 In 1998, Williams returned to sports ownership when he purchased the National Hockey League's Tampa Bay Lightning from Kokusai Green for $117 million, outbidding Detroit Pistons owner William Davidson for the franchise.Williams was visible and outspoken during the early stages of his ownership of the Lightning.He cleared the majority of the team's debt, which was $102 million at the time of the sale, and added an additional $6 million to the player payroll, allowing the team to acquire established players such as Wendel Clark, Craig Janney, and Bill Ranford.