Tampa Bay Lightning a model for Orlando Magic’s growing culture

The Tampa Bay Lightning were struggling when a new owner and new management group changed their culture. A task the Orlando Magic hope to copy.

The Tampa Bay Lightning have once again found themselves putting together another deep playoff run.

With three Eastern Conference Finals appearances in the last four years, the Lightning have continued to stake their claim as a perennial contender in the NHL. They are the favorites to reach the Stanley Cup Final once again, even as they dig their way out of a 2-0 series hole against the Washington Capitals.

Success has been a constant for this organization. All in a non-traditional hockey market. Still, Amalie Arena is full of Lightning fans and the sport has grown in the Bay Area.

But it was not always like this. In fact, just 10 years ago, the organization was headed in an entirely different direction. Then came new owner Jeff Vinik and a complete overhaul of the franchise’s culture.

Vinik took over the Lightning in 2010, making it the second time in two years the organization had changed ownership.

It was dreary before Vinik took over. The Lightning had just finished their third losing season in a row. They were struggling to sell tickets and the arena infrastructure was obsolete. It left a Tampa Bay fanbase starving for some sports success. A tumultuous period for the franchise.

Vinik purchased the club after the 2010 season and made the crucial hirings of general manager and hockey legend Steve Yzerman, and then CEO Tod Leiweke. These hires proved critical for the Lightning to rebuild the franchise. And everything has started turning up gold.

It was these culture-setting hires and the decisions they made that turned things around. This is where the Orlando Magic have had missteps they hope now to correct.

Many have liked grabbing the duo of president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman and general manager John Hammond. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com has gone out of his way several times to state how attractive Orlando is as a location when it is right and to praise the Weltman and Hammond’s reputation.

It seems like a move similar to the one the Lightning made nearly a decade ago.

Yet it is nearly impossible to tag someone as integral to their respective sporting community as Yzerman. But it is worth noting Vinik did go out on a limb.

Yzerman, a three-time Stanley Cup winner and Detroit Red Wings legend, had never previously held a general manager position. He worked with Detroit’s front office after retirement. He had the chance to work with Red Wings general manager Ken Holland, one of the most successful NHL executives in his own right.

Vinik let the group he hired handle things and worked with them to complete their vision.

In an interview with Sports Illustrated this month, Vinik said he hoped to treat his executives like partners rather than employees. His job was to hold them accountable and not to meddle.

It is known now Magic CEO Alex Martins and the DeVos family are not the group to make heavily involved decisions within the front office. But certainly, they perhaps made a mistake during the Rob Hennigan era as things seemed to go off the rails.

Their philosophies really do not sound too different. Except, the major difference here was Vinik hired a hockey legend and Martins hired an inexperienced and overzealous 30-year-old.  A 30-year-old, it seemed ownership lost that complete trust in.

So if you are going to give someone the keys to the kingdom, make sure it is the right person, and as Vinik said, “hold them accountable.”

That appears to be the case now. When asked whether Weltman would make the coaching decision, he said plainly he would not have taken the Magic job without that autonomy.

Weltman may not be a living legend like Yzerman is in his sport, but he has plenty more experience and reputation to demand that kind of autonomy. It appears with the changes the Magic are making behind the scenes he is investing that faith already.

But not only are Vinik’s decisions the best for the organization, but significant care is put into every investment and every detail.

Vinik knew the franchise was in disrepair when he purchased it. Yet he was extremely confident in the foundation. That is, the size of the Tampa Bay sports market and overall potential for growth.

There are reasons the Tampa Bay Lightning were ranked No. 1 on ESPN’s 2016 Ultimate Standings for professional sports teams.

Since Vinik’s takeover, the Lightning have been to the playoffs five out of their last eight seasons. They reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2015.  All the pieces — from player personnel to culture to the building and fan response — fell into place.

The Magic have put forth the entertainment side of things similar to Vinik. They built the new arena, a to-be-built entertainment facility and managed to keep the Magic within the top 17 in the league in attendance in the last three years despite the poor records.

The Lightning similarly revamped their in-arena experience. The team renovated Amalie Arena in 2012 ahead of the Republican National Convention. But they also added some nice additions to the gameday experience — a new organ in the upper bowl for the traditional hockey feel and two Tesla coils to add some voltage to goal celebrations.

Amalie Arena and Amway Center sit roughly 95 miles apart. The I-4 neighbors entered their respective leagues at about the same time. The Magic in 1989 and the Lightning in 1992.

As far as professional sports go in Florida, these organizations have remained integral to their communities and have seen their fair share of fame within the NHL and NBA.

The Magic are hoping they have landed their Leiweke and Yzerman with Weltman and Hammond.

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A strong management group that brings in the right guys and makes the right personnel decisions can truly change a franchise.