Media conference is scheduled for tomorrow at the St. Pete Times Forum... Part of that announcement wil about the Tampa Bay Lightning brand -- a new logo and new uniform may well be unveiled. But the news that concerns this forum is that the St. Pete Times Forum is supposed to be undergoing extensive renovations on all levels.... Or at least rumor says so.

Press conference is at 2PM.

Honestly, I don't think it needs to be. I guess being one of the top venues at their capacity though, being fresh and all is kind of needed.

I really wish the planned hotel by them happened.

TM -- No you shouldn't. The planned hotel "by them" was by Len Barrie, whose finances were paper thin and who is in hot water for fudging accounting in Canada. If they had gone forward with any plans, the building never would have been finished and their would have been a hulking, empty mass on the Tampa waterfront.

Barrie was part of the Bolts last ownership group.

As for the arena, it does need to be freshed up. As a top venue you always have to keep things fresh.

The announcements planned for today have been postponed due to events in St. Petersburg.

If the Forum is to go under renovation, it would be a huge mess. Specifically being that the Sun Dome is slated for its own renovation begining in April. USF's graduation for Spring & possibly Summer 2011 will all be held at the Forum.

There were already planned things to happen with the Forum -- renovation wise. Some of the flooring was aken up last off season and will be replaced THIS off season, while other concourse flooring iwll be removed). If there are more changes forthcoming, it's just in addition to this.

This won't be a 1-2-3 renovation. Venue is too busy. Likely to be a several-year project.

^^
I see

As a Lightning season ticket holder I'm kinda nervous about the new jerseys and everything. I have absolute faith in the ownership but I don't know the Bolts as anything but Black, Blue, and Silver, so it will take some getting used to...

Anyways, back to the SPTF: I saw on tbo.com that they mention there will be a new outdoor party deck overlooking the outdoor plaza. I'm trying to figure out how that will look, but can't quite picture it.

To go further on GOOT's reference to the TBO article, here's the excerpt about renovations:

• A continuation of the makeover of the Forum that began last summer, including new seats and decorative flooring on the lower and upper concourses. Mixing in a touch of nostalgia as well, there's an old-time pipe organ coming.

Last summer, new Lightning owner Jeff Vinik invested more than $5 million on improvements, including resurfaced floors on the lower concourse, new boards and Zamboni ice resurfacing machines and a redesigned office for the coaching staff. Ongoing improvements were promised.

• An 11,000-square-foot party deck overlooking the plaza.

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2011/jan/25/260637/bolts-to-unveil-stadium-improvements-new-logo/

And GOOT? Covering the team, I'm just as nervous about the uniform change and logo tweak. Black-silver-blue-white have been our colors and ARE our colors. Turning our back on them is contradictive of the traditions the team want sto build.

Front and center on the St. Petersburg Times front page this morning was an article on the planned renovations -- because public documents had been filed and discussions had taken place with county commissioners.

The "Party deck" mentioned above is going to be on the roof of the St. Pete Times Forum's western concourse -- which has been a wasted space in that something could have gone there but it's dominated by utilities right now.

The ventilation system will also be replaced in the forum to deal with moisture issues.

The renovation information, as well as Tampa Bay Lightning stuff, will be part of a noon press conference at the Forum tomorrow. It will be streamed live on Tampabaylightning.com

Awesome. Looking forward to find out what they have planned.

The renovation announcement will be WEDNESDAY. Sheesh.

Live streaming of today's press conference of arena plans:

http://tbl.li/fqOJK8

It's over now. Stills of the renovations can be found here:

http://lightning.nhl.com/club/gallery.htm?id=20118

LIGHTNING ANNOUNCE $35 MILLION RENOVATION TO THE ST. PETE TIMES FORUM
Privately Funded Arena Project to be Completed in 12 Months

TAMPA BAY - In the third of a series of announcements focused on a complete brand and business transformation, the Tampa Bay Lightning unveiled a privately-funded $35 million capital expenditures plan to renovate and modernize the St. Pete Times Forum over the next 12 months. The project, which will complete an arena transformation project begun shortly after Chairman and Governor Jeff Vinik purchased the Lightning in March 2010, is aimed at improving the facility for fans, players, sponsorship partners and employees.

Originally opened in downtown Tampa’s Channelside District in the fall of 1996 as the Ice Palace, the St. Pete Times Forum is owned by Hillsborough County, but managed and operated by Tampa Bay Sports and Entertainment, LLC, which is controlled by Vinik. In addition to the Tampa Bay Lightning, the 21,500-seat Times Forum is home to arena football’s Tampa Bay Storm, and it is recognized as one of the nation’s most attended venues for concerts and major events each year.

“We are thrilled to unveil our transformation plans today,” said Lightning and St. Pete Times Forum CEO Tod Leiweke. “Jeff made it clear when he purchased the team that the arena needed to see significant upgrades to benefit all of its stakeholders, and I am pleased that we can make his vision come true over the next 12 months. We intend on developing and maintaining a first class arena, whose concourses reflect the great place that is Tampa Bay and whose arena bowl pays homage to the Lightning and the great game of hockey.”

The franchise has appointed acclaimed venues architect Ray Chandler to manage the transformation project, hiring the man whose ideas turned into reality at Denver’s Coors Field, St. Paul’s Excel Energy Center, and several other high-profile stadium and arena projects. Chandler has hired a team that includes architects Tom Proebstle and Mike Kress of Generator Studio, LLC and the strategic design firm of Kiku Obata & Company. Minnesota-based Mortenson Construction will serve as the construction manager, working with a number of local subcontractors and laborers on the project.

Highlights of the transformation include a new grand entry on the west side of the Times Forum, offering a redesigned ticket office and merchandise shop while offering fans a better connection to the main concourse; new seats for every fan; an 11,000 square foot signature outdoor deck extending from the west side of the arena’s Terrace Level overlooking downtown Tampa; the removal of eight suites on the Plaza level, opening up the arena bowl to the main concourse; the enhancement of each of the arena’s remaining suites; the removal of several suites on the Plaza Level, opening up the arena floor to the concourse; a new Chairman’s Club; an enhanced Lightning team locker room; new concourse flooring and concession stands; and substantial improvements to a dilapidated HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) system, allowing the arena to be warmer for the fans and the ice surface better for the players.

Two Terrace level seating sections (323 and 324, totaling approximately 550 seats) will be removed, creating space for a performance stage with a pipe organ and allowing the Lightning the opportunity to add several distinct elements to a greatly improved game presentation aimed at respecting the game of hockey and honoring the Tampa Bay community.

Renderings for the entire project are being made available for fans to view at tampabaylightning.com and visuals will be displayed throughout the St. Pete Times Forum during the 2010-11 hockey season.

Here are my thoughts....



I <3 Jeff Vinik.


That is all :)

Here are my thoughts....



I <3 Jeff Vinik.


That is all :)

He's gone truly "All In", hasn't he?

What do you think of the new logo GOOT? I'm goign to have a survey up soon (I hope) for people to remark on the jersey change.

When it comes to the logo and jerseys I'm just kind of "meh". Don't HATE them the way some people do, but definitely don't love them either. I really was hoping they would keep either the bolts on the pants, or the victory stripes, or maybe even both, but we got none of the above... Another thing that I'll really miss is the state of Florida behind the lightning bolt on the shoulder patches we currently have. I don't know I just thought that was a neat touch.


I'm sure the new stuff will grow on me, but I still plan on wearing my old stuff all the time. The "free" season ticket holder jersey may be the only new gear I own for a while unless I see something that really catches my eye.

Last night during the telecast of the game, they cut to a fan wearing the new logo on a T-shirt and a trucker cap with the new logo and colors on it. I couldn't stand it.

Before the press conference, they showed a video "Hockey in Paradise" with the logo plastered everywhere, they've photoshopped the enw jerseys onto players in ticket promotions.

I'm not big on it, mostly because this team does have a heritage and tradition -- black, silver, blue and white (all four) are our colors. All four. I like how th team has done business the last year under Vinik, but they seem to be contradicting themselves in wanting tradition (to embrace it) and turning their back on our colors and quirks. (the victory stripes, the lightning on the hockey pants, the colors). That disappoints me.

I keep hearing how the players and coaches love it. I wonder if that's their real opinion, or just because they work for the team. It'd be interesting to anonymously poll the players as well as all of the employees somehow.

^^ Speaking of a poll, I have a survey up on Raw Charge trying to gauge opinions of the new uniform and aspects of it from Bolts fans, general NHL fans and the general public.

http://www.rawcharge.com/2011/2/2/1971327/the-tampa-bay-lightning-brand-re-arrangement-and-your-thoughts

I think the new unis suck. Especially the jersey laces. FAIL!

They kinda have that first year graphic design student feel. Very blahhhhh.

With the Lightning season over, the renovations can now kick into high gear -- seat replacement, cooling system replacement, other renovations.

For those in Channelside, keep an eye on the Forum. Especially the roof of the west concourse near the west plaza, where they'lkl be building the new party deck.

The team has been posting videos of the renovationprocess. Well, there are only two.

This is the latest, just released:

http://video.lightning.nhl.com/videocenter/console?catid=55&id=119978

More internal pictures of the renovations:

http://lightning.nhl.com/club/gallery.htm?id=23382&navid=DL|TBL|home

They've got several photos of renovations up at http://lightning.nhl.com/club/gallery.htm?id=23409 Click on View Gallery

http://2.cdn.nhle.com/lightning/images/upload/gallery/2011/07/construction2/10_slide.jpg

I think they are taking out some of the Suites, so fans ont he concourse can see teh game while they are up and about:

http://3.cdn.nhle.com/lightning/images/upload/gallery/2011/07/renovations900x600/5-Renovations_071411_0010_slide.jpg

Whatever the case, they are tearing out everythign in the existing suites and renovating them:
http://2.cdn.nhle.com/lightning/images/upload/gallery/2011/07/renovations900x600/8-Renovations_071411_0034_slide.jpg

They have torn out a section of the upper bowl - where a performance stage and a pipe organ will be placed:
http://3.cdn.nhle.com/lightning/images/upload/gallery/2011/07/renovations900x600/11-Renovations_071411_0058_slide.jpg

And work continues on the new Party Deck:
http://2.cdn.nhle.com/lightning/images/upload/gallery/2011/07/renovations900x600/23-Renovations_slide.jpg

More renovation photos here (http://lightning.nhl.com/club/gallery.htm?id=23458&location=/photos&pg=1).

Another video update from the team, posted this afternoon

http://video.lightning.nhl.com/videocenter/console?catid=791&id=121131

Most of this was preposterous, though there are constructive (and more preposterous) ideas in comments:

What additional changes would you make to the St. Pete Times Forum during renovations?
http://www.rawcharge.com/2011/7/21/2287072/question-of-the-week-how-would-you-improve-the-forum

St. Pete Times Forum's $35 million-plus facelift is becoming reality (http://www.tampabay.com/sports/hockey/lightning/st-pete-times-forums-35-million-plus-facelift-turning-into-reality/1182769)

By Eduardo A. Encina, Times Staff Writer
The $35 million-plus renovation of the St. Pete Times Forum is well under way.

TAMPA - When Tod Leiweke first met Lightning owner Jeff Vinik last summer, the two walked the halls of the St. Pete Times Forum. This wasn't a customary half-hour tour of the facility. It was the pitch of Vinik's dream to make the Forum one of the nation's top arenas.

"We spent hours in the building, walking and thinking," said Leiweke, the Lightning's CEO. "I would say most of what we talked about that first day was about what we could do to make the building consistent with his vision of a world-class organization."

This offseason, that vision is turning into reality amid the summer sweat and smell of sawdust.

A $35 million-plus facelift to the 15-year-old Forum - all bankrolled by Vinik - is promised not only to fix the wear and tear of time but create the best fan experience possible.

"We knew we were coming up short, so we said, 'Hey, we need to get this done now,' " Leiweke said. "Something that would have maybe taken years, we're trying to get done in a calendar year."

The project is slated to be mostly complete by the Lightning's home opener on Oct. 17. Some parts, mainly the renovation to the west entrance, will be completed in time for the arena to host the Republican National Convention in August 2012.

About 180 construction workers are splitting two shifts to finish the project on time. With just 10 events - and no major concerts - at the Forum the next two months, August, typically a slow month for the venue, will be crunch time.

"Right now we have workers working from 6 to 4:30 every day," project manager Mike O'Donnell said. "And at 4:30, if something still needs to get done, we'll use overtime to do it."

The overhaul will give the Forum a completely different look, with new sight lines and seats, and features that the Lightning's front office hopes will become signature facets of the arena.

Every suite is being rebuilt, with 60 square feet added to each. Some of the suite renovations were cosmetic upgrades, like removing bulky television cabinets no longer needed because of the wall-mounted flat screens.

But on the third-floor suites, the common-area entry vestibules were eliminated to allocate more space. Along the way, 4 feet was added to the concourse, which received a shiny new vinyl flake-flooring sealer. Fifth-floor suite bathrooms were removed to add square footage. Marble countertops, drink rails, induction burners, tile flooring, custom lighting and new leather seats also modernize the suites.

Eight suites were removed - two in each corner of the lower level bowl - where standing tables and drink rails will give fans a direct view of the action from the concourse.

"That was a very challenging decision because ultimately, for our long-term viability, we've got to make sure we draw more revenue," Leiweke said. "But we felt the building in some ways needed a soul."

Leiweke said he and Vinik are proud of the suite upgrades but just as excited about the work being done on the upper concourse. Plastic seats will be replaced with plush cushioned seats, each with a drink holder. An 11,000-foot outdoor deck and party area is being built on the roof of the arena's west side.

Fifty-four flatbeds worth of concrete were removed from two upper-deck end zone seating sections. Five-hundred seventy-four seats gave way to a pipe organ, which will have a bar on either side, a fixture Leiweke hopes becomes a staple of the arena, similar to the pirate ship in the Raymond James Stadium end zone.

Another signature addition will be Tesla coils on either side of the scoreboard that will shoot lightning 25 feet.

"How can you be named the Lightning and not have a signature effect in the building?" Leiweke said.

Other key parts of the project:

. The air conditioning system, which had a failing dehumidifying system that pumped out wet, cold air and caused some seat bolts to rust, will be redone. Duct socks will distribute the air throughout the arena better.

. A new lighting system will add more brightness to the arena, which will enhance the experience for hockey fans at the game and watching on TV. Leiweke said the Forum was one of the darkest surfaces in the NHL. The improved lighting will now allow super slow-motion technology to be utilized.

. The final part of the project is the restructuring of the west plaza entrance, giving it the "grand entry" point it has never had. It wasn't part of the initial $35 million project.

At the end of the day, the seating upgrades speak most to the vision of the work being done at the Forum.

Lightning spokesman Bill Wickett said the team was seeking more of a theater feel than that of a stadium, with each new seat passing Vinik's personal comfort test.

Leiweke remembers trying out seats with Vinik, the Lightning owner moving from chair to chair and opting for the costlier, more comfortable ones.

"It was the more expensive option, but at the end of the day it really underscored for all of us how serious this guy was in serving our fans," Leiweke said. "It was a six-figure decision, and he was right. I think it was a moment many of us will remember for a long time, his jumping from seat to seat and saying, 'This is more comfortable. This is the right thing to do.' "

Victoria Lim of BHSN / Bay News 9 has a video story regarding the renovations. They're starting to remove the general seating now as work continues everywhere else int he Forum:

http://www.baynews9.com/video?clip=http://static.baynews9.com/newsvideo/bn9/web_video/stpete_times_forum_renovations_730.f4v&vtitle=St.%20Pete%20Times%20Forum%20undergoing%20$40%20million%20in%20renovations

More photos were posted by the Bolts. Here's a new suite, completed:

http://3.cdn.nhle.com/lightning/images/upload/gallery/2011/08/renovations-resized/IMG_7456_slide.jpg

Most of the new Club seating is in place. They are only just beginning to remove the general seating for it's replacement:
http://1.cdn.nhle.com/lightning/images/upload/gallery/2011/08/renovations-resized/IMG_7492_slide.jpg

Still a gaping hole -- where the pipe organ and performance stage will be.
http://1.cdn.nhle.com/lightning/images/upload/gallery/2011/08/renovations-resized/IMG_7493_slide.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=216HO3idYJ8

So apparently they are installing two tesla coils in the arena they will fire up when the Lightning score a goal.

I can put my bias aside as a Capitals fan and say that is frickin awesome!!!

Yep. They will shoot two real-life 25ft lightning bolts, one across each end of the arena.

25' in each direction--so 50' total. Science and sports, it's an attraction made for people like me.

From what I heard from another fan, the Tampa Fire Department isn't thrilled by it. That was part of the reason why the coils had not been used during games 1 and 2 of the season at the Forum.

Have they been used at all yet?

During introductions during the Buffalo game on Saturday. There's video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=eEm_9IIRitc

They used them on Saturday. I think when Vinny scored, and when the game was over. I have not seen video to confirm this though. I heard it from those in attendance.

Yes, the coils are up and running. Very cool, especially with the arena lights dimmed in the pre-game. Great idea!

While I can't say renovations of the West Plaza are over or not, I can say that the new stairwell entrance will e open to the public starting Thursday night (Bolts/Pens):

http://www.whosay.com/TBLightning/photos/93596