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"Our damage is done." (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Graham Hughes)

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Finally, Len Barrie and Oren Koules (and Barry "Stamkos isn't ready" Melrose) will become a distant memory for Tampa Bay Lightning fans.

TAMPA BAY - Tampa Bay Sports & Entertainment LLC, which is owned by Jeff Vinik and a related family entity, has executed an agreement to purchase the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League from its current owners, the club announced today. The sale includes the Lightning hockey team, the company which operates the St. Pete Times Forum, and two parcels of adjacent land. Vinik will be the Chairman and sole person controlling Tampa Bay Sports & Entertainment. The ownership transfer of the Lightning is subject to approval by the National Hockey League Board of Governors.

"Buying the Lightning and joining the Tampa Bay community is a dream come true," Vinik said.  "I’ve been an avid hockey fan my whole life and I pledge to our fans that I will work my hardest to build the Lightning into a world class organization both on and off the ice.  I hope to bring a high level of excitement and intensity back to Lightning hockey, with a goal of having the team consistently compete for the Stanley Cup.  I have a passion for the game and will do my best to restore a winning culture at the St. Pete Times Forum that all of our fans and partners can be proud of."

Will Jeff Vinik be any better? Only time will tell, but it's difficult to think how it could be worse than Koules/Barrie. The biggest issue in the Koules/Barrie regime (outside of that whole money issue) is that the two owners wanted to also be coaches and GMs, like they were involved in some sort fantasy league. They treated their team with a sort of boys-with-toys mentality, which ultimately disrespected the process of rebuilding a Stanley Cup contender -- and during that time, they destroyed what was a model example of how to grow a non-traditional market. GM Brian Lawton had talked about how there was no structure and no stability when he took over, and that's something he tried to bring through the entire ownership mess.

Say what you will about the Lightning or hockey in the Sun Belt, but this team has received more than its share of market acceptance and validation. Heck, Vincent Lecavalier was voted the area's favorite athlete not too long ago; think about it -- if you told a Tampa Bay resident in 1990 that in 20 years the area's favorite athlete would be a French-Canadian hockey player, they wouldn't believe you.

Here's to the end of Lightning fans long nightmare and the return of stability to their franchise.

For more on this, visit Raw Charge.