...and it's not surprising that Steve Yzerman was the primary impetus behind the change:

Last summer, Yzerman and other Lightning executives, newly hired under Vinik, who bought the team last March, decided they needed to make a change.

It ultimately led to a simple blue-and-white uniform: a clean design redolent of the N.H.L.’s Original Six. Tampa Bay’s uniform is only the third in the league to use just two colors, after the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings.

“We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel here,” Yzerman said. “We’re just going back to the basics of what a hockey uniform is.”

“The long-term goal is for the Lightning to be an iconic franchise, rich in tradition with championship values and a strong legacy,” Yzerman said at the unveiling at St. Pete Times Forum.