Tampa Bay Lightning Year In Review: Steven Stamkos
Before we fully turn our attention to the 2016-17 season, let’s take a look back and explore the 2015-16 season had by Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos.
When you think of one of the most powerful snipers and most dangerous goal scorers on the team, most fans’ minds generally default to Tampa Bay Lightning captain Steven Stamkos. While Stamkos continues to put up stellar season after season, Stamkos was given a run for his money last season by fellow Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov. The good news is, this rivalry seemed to push Stamkos to work that much harder.
We will be the first to admit to you that when Steven Stamkos was first named the captain of the Tampa Bay Lightning, we had our reservations about his ability to lead. Thankfully, this is another one of those situations where we are incredibly happy to have been proven horribly wrong. Stamkos has truly embraced his role as captain and has transformed into the kind of leader the Lightning really need right now.
Of course, it never hurts to have a captain who can make his way out onto the ice and instill fear in the hearts of the Lightning’s opponents because they know he is going to give them everything he has in his effort to put the puck in the back of the net.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Speaking of putting the puck in the back of the net, this is something Steven Stamkos seemed rather skilled at in the 2015-16 season. The Markham, Ontario native played in 77 regular season games with the Tampa Bay Lightning last season. In that amount of time, Stamkos was able to score 36 goals and 28 assists for a total of 64 points.
These numbers placed Stamkos in first place on the team in terms of goals. Unfortunately for him, he would fall one position in overall points as he was outscored by a mere two points by Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov.
There is a reason Steven Stamkos is widely regarded as one of the most dangerous snipers in the National Hockey League. On October 15, 2015, the Tampa Bay Lightning were taking on the Dallas Stars at the Amalie Arena here in Tampa. It was early in the first period when Stamkos would receive a pass from his linemate, Jonathan Drouin. Even as he fell to his knees, and eventually the ice, Stamkos was still able to put the puck in the back of the net past Dallas Stars netminder Kari Lehtonen.
Unfortunately for the young Lightning captain, tragedy would strike right before the start of the postseason. It was determined that Steven Stamkos had a blood clot near his collarbone, similar to the injury suffered previously by Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy.
The injury would cause Steven Stamkos to miss all but one of the Lightning games in the postseason. The bad news here is, the one game Stamkos was able to play in was Game 7 of the 2016 Eastern Conference Final where the Tampa Bay Lightning would be eliminated by the Pittsburgh Penguins, who would go on to become the 2016 Stanley Cup Champions.
Now that Tampa Bay Lightning Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman has been able to sign Steven Stamkos to an eight-year contract extension, we know Stamkos will be here in the Bolts Nation for the foreseeable future, and potentially for the remainder of his career. Stamkos taking less money in order to remain here in Tampa proves his commitment to the team and his desire to win a Stanley Cup with his team.
Next: Steven Stamkos Setting The Bar In The Locker Room
It may seem like forever to some Lightning fans, but the off-season will be over faster than you know it. We are just 48 days away from the start of the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, and more importantly, just 74 days away from the Tampa Bay Lightning Home Opener. We don’t know about you, but we know where we’ll be on October 13th. How about you?