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Expect warm welcome for Bishop in return to Tampa

Wayne Masut | Staff Photographer

On Thursday November 16th, Ben Bishop will make his return to Tampa. Following a trade deadline deal that sent him to Los Angeles, Bishop signed with Dallas in the off-season. This will be his first game in Amalie not wearing a Tampa Bay Lightning sweater.

Ben Bishop came to the Lightning in a trade with the Ottawa Senators in 2013, and at that point no one quite knew how good he could be. When he was traded at the trade deadline last season he left owning a few Lightning records. His 131 wins is almost 50 more than the next closest on this list. The man at number two, Nikolai Khabibulin. The same man who sits at number two behind Bishop for all time goal against average. His 2.28 GAA is eleven points better than Khabibulin’s 2.39 GAA.

You could go on and on about every single record he holds, but you would probably get tired. Number 30 holds almost every single record a Lightning goalie could have.

It will be a bittersweet night for Lightning fans who will no doubt cheer for Bishop as he takes the ice. This is a guy that when pre-game introductions were made for every game, always got the loudest cheer from the fans.

The former Lightning net-minder found himself in a familiar position this afternoon – the goalie crease at Amalie Arena.

Raise it Up

Bishop was a true diamond in the rough when the Lightning acquired him from Ottawa for Cory Conacher. He was a player that at that time, hadn’t truly been given a chance to shine. When that time came with the Lightning, he shined like a bolt of lightning in the Tampa night sky.

He will always be loved by this city and fan base, no matter what team he plays for. One day, without a shadow of a doubt, number 30 will go into the rafters of Amalie Arena. It’s not a matter of if, it’s just a matter of when.

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