(ADDING INFORMATION, QUOTES) 

*Lightning fire GM Phil Esposito; coach Demers doubles up as GM*
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TAMPA, Florida (Ticker) -- The Tampa Bay Lightning today made
what they hope is the final move in stabilizing the franchise,
replacing general manager Phil Esposito with head coach Jacques
Demers. 

Just five days into the regular season, the Lightning fired the
only GM in their history and handed the dual role of
coach-general manager to Demers, who was hired by Esposito last
November. 

The Lightning also fired Tony Esposito -- Phil's brother -- as
director of hockey development and scouting and promoted head
scout Don Murdoch to director of player personnel, one of
Demers' posts as of May 18th. 

The announcements were made by owner Art Williams at an
afternoon news conference at the Ice Palace. 

"(We needed) a major change in the hockey operation to keep
moving forward," said Williams, who purchased the team May 18th
from a nearly invisible Japanese ownership group.  "We had to
pick one leader to build our hockey operation -- not a hockey
coach with 50 percent and GM with 50 percent, it just didn't
work." 

Included in the team's plan of "moving forward" was the
selection of future star Vincent Lecavalier with the top overall
pick in this year's draft.  The team also welcomed back veteran
center John Cullen, who has beaten cancer, and will host
All-Star Weekend in January. 

"I saw some things that were not working," Williams explained.
"If we delay the decision, that's killing our future.  These are
major decisions." 

Phil Esposito, a member of the NHL Hall of Fame, helped bring
hockey to Tampa in 1992 and was responsible for building the
Lightning's lone playoff team in 1995-96. 

But Tampa Bay finished with the league's worst record last
season, 17-55-10, and fired its only coach -- Terry Crisp -- on
October 26th, 1997.  Demers, a proven winner who guided the
Montreal Canadiens to the 1993 Stanley Cup, was handed the
reigns 17 days later. 

A former coach in the World Hockey Association, Demers broke
into that league in 1979-81 as Quebec Nordiques coach.  He went
on to hold the same post with the St. Louis Blues, Detroit Red
Wings and Canadiens.  While with Detroit, Demers became the only
coach in league history to claim consecutive Jack Adams awards
as the coach of the year (1987-88). 

Demers, a first-time GM, worked with Phil Esposito this past
offseason, acquiring a mix of veterans to blend with the team's
existing young players. They traded for goaltender Bill Ranford
and playmaking center Craig Janney and signed free-agent
forwards Wendel Clark and Benoit Hogue. 

"Phil and I worked well together," Demers said.  "But we all
have different theories on how to run a hockey team." 

"I don't think there's been a day in the last five months that
it hasn't become obvious to me this plan was not working,"
Williams added.  "The complaint I heard last year was that our
players quit.  I thought our players quit in the third period in
Ft. Lauderdale the other night. 

The Lightning have stumbled out of the gate in 1998-99, losing
4-1 to the Florida Panthers on Friday before rallying for a 4-4
tie with the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday.