Bolts wanted time changed for first game

[Sotnos]

I hadn't looked at the Rays schedule yet, but the Bolts are playing at the same time. Expect terrible attendance & viewership. :(

This is from tbt.com:
Bad luck of the day
The poor Lightning. It gets new owners, a new coach, a bunch of new players.
It opens the season in Europe and hardly anyone is paying attention because of the Rays’ magical playoff run. Then it gets worse. The Lightning opens its home schedule Saturday night at 7:30 — 37 minutes before the first pitch of Game 2 of the American League Championship Series between the Rays and Red Sox. The Lightning did call Saturday’s opponent, the Carolina Hurricanes, to ask if they would agree to change Saturday’s game time, but the Hurricanes said no.
Carolina plays Friday night at home and the turnaround would be too quick for a day game. Besides, league rules prohibit a team playing a day game after a night game.
The earliest the league would permit a starting time Saturday would be 5 p.m. That’s the starting time the Lightning wanted, but the Hurricanes still said no. The Lightning wasn’t upset and said it understood, but I don’t. With a short flight from Raleigh, N.C., after Friday night’s game, the Hurricanes would be in their Tampa hotel across the street from the St. Pete Times Forum by 1 a.m. That’s plenty of time to rest up for a game, especially one so early in the season. It really is in Carolina’s best interest, too, to change. The NHL needs all the attention it can get. Going up against the Rays is bad for the Lightning, which is, in turn, bad for the entire NHL.

Bad for the NHL? While it absolutely sucks for the Bolts, that's a little overdramatic.

[BlameItOnHenry]

If the Lightning end up lacking in the attendance levels Saturday I wouldn't be suprised at all if the media jumped all over it and blow it into some big ordeal.

[Avery86]

EE said it well though, don't expect the Lightning to do the Hurricanes any favors any time soon.

[Sotnos]

If the Lightning end up lacking in the attendance levels Saturday I wouldn't be suprised at all if the media jumped all over it and blow it into some big ordeal.
Agreed

BTW, also in the TBT (http://tampabaytimes.fl.newsmemory.com/) is a full-page ad for opening night on page 15. I love their current ad campaign, very understated & the photography is beautiful, this puppy's going up on the bulletin board. :)

[jaydeedub]

Shoot the way EE makes it sound it was him who came up with the idea of them changing the time, and that the team really didn't try to push it too hard. Either way Hockey is hockey and baseball is baseball. Though I'd love to see the Rays ball game I'll go to a hockey game any day over watching the Rays when I have tix to the hockey game.

[Avery86]

Yeah, their campaign is pretty good. I wonder who does it? Does the organization have an in-house design team?

[jaydeedub]

Yeah, their campaign is pretty good. I wonder who does it? Does the organization have an in-house design team?

I can't really remember what my pal told me. I know they do have their own graphic artist they employ in their marketing dept. But I also remember that bad, very-very bad website they came up with "V-Blast!" Guess they can be hit or miss. But that latest one on TBT would make a sweet poster for my garage.