Panthers - Lightning: A rivalry is (sort of) born in 1993

Photo by Richard Lewis/Getty ImagesThe Florida Panthers entered the National Hockey League in 1993, one year after crafty Phil Esposito somehow managed to bring the Tampa Bay Lightning to life over more favored expansion candidates Milwaukee, Seattle and Hamilton.

Including preseason games, the two Sunshine State teams have met in a total of eight different arenas scattered across the peninsula. In addition to current digs, the BB&T Center an Amalie Arena, the Cats and Bolts met a bunch of times at St. Petersburg’s ThunderDome and the Miami Arena. Back on December 26, 1993, during the Panthers inaugural season, they even played a neutral-site, regular season game at the old Orlando Arena.…