Mon Jun 23 15:43:49 2008

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Lightning make a move at the top; coach decision upcoming

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Tampa, FL (Sports Network) - The Tampa Bay Lightning put in place a new ownership group consisting of eight people on Monday and the announcement of a new head coach is likely coming soon.

Oren Koules, a Hollywood producer, heads up the team which is expected to finalize the sale from Bill Davidson and Palace Sports & Entertainment on June 30.

The new ownership is also highlighted by Len Barrie. a real estate developer and a former NHL player. The rest of the team includes a partner of Koules at Evolution Entertainment, Mark Burg; attorney and investment banker Russell Belinsky; advertising executive Jordan Zimmerman; orthopedic surgeon Dr. Richard C. Lehman; furniture retailer and chief executive officer of Kane's Furniture Irwin Novack; and Craig Sher, Executive Chairman of St. Petersburg- based The Sembler Company.

"This is a great day for Tampa Bay and for the Lightning," said Koules. "There is a wonderful foundation for hockey in this community; a great fan base and a former Stanley Cup winning team led by Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis. Our group's primary goal is to win hockey games and compete for championships on a regular basis."

The first order of business for the new ownership group is expected to be the announcement of a new head coach, and reports have circulated over the past few weeks that Barry Melrose will be the choice.

Melrose, who is currently a featured NHL analyst for ESPN, has not coached a team since he left the Los Angeles Kings during the 1994-95 season. He guided the team to its first and only Stanley Cup Finals appearance -- a five-game setback to the Montreal Canadiens in the spring of 1993. However, Los Angeles failed to make the playoffs in the next two seasons.

The Lightning need to replace John Tortorella, who was fired June 3 with one year remaining on his contract. Tortorella led the Lightning to a Stanley Cup championship after the 2003-04 season, but the club was bounced in the first round of the next two playoffs and finished this season dead last in the NHL, earning the No. 1 pick in the draft.

"We want to bring the fans of Tampa more championships and an organization it will be proud of for many, many years," said Barrie.

Tampa Bay used the first pick last week to select centerman Steven Stamkos.