TAMPA, Fla. — A dynasty isn’t a prophecy. It’s not willed into existence by mere words. So much goes into realizing a dominance rarely seen in professional sports and not in hockey in nearly four decades.
Their dream was born from the pain of past disappointments, and realized by learning that winning games when they matter most is built through defense and discipline, not necessarily skill and showmanship.
All the Lightning’s experience — 71 postseason games the past three seasons — wasn’t enough to climb out of a 3-2 series hole. The Lightning ultimately fell two wins short of lifting the Stanley Cup for three straight seasons — just shy of etching their own legacy as the first team to accomplish such championship supremacy in the salary cap era and overall since the Islanders claimed four straight titles to open the 1980s.
