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Greg Wyshynski, ESPNOct 28, 2024, 02:06 PM ET
CloseGreg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer.
TAMPA – Every time Steven Stamkos has stepped on the ice in Tampa, it’s been as a member of the Lightning. That was true when he was an 18-year-old rookie in 2008 through back-to-back Stanley Cup championships through last season, when he scored 40 goals as the team’s 34-year-old captain.
On Monday night, Stamkos will step on that ice again as a member of the Nashville Predators. After a contentious and public contract negotiation with the Lightning failed to produce a new deal, Stamkos signed a four-year free-agent contract with Nashville last summer, setting up what should be an emotionally charged night for the teams, Lightning fans and a star forward who’s still processing this bitter split.
“I mean, it takes time,” said Stamkos at Amalie Arena on Monday morning. “Certainly it’s been an adjustment period, not only for me but for my family, for your friends, everything. This is all I had known my whole life as a professional athlete, so it’s certainly difficult in terms of that.”
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Stamkos played 1,082 games for the Tampa Bay Lightning, who drafted him first overall in 2008. He scored 555 goals with the team, helping to grow a “non-traditional” NHL market into one of the most successful ones in the league in terms of on-ice success and fan engagement. In the process, he became the third-highest active goal scorer in the league behind Alex Ovechkin (855) and Sidney Crosby (593).
“Let’s be honest: Steven Stamkos and the Tampa Bay Lightning are going to be synonymous with each other until the end of time. He came here as an 18-year-old, with the weight of his everything on his shoulders, and in the end he delivered. He did everything we asked of him for many, many years.” said Lightning coach Jon Cooper, who joined the team in 2013.
“Breakups are hard. It’s the soap opera of sports,” said Cooper. “It’s why we watch it – for moments like this, to see how…
Source link : https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/42055217/ex-lightning-star-steven-stamkos-returns-tampa-predator
Author : Greg Wyshynski
Publish date : 2024-10-28 19:08:51
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