By Michael Wax
As announced last night during the Tampa Bay Lightning and San Jose Sharks game, longtime Lightning broadcaster Rick Peckham and the first All-Star in team history, Brian Bradley, have been voted into the 2025 Hall of Fame class for the Lightning.
Bradley was drafted as the 36th overall selection in the 1992 NHL expansion draft from the Toronto Maple Leafs. He immediately found success with the Lightning, putting up 42 goals and 86 points and registering the first All-Star appearance in Tampa Bay Lightning history as well. Bradley‘s 42 goals in a single season stood as the Lightning record for 14 years before Vincent Lecavalier scored 52 in 2006-07.
Overall, Bradley scored 111 goals and 189 assists for 300 points in 328 games with the Lightning. He scored 20 or more goals three times with Tampa and helped them reach their first playoff series in franchise history in 1995-96. Bradley also served as assistant captain from 1992-93 until 1997-98.
Bradley is currently a community relations representative with the Lightning, helping grow the game at a grassroots level in the greater Tampa Bay area and around the state of Florida.
Rick Peckham was brought on to the Tampa Bay Lightning ahead of the 1995-96 campaign to be their lead television play-by-play announcer. He would spend 24 seasons as Lightning play-by-play announcer, commentating on some of the Lightning’s greatest moments in franchise history and being well-regarded as one of the best broadcasters in the business.
In 2020, Peckham was honored with the Hewitt Memorial Award for distinguished members of radio and television, coupled with an induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame. He became the first primarily Lightning member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, a tremendous honor that demonstrates his work ethic over those 24 years.
In 2021, the Lightning also honored Peckham inside AMALIE Arena by renaming the press box broadcast booths “The Rick Peckham Broadcast Booths.”
Peckham and Bradley will be inducted into the Lightning Hall of Fame during alumni weekend. The full schedule of events will be available later.
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