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Davidson's first venture into sports ownership occurred in 1974, when he was part of a group that purchased the then-woeful Detroit Pistons of the NBA.
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Journal 6: Davidson and Stanley
make the rounds
By Kevin Shea | Special to NHL.com
July 4, 2004
The plane lifted off from the tarmac of Tampa International Airport at 8:30 a.m. on June 13, winging its way toward the Detroit Metropolitan Airport. Last fall, it seemed inconceivable that three sports franchises owned by Bill Davidson, owner of the Tampa Bay Lightning, could possibly be in contention to win the championships of their respective sports, but at that moment, the dream was quickly evolving into a reality. The 81-year-old Davidson earned his money the hard way -- by hard work. The company from which his wealth springs -- Guardian Industries -- is arguably the largest and most successful glass manufacturer in the world, producing auto glass, industrial glass, fiberglass and a myriad of other products. Based in Auburn Hills, Mich., Guardian is the basis from which Davidson's other dreams are allowed to take shape. Davidson's first venture into sports ownership occurred in 1974, when he was part of a group that purchased the then-woeful Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association. In 1998, Davidson bought the Detroit Shock of the WNBA, and, in 1999, he purchased the Lightning. Now, it's 2004. The Tampa Bay Lightning surprised the sports world by developing rapidly and collecting the Stanley Cup on June 7. On June 13, Davidson and his management team were heading to The Palace of Auburn Hills to see if their Pistons could take a commanding three-games-to-one lead in the NBA championship. * * * The plane touched down in Detroit at 11:15 a.m., the Stanley Cup in tow. Ron Campbell, the president of the Lightning, made the trip to Farmington Hills, Mich., so he could take the Stanley Cup to his mother. The nursing home in which Campbell's mother resides had never had so much excitement, and several of the residents fingered the names engraved on the Stanley Cup that had meant so much to Michigan residents through the years -- Howe, Lindsay, Abel, Sawchuk, Kelly ...  | |
Fans were invited to get their pictures taken with all three championship trophies.
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The Cup was then taken to The Palace of Auburn Hills, also owned by Mr. Davidson, where it was displayed in the offices beside the Larry O'Brien NBA Championship Trophy and the WNBA Championship Trophy. Fans were invited to get their pictures taken with all three championship trophies. Bill Davidson had a stranglehold on the championships at the time -- his Lightning are Stanley Cup champions, his Shock are WNBA champions and he, along with most others in the area, were convinced he'd get the opportunity to win the third of the three championships as the Pistons needed to win just two of the remaining five games against the Los Angeles Lakers. The irony of the situation that day was that the fan photo session with the three glittering trophies was brought to a premature end when inclement weather shortened the session by 15 minutes. The inclement weather? Lightning! How appropriate! The Pistons played an outstanding game against the Los Angeles Lakers that Sunday, winning 88-80 to move with one game of the title. Rasheed Wallace pumped in 26 points to lead the way for the Pistons. The next morning, the Stanley Cup returned to The Palace of Auburn Hills for a brief visit, then, at 10 a.m., it was taken next door to Guardian Industries. As the Stanley Cup was getting the last stroke of polish across its ancient, yet beautiful, base, Davidson's limousine pulled up. Appropriately, he was the first person to see hockey's Holy Grail that morning at Guardian. "Good morning, sir," said the Cup Keeper. "Hopefully you'll have another championship to celebrate tomorrow." Davidson smiled, thanked the man for his good wishes, then wistfully placed his hand on the empty spot where the names of the champion Tampa Bay Lightning will be engraved later this summer. After a moment, he stepped into his office. * * * Later that day, the Stanley Cup was flown to the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York for a special dinner held by the Canadian Society of New York. There, Yvan Cournoyer was being honored at the group's 27th annual dinner. Cournoyer, of course, is no stranger to the Stanley Cup, having been part of ten championships with the Montreal Canadiens throughout his Hall of Fame career.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was also in attendance at the $500-a-plate fundraiser, where guests dined on portobello mushroom appetizers, sliced tenderloin of beef with grilled asparagus and Strawberry Napoleon while listening to the night's speakers -- Beliveau, Scotty Bowman, Dennis Hull, Frank Mahovlich, broadcaster Brian McFarlane, Jim Pappin, Jean Potvin, Larry Robinson, Bill Torrey and Ed Westfall.By the way, Davidson's ownership regime did collect its third sporting championship trophy of the year when the Pistons dominated the Lakers 100-87 in Tuesday's Game Five. Davidson beamed brightly as he made his way down from his seat to the court and accepted the latest trophy from NBA commissioner David Stern. Next time, the Stanley Cup Journal marches to the MacDill Air Force Base.
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