Lightning honor Stamkos with ’emotional’ tribute

TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper stared up on the jumbotron as an emotional tribute video highlighted Steven Stamkos‘s 16 years with the franchise.

Close to the opposing bench stood Stamkos, now a member of the Nashville Predators, returning to Tampa for the primary time in one other uniform.

“I used to be enthusiastic about how delicate I’ve gone in my elder years. I simply begin welling up,” Cooper mentioned Monday evening after his staff’s 3-2 extra time win. “How do you match 16 years right into a two-minute video? It virtually would not really feel proper. It was extraordinarily effectively performed. However in the long run, it would not matter how effectively you do it. You may by no means do it justice.”

Stamkos is the Lightnings’ all-time chief in video games (1,082), targets (555) and factors (1,137). He is a celebrity who grew the game in Tampa and was a fixture locally.

However Stamkos, 34, and the Lightning parted methods after final season once they could not come to phrases on a brand new contract, an deadlock that was each public and contentious. The Tampa Bay captain signed a four-year, $32 million contract with the Predators. The Lightning changed Stamkos on their high line with free agent winger Jake Guentzel, who’s 4 years his junior.

Monday provided Stamkos his first probability to reconnect with Lightning followers since leaving for Nashville.

“I do not assume it is goodbye. I feel it is extra of a ‘thanks, so long’ kind of factor,” he mentioned after the sport. “It was fairly emotional. You see the place all of it started as an 18-year-old child. The place I grew up from a boy to a person and a Stanley Cup champion. A husband, a father, a son. Most of my life has been right here.”

Followers roared as Stamkos skated out for warmups, as indicators in help of the previous Lightning star papered the glass. Just a few followers had messages essential of Tampa Bay administration for not getting a deal performed with Stamkos. However most took the second to have a good time his accomplishments with the staff.

Stamkos mentioned there was consolation being again at Amalie Area, albeit in a distinct locker room. But it surely was surreal to have longtime associates grow to be his on-ice enemies.

“It is bizarre. I’ve dinner with among the guys final evening and it is like I by no means left, proper? That is simply the bond that you’ve got. And then you definitely get on the ice, there’s the aggressive nature in either side that comes out, so there’s not a lot chitchat. Then you definitely see one another proper after the sport and it is like we have been simply again to final evening,” he mentioned. “So that is the lifetime of an athlete. It is cliché that there is not any associates on the ice, and also you’re clearly not seeking to kill anybody on the market, however you wish to win simply as unhealthy as they wish to win.”

Round seven minutes into the primary interval, the scoreboard lit up with pictures of a younger Stamkos in his hockey gear. Lightning followers rose to their ft because the tribute started: a two-minute montage of Stamkos’s journey from No. 1 draft choose in 2008 by way of Tampa Bay’s 4 convention titles and two Stanley Cup championships with Stamkos as their captain.

The digital scoreboards across the rink lit up together with his profession stats, awards and accomplishments, together with the slogan “Without end 91” and thanks messages. On the conclusion of the video, the spotlights hit Stamkos, who skated from the Predators bench — the place Nashville gamers have been engrossed by the video tribute — to the center of the rink, elevating his stick with the followers as the world projected his No. 91 on the ice, as has grow to be custom when former Lightning stars return to Tampa on new groups.

When play started once more, Lightning followers loudly chanted “Steven Stamkos” in honor of their former captain.

“It was fairly cool when the group began chanting his identify,” mentioned defenseman Victor Hedman, one in every of Stamkos’ closest associates on the Lightning. “After which they cheered when he received these two [assists].”

Stamkos helped the Predators hit the scoreboard within the second interval after the Lightning constructed a 2-0 lead on targets by Brayden Point and Mitchell Chaffee within the first interval. Ryan O’Reilly scored a power-play objective with Stamkos getting the secondary help — simply his second level in 9 video games with the Predators. The Tampa followers went from booing the announcement of the objective to cheering Stamkos’ identify for having helped create it.

The cheers have been just a little extra muted when Stamkos arrange the tying objective by Gustav Nyquist simply over eight minutes later for his third level on the season, though many Lightning followers nonetheless cheered loudly when his identify was introduced. The one boos Stamkos obtained in the course of the recreation got here in extra time, when the Predators patiently managed the puck slightly than attacking offensively.

Tampa Bay received the sport on Nick Paul’s OT winner.

“Clearly a fairly bizarre, fairly emotional evening. However as soon as the tribute occurred, you sort of settle into the sport and then you definitely concentrate on what you have to do to assist your staff win,” mentioned Stamkos. “And it simply got here up just a little quick tonight.”

The evening supplied the followers an opportunity to point out their appreciation for Stamkos. However the Predators ahead admitted he cannot fairly transfer previous his time in Tampa and his departure from the Lightning.

“I do not know when that second comes. If it comes. If it would not come. If you’re on this place for therefore lengthy and have the recollections, I imply, I do not assume you’ll be able to ever actually utterly flip the web page. That is most likely the fact,” he mentioned. “I do not know. We’ll see. I am going to let you recognize if that day comes, however I do not assume you utterly flip the web page.”