel overhauls and a lot of wins and losses, there might not be a better promoter of the Lightning brand than Bradley. Rarely does a homestand pass when Bradley isn’t giving a tour of the dressing room to a Make-A-Wish kid.

Saturday, he and longtime former broadcaster Rick Peckham will be introduced as members of the Lightning’s third Hall of Fame class during the game against the Islanders at Amalie Arena. They’ll join fellow Hall members Phil Esposito, Marty St. Louis, Vinny Lecavalier, Dave Andreychuk and Brad Richards.

Pioneering the game

Bradley was the top player on the Lightning’s first teams, putting up the best numbers of his 13-season NHL career in the franchise’s first two seasons, including 42 goals, 86 points in 1992-93. He was Tampa Bay’s first All-Star Game representative, skating on a line with Wayne Gretzky and Brett Hull at the old Montreal Forum.

He saw success despite a major culture shock coming to Tampa after playing in hockey hubs like Toronto, Vancouver and Calgary. Promoting the game to a market that didn’t know much about hockey was part of the gig.

Through the Lightning’s first few seasons, life was anything but luxurious. The team would fly commercial, sometimes taking day-of-game afternoon flights to South Florida to play the Panthers, going right to the arena for a 7 p.m. game and traveling back by bus for a four-hour ride after the game

“We were like the pioneers,” Bradley said. “We were the original guys to ... start hockey in a non-traditional hockey market. We didn’t know if hockey was going to work here.

“When you’re going down to play the Florida Panthers, and you’re flying on day of game on ValuJet ... there’s no sleep, there’s no nap, there’s no pre-game meals. … And I think that cost us five or 10 points, so in the playoff (picture) of things, that matters.”

Success on the horizon

One of the highlights of Bradley’s career was playing on the Lightning’s first playoff team in 1995-96. They were able to fill the ThunderDome (now Tropicana Field) with 28,000 fans for their first-series games against the Flyers.

The following year the team moved into the Ice Palace (currently Amalie Arena) in downtown Tampa. Bradley has a great amount of pride in his role laying the foundation of the Lightning’s success.

“We saw the fans that were coming out for the playoff games, and we were going to move back over here the next year, I think that really opened a lot of the eyes of like, ‘Hey, we’re going to build a rink in Tampa, and then people are going to come,‘ ” he said. “I think everybody was excited about the future of the team.”

Bradley is one of four players to compete in all three Lightning homes, including Expo Hall at the Florida State Fairgrounds during the inaugural season. He scored the first goal at the Ice Palace, against the Rangers in 1996.

Sticking around to see it through

Once his playing days were done, Bradley helped grow the game through the Lightning’s youth hockey programs. When the team first arrived in Tampa, he remembered maybe two rinks in the area. His mission was to get sticks in the hands of kids.

“I just love seeing how it’s grown,” Bradley said. “How are you going to grow the game of hockey, or how people can understand hockey, if the kids can’t play, right? And that’s the thing. You have to get the kids to understand and go play. Hockey is not the easiest game to watch on TV. But if you get someone that’s a fan of another sport to come to a game live, they love it. They’re like, ‘Dude, this is the best thing ever.’

“Coming to the Lightning game, watching the thing, you can see the guys on the ice and what they’re doing with the puck.”

Bradley did color commentary for Sun Sports during the Lightning’s 2004 Stanley Cup run. He admitted that he questioned the future of the organization under owners Len Barrie and Oren Koules, and believes Jeff Vinik purchasing the team in 2010 and hiring Steve Yzerman to run the hockey side of the team saved the franchise.

“He changed the whole franchise,” Bradley said. ”He changed the whole culture of the team.”

Now Bradley is the Lightning’s community relations representative, and the consummate ambassador.

“I always had an aspiration, not to get into coaching, but maybe the management side,” Bradley said. “But there’s so much travel and different things like that. And when you play so long in the NHL, you want to have your time with your family. So I’ve had the opportunity to do some great stuff. …

“It just brings a smile to my face every day when I come to the rink and do this.”

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