Hopefully, less drama lies ahead for the Tampa Bay Lightning with new ownership.

Jeff Vinik, a minority owner of the Boston Red Sox, has grabbed ahold of the NHL's hot potato: ownership of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Lets hope Vinik has the finances and acumen to get the Lightning sizzling again. Following a stable period under Palace Sports and Bill Davidson, the Lightning's last owners, Oren Koules and Len Barrie, were an embarrassment. They struggled for power, whacked celebrity coach Barry Melrose after 16 games and finally went through a messy public battle before selling the team. All that was missing from the circus atmosphere were home games at the fairgrounds again.

But Vinik is promising more stability and wants to be part of the community:

“I don’t think there’s a person I’ve met here who hasn’t said this is the best place to live in the country,” he said. Along with his wife Penny and four children, he’s not immediately moving his family here, but has hired a real estate agent to scout out a local residence he said.

Successful hockey is good for Tampa Bay and especially downtown Tampa. Anything (legal) that keeps people downtown after 5 PM is a plus. Let's hope Vinik proves to be a rinkmaster, and not another ringmaster, for a franchise too long distracted by sideshows.