Disapproval of the Recent Lightning Changes

We the Tampa Bay Lightning fans would like a moment of your time.

The Tampa Bay Lightning has been around since the early 90's. Since our inception, we have used a very nice color scheme utilizing black, blue, silver, and white. This color scheme was unique to our team, and looked amazing on and off the ice. The bolt on the pants and victory stripes under the arms were another unique and beloved aspect of our jerseys throughout our entire existence.

Even with the rollout of the new Reebok Edge designs, we kept these elements that made our team unique and a part of our young history. The logo upgrade was a very nice touch, and appreciating the past while modernizing for the future allowed a very nice mix.

That being said, the recent unveiling of our new logo and uniform set for the Lightning was disappointing to say the least. I appreciate the effort done by the management and ownership for the team to this point, but I feel this is a step in the wrong direction. There is such a simplicity to the logo and jersey that it takes everything away from our previous identity. I understand the ownership says this is what they want, but we the fans do not.

The two color scheme and attempt at making a young team look classic has failed, and we would like a return to the old or something in a far different direction than what was recently released. The main logo looks like something out of a clip art book, and doesn't provide an upgrade from what we previously had. The shoulder logo is a copy of what many other teams have done with a circular logo, and lacks originality and creativity.

That being said, even more disappointing than the bland and odd logo, is the removal of our victory stripes and bolts on our pants. These two elements were something so many fans liked, and all wanted to stay. This attempt to completely re-brand the team and trying to make the look classic is ineffective. We are not the Toronto Maple Leafs or Detroit Red Wings, and we do not want to mimic their look while failing at an attempt to look classic.

Please consider these words and this petition. Going back to the drawing board or making some changes and/or additions would be greatly appreciated. This look is not acceptable to us as fans, and we do not wish to have this new identity with downgraded logo and failed attempts at traditional looks to stand.

Thank you for your time.