Damian Cristodero has covered the Lightning for the St. Petersburg Times since 2000. Before that he was the paper's national auto racing reporter, and he also spent a season and a half helping to cover the Rays. His passion, though, is the NHL, and he has covered several Stanley Cup finals and All-Star Games, as well as the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. Cristodero grew up on Long Island and worked for Newsday for six years before coming to Florida in 1987. He was the Gannett News Service's Miami-based sportswriter from 1990 to 1994. He joined the Times in 1997.

Phone: (727) 893-8622

E-mail: E-mail: cristodero@tampabay.com

Blog: Lightning Strikes