Former Tampa Bay Lightning captain and Stanley Cup Champion Dave Andreychuk has taken his place as a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.
As every season comes and goes the National Hockey League stops for a moment to honor those players who have come before and truly made an impact on the game. The chosen few are then inducted into what is known as the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Over the course of the last couple of years, Tampa Bay Lightning fans have been left with their hands held in the air in an utter state of confusion as to why former captain Dave Andreychuk was not among those selected to join the hallowed halls of the Hockey Hall of Fame.
It’s only fitting that as the Lightning celebrate their 25th Anniversary Season, the fans’ favorite #25 would finally receive the recognition he so greatly deserves. This year, Dave Andreychuk would be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. We here at Bolts By The Bay may be a little biased here, but the honor couldn’t possibly have been bestowed upon a more deserving player.
Andreychuk started his legendary career all the way back in 1982 when he was drafted in the first round (16th overall) by the Buffalo Sabres. He would spend a total of 11 seasons with the Sabres before he would find himself with a new home in the Great, White North, as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Andreychuk would spend significantly less time in Toronto than he did in Buffalo, but having the opportunity to play for the team you grew up watching is something a player never forgets. After three seasons with the Maple Leafs, Andy would make his way to the New Jersey Devils.
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Much like his time with the Maple Leafs, Andreychuk would spend four seasons with the Devils before moving on to the next stage in his hockey career. After a season with the Boston Bruins, Colorado Avalanche, and a return season to the Sabres, Andy would make his way to the place he would call home for the remainder of his NHL on-ice career.
In the 2001-02 season, Andreychuk would make a move which would shape his entire NHL career. Dave Andreychuk would become a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning. After just one season with the team, Andreychuk would be named captain of the Bolts. From there, the world was his to conquer.
As most Tampa Bay Lightning fans know, the entire landscape of ice hockey in Tampa Bay would change in the 2003-04 season. With Andreychuk at the helm, the Lightning would find themselves legitimate contenders for the Stanley Cup. When the final buzzer sounded, the Lightning would bring home their first Stanley Cup in franchise history.
This would be the one achievement which had been eluding Dave Andreychuk. It may have taken him 23 seasons to reach this moment, but he could finally stand proudly with the Stanley Cup raised high above his head. After the lockout which marred the Tampa Bay Lightning’s championship season (thanks a lot, Gary Bettman) Andreychuk would play one more season before he would decide to hang up his skates.
Andreychuk may not have been the fastest player in the National Hockey League. Heck, players like Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov would more than likely be able to skate circles around the veteran player, but there is one thing which can be said for certain, he always found a way to get the job done.
Last night at the Hockey Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, Dave Andreychuk looked back at his storied career and a memory came to mind which, ironically enough, seemed to define his entire career. The memory would bring him to his time with the Lightning and come from then-Head Coach John Tortorella.
“Slow as molasses, but for some reason he gets it done.” Andreychuk recalled.
In his 24 seasons in the National Hockey League, Andreychuk would play in a total of 1,639 games. In this amount of time, the veteran forward would bring home 640 goals and 698 assists for a grand total of 1,338 points to accompany his plus-32 player rating.
“What happens in Tampa Bay is magical.” Andreychuk said. “I get there with some young horses that were just phenomenal. I realized right away that this team was gonna be good. Lecavalier, Richards, St. Louis, Khabibulin, Dan Boyle, good players, awesome players. They just needed to be put in the right direction.”
As the old saying goes, there is no “I” in team. This concept was not lost on Dave Andreychuk. In fact, Andreychuk was very clear how the players around him helped shape his career and how his time in Tampa Bay was pure magic.
Of course, the direction in which he spoke of was the path which would lead the Lightning to the ultimate goal of any player who makes their way to the National Hockey League; the path to the Stanley Cup. As Andreychuk recalled, his dream came to fruition in the most unlikely of places.
There’s no chance that you’re thinking you’re going to Tampa Bay and you’re going to win, but we did some really good things there.
“Our ultimate dream is to win the Stanley Cup. That’s why we play.” Andreychuk said. “That happened for me. There’s no chance that you’re thinking you’re going to Tampa Bay and you’re going to win, but we did some really good things there.”
After all Andreychuk has seen and done over the course of his NHL career, it would be the Tampa Bay area where he would choose to spend the next stage in his hockey career. Judging by what Andreychuk had to say, he won’t be leaving any time soon.
“I’m still a resident of Tampa Bay. I’m still working for the team. I’m enjoying my time in Tampa Bay. We’re doing some really good things there. Jeff Vinik, his group, the leadership of Steve Yzerman has really helped our team and it’s been fun to watch.”
As most people here in the Bolts Nation know, Andreychuk is currently the Vice President of Corporate and Community Affairs for the Tampa Bay Lightning. He’s not a difficult person to find on Lightning game days, but if you can’t seem to track him down and are looking for a picture, a statue of the former captain greets fans before entering Thunder Alley at the Amalie Arena.
Dave Andreychuk has set the bar pretty high for players making their way in the National Hockey League, both on and off the ice. One of his records still stands to this day.
Andreychuk leads the National Hockey League in Power Play Goals with a whopping total of 274. Another familiar name finds themselves in the Top 5 along with Andreychuk. This would be Lightning founder Phil Esposito, who comes in with 246 Power Play Goals.
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This moment has been a long time coming for Dave Andreychuk. Finally, the wait is over. Andreychuk joins a number of legendary players who have paved the way for generations to come and is now officially a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. Congratulations to the captain and his family and thank you for giving Lightning fans memories which will last a lifetime.