On this episode, Host Krish Kumar sits down with Steve Griggs, the President and CEO of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Vinik Sports Group.
Prior to being tabbed as CEO, he spent one year as team president and four as chief operating officer. Griggs first joined the organization as COO on August 31, 2010. He oversees all of the organization's business operations, including all concerts and events held at AMALIE Arena. In 2021 he became a two-time Stanley Cup Champion after the Lightning captured back-to-back titles. Griggs' name is engraved twice on the Stanley Cup to memorialize those achievements.
In 2020, Griggs spearheaded the creation of the Vinik Sports Group, which serves as the parent company for the Tampa Bay Lightning, the lease holding entity for AMALIE Arena and other sports and entertainment assets, while becoming the umbrella brand for three new business verticals: VSG Commercial Sales, VSG Facilities and VSG Live. He also oversaw the introduction of the Lightning and AMALIE Arena's new Cur(ate) TPA initiative, bringing to life a focus to deliver fans and arena guests the very best in fresh, local food and beverage options, while also concentrating on variety, value, service and sustainability. Under the Cur(ate) TPA umbrella, Griggs oversaw the design and opening of the new Cigar City Brewing Taproom on Ford Thunder Alley. The new Cigar City Brewing Taproom opened during the 2019-20 season and represented new food and beverage options for AMALIE Arena guests for event and select non-event days. Griggs continues to play a significant role in the vast improvements being made each year to AMALIE Arena. Over the past nine years, the team has invested close to $100 million in renovations to the arena with more scheduled, continuing to create a world class experience of fans, season ticket members and corporate partners.
Griggs has helped lead the Lightning through six very successful seasons on and off the ice, including back-to-back Stanley Cup Championships and the Bolts' unprecedented regular season success in 2018-19, the team winning a franchise-best 62 games, tied for the most ever in NHL history. The Bolts' 128 regular season points in 2018-19 were the fourth most all-time in League history and the most in the NHL by 21 points over second-place finishers Calgary and Boston, allowing Tampa Bay to capture its first-ever Presidents' Trophy. The Lightning secured two-straight Atlantic Division crowns (2018 and 2019) and their third and fourth division titles overall with Griggs as CEO. Under Griggs' guidance, the Lightning unveiled a new third jersey and uniform system to much success during the 2018-19 season, an undertaking nearly two years in the making and a collaborative work between the Lightning, adidas and the NHL. On February 7, 2020, Griggs led the charge on the new naming rights of the Lightning's practice facility, TGH Ice Plex.
Off the ice, the Lightning continued to transform the Tampa Bay landscape through its grassroots community efforts. The Lightning's community hockey department, Lightning Made, has opened new outdoor street hockey rinks across the Tampa Bay area, and is committed to opening 10 public outdoor street hockey rinks through their Build the Thunder 2.0 and Connect the Thunder programs. Lightning Made handed out its 100,000th street hockey stick at Colson Elementary School in April 2019 as part of the Equip the Thunder program, which started in 2015 and has been dedicated to introducing the game of hockey to fourth- and eighth-grade students by donating hockey equipment to schools. Griggs also spearheaded the organization's launch of the new Lightning Made Training Center, a focal point for youth to learn the game and for the team to continue teaching and educating more than just on-ice skills.
Recorded and Edited by Shiv Govil.