Matt Tomkins Get His First Win, Lightning Beat Canadiens

Game in brief: The Lightning rolled into Montreal after getting their pants pulled down against the Leafs only 24 hours earlier, scored four first period goals on Jake Allen, and then held on to win 5-3. 

Here are my thoughts on the game:

1. The Lightning played the exact same game against Montreal that they did against Toronto: they scored four goals in a row in the first period to chase the starting goaltender, and then were largely ineffective on the attack for the rest of the game before potting a fifth goal in the dying minutes of the third. The difference was the quality of the opponent-- the Maple Leafs are a team with game-breaking offensive talents who enjoy nothing more than driving daggers into the Lighting, and they were able to score enough to claw their way to a win, while the rebuilding Canadiens couldn't pull off the comeback. 

2. The Bolts deserve credit for coming out with such a great start, considering they were playing the second game of a back-to-back after what had to be an emotionally draining loss. They scored on the first shift, with Brandon Hagel sending a sick cross-ice pass to Nikita Kucherov, who zapped it home. They rolled through the period, carrying the play and sinking goals from Nick Paul, Alex Barre-Boulet, and Mikey Eyssimont. Kucherov didn't factor into the latter three goals, which was almost a relief-- it's worrisome when your entire offence flows through one player.

3. Montreal pushed back in the second, and while they hardly dominated, they seemed to carry the play for the rest of the game. And while the Lightning can be excused for not completely dominating and overwhelming their opponent from start-to-finish, considering road trip and back-to-back fatigue and the inevitable push-back from a team that got embarrassed in the first period, it does follow the Lightning's disturbing trend of playing gold medal hockey in the first and then house of cards hockey in the second. "Complete game" and "full sixty minutes" are the phrases that will follow theis team all year.

4.The Lightning are making backup goalies look BRILLIANT. For three games in a row the Bolts have caved in their opponent's starter. While both Ottawa goalies suffered largely the same fate on Saturday, both the Toronto and Montreal backups skated onto the ice with no warm-up and played like Glenn Hall Sawchuk Dryden. In Toronto on Monday, Ilya Samsonov made 8 saves on 12 shots for a .667 save percentage before being replaced by Joseph Woll, who was awesome, going 18/19 for .947. In Montreal on Tuesday, Jack Allen managed just 5 saves on 9 shots for a dreadful .556 before making way for Sam Montembeault, who save 22 of 23 for a sparkling .957.

What conclusion can we draw from this? It could be that both Toronto and Montreal's starters were just cold. Or maybe the skaters on both teams got the message and tightened up defensively when the coach yanked the starter. It's also possible that the Lightning eased back on the throttle when they saw how great they were doing. Not consciously, of course. But it's a possibility.

5. The real story of the game of course, was the Lightning's 29-year-old rookie Matt Tomkins finally getting his first NHL win in his third start. Deployed exclusively in the second game of road trip back-to-backs so far this season, Tomkins was finally given some goal support and solid defensive play from his teammates. He stopped 23 of 26 shots (.885), and kept it together during six penalty kills. His performance was tarnished somewhat by Christian Dvorak's shot off the wing with 19 seconds left in the game-- an NHL stopper should make that save. But that's the delight of Tomkins' story: he's not really an NHL goaltender, but a journeyman with a unique career path, who's finally getting the chance of a lifetime to play in The Show due to Andrei Vasilevskiy's back surgery. I'm so very happy for him to get this win. I hope he gets a chance to play in front of a home crowd before his ride comes to an end.

6. This was the best lineup that the Lightning have put on the ice this year. Jon Cooper's decision to play Austin Watson over Mikey Eyssimont on Monday against the Leafs seems ridiculous when comparing what each player brings-- Watson will give you a solid three or four minutes, while Mikey has scored in each of his last two games. Subbing in Zach Bogosian for Nick Perbix was also a solid move. As effective as Perbix was in his rookie year, he seems plagued by hiccups this season, and the occasional scratch might actually benefit him. Tyler Motte, who returned from injury on Monday, brings a lot of energy to the lineup, effectively taking over recently demoted Waltteri Merelä's spot. Merelä was effective in his limited role, but you always got the feeling he was trying to to screw up out there-- it will do him good to spend some time building his confidence in the AHL. 

7. Conor Sheary got hurt early in the game and did not return. As ugly as it is to say, he was not missed. Sheary's performance this season has to be regarded by management as a disappointment. His 1 goal and 2 assists in 13 games flatter him, as he has been a non-factor for the Lightning so far this season. Hopefully he comes roaring back when he returns from this injury.

8. It cannot be overstated how good the Lightning special teams have been this year. 

Overall, this was a good win, especially coming of an emotional loss, and at the tail end of a road trip. If the Lightning can figure out their overtime troubles, they'll be doing much better, but they're not in a bad place, either with the lineup or in the standings. They return to the ice on Saturday to host the Chicago Blackhawks. Until then, adieu.

-Nolan.

Where Nolan Asks Questions and Thinks Thoughts about Losing to the Leafs in Overtime Again

 Background: last night the Lightning, off the back of a Saturday night win in Ottawa, rolled into Toronto and smoked the Maple Leafs for the first period, hanging four goals on Ilya Samsonov and chasing him for Joseph Woll, with Nikita Kucherov scoring two and setting up two more. Proud of a job well done, the Bolts then yawned, wrapped themselves in cozy blankets, and went to sleep for the rest of the game, allowing the Leafs to roar back and eventually win the game 6-5 in overtime.

Here are my thoughts on the game, in no coherent order.

1. Nikita Kucherov is a machine. He looked insane driving play in the first, dancing around defenders and zipping passes all over the place. The Lightning's four consecutive first period goals were all his: he scored two and set up the other two with primary assists. This was a master class. Unfortunately four points per period is unsustainable, and the Leafs were able to cover him the rest of the way, which caused major trouble for the Bolts, since nobody else could get going. Brandon Hagel broke through to force overtime with less than three minutes left, but by that time the Lightning had given the game away.

2. Losing games in which they have lead the Leafs by a 4-1 score is more addictive to the Bolts than super-crack. 

3. Losing in overtime is even more addictive than that.

4. Consider for a moment that the Lightning games have gone past regulation four times, and they're lost in overtime in every single one. They haven't even MADE IT to a shootout. They surrender a goal at 3-on-3 within five minutes every time, never scoring once. Once the puck is dropped in OT, they immediately lose possession, and fans watch the Lightning players spend then next three-odd minutes chasing around before inevitably letting an opposing player have an absolute gift basket of a scoring chance. How are they this bad in OT? Even the San Jose Sharks have made it to a shootout.

5. How can a team be both dominant when up a man (33.3% power play - 2nd in the NHL) and excellent when down a man (87.9% penalty killing - 6th in the NHL) and still be so hopeless when both teams are down two men?

6. Tyler Motte was back from his broken finger-- this was really my first look at him as a Bolt since I remember nothing of his performance in Game One before he got hurt. He looked really good, especially battling deep in the Leafs' end during the penalty kill. As much as I was cheering for Waltteri Merelä to succeed, the Lightning are much better with Motte. 

7. What made NO sense was inserting Motte and scratching Mikey Eyssimont instead of Austin Watson. I understand the urge to keep a fighter like Watson in the lineup. Hockey media was been frothing at the mouth about how soft the Leafs are, so the expectation may have been that the Leafs would try and flip the narrative with some physical play. That wasn't the case at all. Ryan Reaves, who is always happy to make menacing statements in the media but has been dead weight on the ice, was not noticeable, and refused to make eye contact with Tanner Jeannot during their only notable interaction.

With respect to Watson and his role, he had little impact on the game. He played three and a half minutes. The Lightning missed Eyssimont's hustle and grind. Mikey scored against Ottawa and got sat against the Leafs. That's ridiculous. Unless there's an injury we haven't heard about, this was a lineup gaff.

Don't you see the irony? By inserting the enforcer into the lineup, the Lightning became way EASIER to play against.

8. Speaking of the Leafs being soft, they seem to play hard enough against the Lightning when the going gets tough. And the Lightning? They let the consensus softest team in the league tear them up in the second and third period. The Leafs scored EIGHT SECONDS APART TO TAKE THE LEAD. The Lightning had no pushback once the Leafs started pressing.

9. Playing a great first and collapsing in the second has been the Lightning's bugaboo all season. Every night they talk about playing a full sixty minutes. Well, they still haven't figured it out.

In a first intermission interview, Brandon Hagel told Gabby Shirley they would have to keep pressing the Leafs and playing the same way, but that's not the answer. The Lightning need to realize that okay, we've just embarrassed this team. Their coach is probably in the dressing room right now screaming his head off, and these guys are gonna come at us like crazy meth-beavers in the next period, and we'll have to adjust on the fly to whatever they bring. The Lightning seemed to think the second would be exactly the same as the first, and within moments they were on the back foot against a pissed-off opponent. The Leafs grabbed the momentum and it was goodbye to that three-goal lead.

"Playing the same way" is a recipe for failure with this team.

10. A secondary power play assist notwithstanding, Steven Stamkos didn't generate much out there. Conor Sheary was invisible. Tanner Jeannot threw some hits but was on the ice for three Leafs goals. Austin Watson had no impact. Separated from Kucherov, Alex Barré-Boulet was not noticeable.

Only one line was going. Brayden Point, Brandon Hagel, and Nikita Kucherov each played more than 22 minutes. The Lightning are becoming a one line team, or possibly even a one player team: Kucherov.

11. The Lightning have a Leafs problem, but their problems against the Leafs are reflective of the problems in all their losses this season. Inconsistent effort.

* * *

The Bolts are in Montreal tonight to face Martin St. Louis' young squad. Matt Tomkins will probably start, and even if the Bolts are tired on the bottom end of the back-to-back, they'll at least benefit from not facing a team that unquestionably has their number. See you tonight.

Manon Rhéaume: The Tampa Bay Lightning's First Star

 Is it controversial to say that Manon Rheaume was the Tampa Bay Lightning's first star? Not really. When team founder and general manager Phil Esposito started building the roster for the team's inaugural season in 1992, he gathered a group of solid if unspectacular NHL veterans from the expansion draft and free agency, and added some promising young talent in the entry draft, but none of those players were remotely household names. If you asked the average Floridian sports fan in 1992 to name a hockey player, how many would have been able to name a second after Wayne Gretzky?

Players like Brian Bradley, Mikael Andersson, and Roman Hamrlik would make important on-ice contributions, but individually, none of them were going to move the needle when it came to drawing vital media coverage to the team. But when Esposito announced the Lightning were inviting a woman to the team's first training camp, the needle definitely moved, as local and national sports media swam in to cover the event. Most pundits cynically (and not incorrectly) decided that it was a publicity stunt to draw attention to the team, but the public's curiosity was aroused. Upon her arrival in Tampa Bay for camp, Manon received a huge amount of coverage, especially when she played the first period of an exhibition game against the St. Louis Blues on September 23, 1992, becoming the first, and so far only woman to play in the National Hockey League.

Who Is Manon Rheaume?

(photo credit: Nicole Rheaume)

Manon Rheaume was born February 24, 1972 in Lac-Beauport, a small town just north of Quebec City. Lac-Beauport is known for skiing, and at the time that Manon's parents Nicole and Pierre moved there, the town had no skating rink or organized hockey program. Pierre convinced the town to pay for boards, and he built an outdoor rink behind his house. This gave Manon and her two brothers unlimited ice time as they grew up. 

Manon started skating at age three, and started playing hockey by acting as goalie for her brothers. When her father began organizing a team for the kids in town, he found himself without a goaltender. Manon, aged five, convinced her parents to let her play.

Pierre and Nicole expected that she would soon outgrow the "boys' sport," and switch to gymnastics or skiing, but Manon, a competitive and athletic child, stuck with hockey. She continued playing with the local boys teams, often as goalie, although sometimes on defence when she had to share the crease. She faced criticism and derisive comments from parents and other organizers, but always wanted to prove herself; she refused to show pain when hurt or injured, and practiced hard enough that no one could say she wasn't good enough for a place on the team. 

(photo credit: Nicole Rheaume)

Manon's appearance in tournaments began to draw the attention of the Quebec press, especially when her team played in the prestigious Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. She performed well,  but despite her success and work ethic, Manon was often held back. As she got older she was often denied spots on top level teams because of the attitude that she would be taking a spot from a boy who might one day play in the NHL. After spending her age 16 season playing CC level (the "fun" league, instead of the competitive AAA level), Manon quit hockey. She saw no avenue forward. 

After a year away from the sport, Manon moved to Sherbrooke, Quebec to play with a competitive women's team, and soon had her sights set on playing with the Canadian National team at the upcoming world championships. Then came a big break: she was invited to train with the Trois-Riviers Draveurs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. In the 1991-92 season Manon was the Draveurs' third-string goalie and saw game action once, coming to replace the starter, who had allowed five goals. She performed well but had to be taken out of the game when a hard shot broke her mask and cut her eyebrow, requiring stitches. Even so, she had become the first woman to play men's major junior hockey in Canada.

After winning gold at the 1992 women's world championship in Finland, Manon again thought she might be through with men's hockey. She was wrong.

Phil Says Okay

(photo credit: Scott Halleran/Allsport)

In 1992, Jacques Campeau, a hustler who finagled a job as a part-time Quebec scout with the Lightning, convinced Phil Esposito to take a look at Manon Rheaume, and he introduced them at the entry draft in Montreal that summer. Manon was at the draft working for RDS, the French-language equivalent of TSN, and Phil extended an invitation to Tampa Bay.

For Phil, the move was all about publicity, and he has had no compunction about the fact that her looks were an important factor in the decision. In his 2003 book Thunder and Lightning, Phil explains that a lot of people on the team were against the move, including head coach Terry Crisp and Phil's brother Tony, whom he'd hired to be his head scout. But Phil wanted the media attention, and the team flew Manon to Florida for promotional events before training camp even began.

When it was time to actually play hockey, Manon showed that even if she was there for publicity, she could also play; in her first inter-squad game of training camp, she didn't allow a goal. She kept up with the other players, and survived the first round of cuts. When it was determined that she wouldn't embarrass them with her ability, the decision was made that she would play in an exhibition game.

(photo: B Bennett/Getty)

Phil's idea of drawing eyes to the unfamiliar sport was a success. The game against the Blues at the Florida State Fairgrounds' Expo Hall was a sell-out. Manon played in the first period and gave a strong performance, making seven saves on nine shots, while allowing goals from Jeff Brown and Brendan Shanahan. The game drew a huge amount of media coverage, making Manon a celebrity, and helping Phil get eyes on his fledgling team.

Manon played well enough, and the publicity was positive enough, that the Lightning signed her to a three year developmental contract and assigned her to its top affiliate, the IHL's Atlanta Knights. She served as the team's third-string goalie, practicing and training, as well as playing in two games.

She returned to the Lightning for training camp in the fall of 1993, this time playing the first period of a neutral-site exhibition game against the Boston Bruins in Atlanta. She surrendered three goals on the first four shots against her, finishing the period with eight saves. Manon was assigned to the ECHL that season under the assumption she would be able to get more playing time in the lower-level league. She played eight games that year, split between the Knoxville Cherokees and the Nashville Knights.

While she didn't return to Tampa Bay, Manon's legacy as the "first lady of hockey" was already cemented. Her celebrity status helped encourage a generation of girls to see hockey as a game that was not just for boys. She continued playing professional hockey in the minor leagues through the '90s, and representing Canada in international competition, including winning silver at the 1998 Nagano Olympics, the first year that women's hockey was included. 

(photo: manonrheaume33.com)

Although Manon has acknowledged that her appearances with the Lightning were for publicity, she has never been bitter about the fact. In her point of view, many doors in hockey were closed for her because she was girl; it's only fair that she appreciate the time one was opened.

Manon Rheaume continues working in hockey, most recently with the Los Angeles Kings. Articles and interviews about her remarkable journey are abundant, and links to many of them can be found on her website, manonrheaume33.com.

(Much of the information on Manon's early life in this article was gathered from her 1993 book, Manon: Alone in Front of the Net, with Chantal Gilbert).

Reviewing Steven Stamkos' Career Fight Card

 "I don't always fight people. But when I do, I prefer they be very high draft picks."
                                                                                            -Steven Stamkos, probably.

While he might not actually be the Dos Equis beer "Most Interesting Man in the World" pitch-man, you have to admit, Steven Stamkos has had a pretty interesting career. From his junior scoring exploits that led to him being drafted first overall in 2008 and the "Seen Stamkos" marketing campaign, to his two Rocket Richard trophies on the back of fifty and sixty goal seasons, to his multiple injuries and health issues that threatened to derail his career, Stammer has seen it all  during his 1000+ game, two Stanley Cup career. And while he has mostly used his hands for potting 500+ goals (plus another 45 in the playoffs so far), Stamkos has not been afraid to use those sweet hands on the occasional face of an opponent.

Don't get me wrong; Stamkos is an infrequent fighter. With seven fights through fifteen NHL seasons, he'll never be categorized as a hybrid fighter-scorer such as Brendan Shanahan or his former coach Rick Tocchet. He's shown a willingness to stick up for himself and his teammates, inevitably firing up his bench as he shows a captain's willingness to sacrifice himself while sending a message to the opponent.

But you've got to admit: he picks his spots.

The high draft picks that Stamkos has collected on his fight card would be the envy of any NHL general manager. Starting with his first NHL scrap in 2008, lets take a chronological look back at the Lightning captain's fights.

Fight #1: November 26, 2008, versus Nikolai Zherdev, New York Rangers.

In his first NHL tussle, Steven Stamkos lays a heavy hit on Ranger Nikolai Zherdev, pasting him into the Madison Square Garden boards. Zherdev, the 4th overall draft pick by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2003, follows Stamkos to the other side of the ice and the two drop the gloves. It's a spirited fight, with both guys throwing a lot of punches before tumbling to the ice. This was the first career fight for both men. 

Fight #2: March 22, 2015, versus Brad Marchand, Boston Bruins.

Stamkos waits a loooooong time to engage in his second fight-- six and a half years, in fact. And this time, he's not sticking up for himself, but going after Brad Marchand for a submarine hit on the Lightning's Valtteri Filppula. This comes during Stamkos' first full season as captain of the Lightning (he got the "C" late in the 2013-14 season after Martin St. Louis decamped for New York), and reflects Stammer's desire to be a more complete leader. As for Marchand, as a 3rd round choice (71st overall), he's one of the lowest picks that Stammer has scrapped with, but since he's already regarded as a potential Hall of Fame choice, we'll forgive Steven for dipping so low in the draft pool.

Fight #3: February 24, 2018, versus Karl Alzner, Montreal Canadiens.

By 2018, Nikita Kucherov had emerged as a major offensive force for the Lightning, and when Karl Alzner lines him up for a knee-on-knee hit at center ice, Stamkos wastes exactly zero time dropping the gloves with the Canadiens' defenceman. The fight doesn't amount to much more than some hugging and dancing, but again we have Stamkos stepping up to send a message not to take liberties with his teammates. Alzner, a former fifth overall pick of the Washington Capitals (2007), understands.

Fight #4: March 30, 2018, versus Pavel Buchnevich, New York Rangers.

Following the theme from his fight a month earlier, Stamkos drops the gloves immediately after an opponent takes down Kucherov with a low hit. This time he dirties his hands by scrapping with another mere third round pick (75th overall in 2013), but it's a captain doing captain stuff. In addition to the fighting majors, Buchnevich gets two for tripping and Stammer gets the minor for instigating. This is a wilder fight than the Alzner tilt, but I don't feel great about Stamkos banging his million dollar fists off Pavel's helmet.

Fight #5: January 30, 2019, versus Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins.

A brief bout between two elite centers. This one starts with some stick work and mutual cross-checks that escalate until Stamkos drops the gloves with the Penguins' second overall pick from 2004. Malkin only gets one glove off before the combatants drop to the ice. 

Fight #6: June 9, 2022, versus Alexis Lafreniere, New York Rangers.

Something tells me that Steven Stamkos doesn't like the Rangers. This scrap, the first in NHL history between two former first overall draft picks (Lafreniere went #1 in 2020), came out of a post-whistle scrum at the end of a Lightning win. Stamkos absolutely rocks the younger player with a right hand before scoring the take-down. 

Fight #7: April 22, 2023, versus Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs.

Fun fact! There have only been two fights in NHL history between former first overall draft picks, and Steven Stamkos has been in both of them. Auston Matthews, the Maple Leafs top pick in 2016, had never been in a fight in his NHL career at this point, which may explain why it takes him so long to start fighting back. The fight comes after a hit in which Morgan Reilly takes the Lightning's Brayden Point hard into the boards. Kucherov jumps Reilly, setting off a brawl that involves Stamkos swinging wildly on Matthews, who doesn't seem to know what he's supposed to do before the pair stumble to the ice.

So, in summary, Steven Stamkos has been in seven NHL fights, and his opponents have included two first overall draft picks, a second overall, a fourth and a fifth overall, and two third rounders. Unquestionably the highest end fight card you could imagine, with the possible exception of Matthews' fight card. After all, he's been in only one fight, and it was against a first overall pick: Steven Stamkos. 

(Primary assist goes to hockeyfights.com, where I researched this article, with a secondary assist from hockeydb.com).

Ten fantastic NHLers who played one season (or less) for the Tampa Bay Lightning

After thirty years in the NHL, the Tampa Bay Lightning franchise has seen a lot of terrific players come and go. Some have been franchise mainstays (Lecavalier, St. Louis, Stamkos et al.), while many have been cup-of-coffee-in-the-show types. But not all brief visits have been from fringe players. A variety of great NHLers have suited up in blue and white (or black, blue, silver and white) for brief durations, capping off a long career with a season on Florida's sunny west coast, or been a veteran addition who got flipped late in the season. 

While many of these players were long past their prime when they donned the Bolt, they were spectacular at one point of their career or another-- even if their tenure in Tampa Bay may have been forgettable. Here are ten players who played one season (or less) for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Wendel Clark: 1998-1999

The pride of Kelvington, Saskatchewan, and an NHL all-time great mustache-haver (rockin' a rare goatee in this pic) will always be remembered as the blood-and-guts heart and soul Toronto Maple Leafs captain. And with good reason! Clark put in a dozen seasons in Toronto (plus single season vacations in both Quebec and on Long Island) before signing with the Lightning prior to the 1998-1999 season.

The Lightning's new owner, Art Williamson, had given then-General Manger Phil Esposito the go-ahead to spend some money, hoping to improve a paper-thin roster that finished last in the NHL (by 18 points!) the prior season. Enter Clark, the aging Leaf known for being tough as nails and a hell of a goal scorer. And score he did, sinking 28 pucks in the 65 games he played in TB. He was also the team's All-Star Game representative that year, which the Lightning hosted. Sadly, his goals weren't enough to significantly move the needle for a still-terrible team. They stumbled out of the gate, Esposito was fired before mid-October, and Head Coach and now GM Jacques Demers traded Clark to Detroit before that year's trade deadline.

Craig Janney: 1998-1999 

Along with signing Clark, Esposito also tried to improve the Lightning's forward corps in the summer of '98 by trading bruiser Louie DeBrusk and a draft pick to the Coyotes for silky-smooth center Craig Janney. Once described as having the softest hands in hockey, Janney was a point-per-game player who racked up 185 assists in 186 games centering Brett Hull in St. Louis in the early '90s. 

The 1998-1999 Lightning didn't quite have a Hull on their roster, however. As their season spiraled, the team started jettisoning veterans, including Janney. After collecting 22 points in 38 games, he was sent to the Islanders for a sixth-rounder. The Islanders would be his last NHL stop, as blood clots issues forced his retirement at age 32.

Bill Ranford: 1998-1999

One reason the 1997-1998 Lightning team was such a tire fire was their weakness in goal. Franchise goalie Darren Puppa had a bad back and was nearing the end of his run, and the alternatives were... not great. Bill Ranford was a reliable workhorse goalie, best known for his near-decade with the Oilers, including a Conn Smythe Trophy during Edmonton's 1990 Stanley Cup winning playoff run. Esposito sent Washington a 2nd and 3rd round pick for Ranford in the summer of '98, hoping a solid, dependable veteran could help Puppa carry the load.

It was NOT the Conn Smythe version of Ranford that arrived in Tampa Bay for the 1998-99 season. The veteran managed a putrid 3 wins in 26 starts, with a terrible .881 save percentage. The team jettisoned him at the trade deadline, sending him to Detroit.

Sean Burke: 2005-2006 

Things were WAAAAAY different for the Lightning in 2005. They were fresh off the 2004 Stanley Cup Championship and ready to defend their title (not counting a one-year break for the labor lockout). Only one problem: All-World goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin decided he was entitled to a super-maximum contract, and departed for the Chicago Blackhawks. 

To help fill the 'Bulin Wall-sized hole in the roster, GM Jay Feaster signed Sean Burke to back up Khabibulin's former back up, John Graham. Burke, 39, already had a stellar career, including long stretches as starter in New Jersey, Hartford, and Phoenix, plus being the starting goalie for Canada in the 1992 Olympics. Burke was solid in Tampa Bay, going 14-10-4, with 2 shutouts. He signed with Los Angeles the next season, which would be his last as an active player.

Gary Roberts: 2008-2009 

By 2008, the '04 championship glory was gone and the Lightning's wheels had completely fallen off. The team was now owned by a couple of jerks with no idea what they were doing. "OK" Hockey recklessly signed players and traded away others, while barely having the funds to pay the team's bills. They brought in several admired veterans during their delusional spending spree, including Gary Roberts, a Stanley Cup Champion in Calgary in 1989, who had just gone to the 2008 Cup Final with the Penguins. 

Roberts was a former fifty goal scorer and a consummate pro, but he was 42 years old. He played 30 games with the Lightning, collecting seven points, before suffering an elbow injury that would end his career. He then transitioned into a new role as a personal trainer, helping a young Steven Stamkos and many others reach their physical potential.

Mark Recchi: 2008-2009

Another 2008 signing by the two idiots who thought they were trading hockey cards, Mark Recchi was a veteran winger with an outstanding hockey career, piling up points during stops around the NHL. He already had two Cup wins and seven All-Star Game appearances by the time he signed a one-year deal with the Lightning, and he continued to score with the Bolt on his chest. He put up 45 points in 62 games before the struggling Lightning shipped him away at the trade deadline.

Recchi kept scoring for a few more years, too; he capped his career at age 43 by winning a third Cup with Boston in 2011, after beating the Lightning in the Eastern Conference Final.

Olaf Kolzig: 2008-2009 

Olaf made his first appearance for the Washington Capitals waaaaay back in the 1989-1990 season, and he never played anywhere else... until two jackasses bought the Lightning and thought it would be cool to have him wrap up his career in Tampa Bay.

Kolzig absolutely owns the Washington record book for goaltenders, and having him finish his career with an eight-game, injury-shortened season with the Bolts is just... weird. And he didn't really finish with Tampa Bay either. The owners were secretly hurting for cash, and once he was hurt they packaged his contract with a few on-the-bubble players and a sweetener draft pick and sent them to Toronto as a salary dump.

Simon Gagné: 2010-2011 

Simon Gagné had been a fixture for the Philadelphia Flyers. He played ten seasons for Philly, made the All-Star Game twice, and played for the Canadian Olympic team in 2002 and 2006. But the Flyers traded him to Tampa Bay in the 2010 off-season for d-man Matt Walker and a 4th. 

Acquired by new GM Steve Yzerman to provide scoring depth and experience, Simon put up 40 point in 63 regular season games for the Lightning (17g, 23a), and proved a valuable contributor in the team's surprisingly deep playoff run. He appeared in 15 of the Lightning's 18 playoff games, scoring 5 goals with 7 assists as the team beat the Penguins, swept the Capitals, and finally fell to the Bruins in the ECF.

Gagné signed with Los Angeles in the 2011 offseason and hung around a few more years, but time had taken its toll on his body. He got a Cup ring with the Kings in 2012 but only appeared in four games during their run, and finally retired in 2015.

Evgeni Nabokov: 2014-2015 

Ask a hundred NHL fans to close their eyes and think of Evgeni Nabokov, and probably 99 of them will picture him in a San Jose Sharks uniform. Nabokov was the Sharks starter from 2000-2010, winning the Calder Trophy for best rookie in 2001, was an NHL First Team All-Star in 2008, and he remains the Sharks career leader in most goalie categories. But they couldn't pay what he thought he deserved in 2010, so he signed in the KHL. He flopped in Russia, and then spent three seasons sharing the Islanders net.

He signed with the Lightning in 2014 and was expected to be Ben Bishop's solid veteran backup, which would give a young Andrei Vasilevskiy time to mature in the minors. Two things conspired to derail this plan: first, Vasilevskiy was terrific out of the gate, proving himself already NHL ready, and second, Nabokov was washed up as an NHL goalie. He went 3-6-2 for an otherwise excellent Lightning team, with a terrible .882 save percentage. In February he cleared waivers, and Yzerman traded him to San Jose for nothing so he could retire the next day as a Shark. 

Chris Kunitz: 2017-2018

Kunitz had already won a Cup in Anaheim when he arrived in Pittsburgh to provide secondary scoring behind Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, and in eight and a half seasons with the Penguins he added three more Cups to his resume. A consistent scoring threat, the Regina, Saskatchewan native was named to the NHL First All-Star Team in 2013 and played on Canada's 2014 Olympic team. 

In 2017, while Kunitz and the Pens were winning the Cup, the Tampa Bay Lightning missed the playoffs, their season derailed by injuries to several key players. Signing the free agent Kunitz to a one-year contract was part of their reload plan, and it was a success. The Lightning had a 113 point season, with Kunitz contributing 13 goals and 29 points in a depth role. The team went on a deep playoff run, losing in the third round to the eventual champion Capitals. Kunitz's scoring touch dried up during the playoffs, and he had only a single assist in 17 post-season games. He departed in the offseason, playing one year in Chicago before retiring.

Do you have a favorite brief Bolt? Let me know on Twitter @ReviewLightning!

Projecting the First Class of the Lightning Hockey Hall of Fame Part One: The '90s

(Brian Bradley speeds up the ice. Pic via NHL.com)

As part of their 30th anniversary celebration, the Tampa Bay Lightning have announced the creation of a team Hockey Hall of Fame, which is extremely cool and exciting. Long time fans will get to see familiar faces honored, and newer fans will be introduced to some of the characters that preceded the Lightning's current crop of stars. It also gives weird, obsessive bloggers like me a chance to speculate on who will be chosen as the first inductees into the #TBLHHOF. 

In order to determine who should be included in the First Class, I decided to follow the Hockey Hall of Fame guideline of choosing four players. Active NHL players are not eligible. I also didn't include Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier for consideration; since the club has already retired their sweaters, they can be grandfathered in as automatic members. 

Given that this is the Lightning's 30th season, it's easy to break down the team's history into three decades, roughly grouped as the '90s era, the first Stanley Cup era, and the current era. Since most of the players from the current era are still active NHLers, we don't need to worry about that group for HHOF purposes, so inductees can be split between the other two eras. 

If we look at the '90s era, meaning roughly the decade from the 1992-1993 inaugural season to around 2001, two names immediately stand out: Brian Bradley, and Darren Puppa. 

Really, Brian Bradley should be a slam dunk. Brian led the Lightning in points in their first four seasons, which stood as the record for most consecutive seasons as points leader until Nikita Kucherov led the team five times from 2016-2020. Bradley owned most of the team's offensive records when his career was cut short by a concussion during the 1997-1998 season. He retired with 111 goals and 189 assist for 300 career points in 328 games with the Bolts. He represented the Lightning in the 1993 and 1994 All-Star Games, and is already a member of the Sports Club of Tampa Bay Hall of Fame. Bradley remains an active part of the Lightning community. 

While Bradley was carrying weight offensively in the early seasons, Darren Puppa was the stalwart in goal, with his arrival prior to the 1993-1994 season giving the team their first bona fide NHL starting goaltender. His 29-win performance in the 1995-1996 season was especially noteworthy, as his 0.918 save percentage was second in the NHL to Buffalo's Dominic Hasek (0.920), and his goal against average of 2.46 was seventh overall. He contributions were significant as the team qualified for the playoffs for the first time. 

Like Bradley, Puppa's career was affected by injury, with back ailments dragging down his appearance numbers as the '90s progressed. Even so, Puppa remains near the top of the Lightning's goalie list in several categories: third in games played, fourth in wins, and fourth in shutouts.

I'll be back in a few days with my picks for the two players from the 2000s. Spoiler: my choices will not be remotely shocking.

Who would you have chosen from the '90s to induct into the Lightning Hall of Fame? Let me know on twitter @ReviewLightning!

Ondřej Palát: Career Review and Best Wishes

(Pic: tsn.ca)

 This one hurts.

Of course, it always hurts to lose someone you love. Imagine the tears that are going to flow during the video tribute when ten-year Lightning veteran Ondřej Palát returns to Amelie Arena for the first time: I mean, it will be disgusting that he'll be wearing a New Jersey Devils uniform, but I'm not going to be able to hold myself together (although I'll be watching on TV, as a faraway fan repping #DistantThunder).

Yes, the 208th pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, the 2013 Calder Cup Champion and 2014 Calder Trophy Runner-Up, the member of the famed Triplets line with Tyler Johnson and Nikita Kucherov, the two-way conscience, the consistent scorer, the playoff hero, the two-time Stanley Cup Champion, "Sneaky P"... 

Ondřej Palát has left the Lightning.

How? Why?

We've all been over this before. The Lightning are caught between having a host of rising stars in their early-to-mid-twenties (Paul, Sergachev, Cirelli, Černák) that need market-value long-term contracts, having several top-tier NHL superstars on large-dollar deals (Vasilevskiy, Kucherov, Hedman, Stamkos), and trying to ice a balanced team during a period when the salary cap has been flattened for years by low profits due to pandemic shut-downs. 

As a result, Lightning GM Julien BriseBois was forced to set aside any personal attachment he or the organization might feel for Pally, and try to be strictly objective. A pros and cons list to re-signing the winger might look something like...

PROS: Strong two-way forward. Consistent scorer. Clutch playoff performer. Exceptional chemistry with teammates (those no-look passes with Kucherov!!). Great in the room. Cute as a button. Did I forget anything?

CONS: Thirty-one years old, in a league where scoring totals tend to decline as forwards progress beyond their twenties. Frequently injured (he's only played 80+ games once in his career, routinely missing 10-20 games with injury). 

The expectation is that over time, age times injury will equal declining production. The Devils were willing to offer Palát a five year contract at six million dollars per year. That deal will probably be good value for Jersey in the first few years, and maybe not as much in the last few. Regardless, the Lightning don't have the money. Being forced to choose between very good players in their mid-twenties and very good players in their early thirties will always have the same result, no matter how beloved the player's history with the team is, no matter how good his playoff production has been, and no matter how cute he is.

So let's take a moment to remember some good times.

Starting in 2005, Ondřej played for HC Frýdek-Místek, a second-division under-18 team in his Czech home town. He split his junior career between HC Frýdek-Místek and first-division team HC Vítkovice Steel before joining Drummondville of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League in 2009 as an 18 year old.

In his second season with the Voltigeurs, Palát scored 96 points in 61 games (39g, 57a) and represented the Czech Republic (now Czechia) in the 2011 World Junior Championship in Buffalo and Niagara Falls, New York. The Czechs failed to advance to the medal rounds, but Palát scored 2 goals and added an assist in 6 games. He added 11 points in 10 playoff games with Drummondville, and showed enough in his final year of junior hockey to draw the attention of the Lightning who took him 208th out of the 211 players drafted in 2011.

Palát joined the Norfolk Admirals for the 2011-2012 season and put up 30 points in 61 games in his first year as a pro. Importantly, he was a participant in the Admirals' unbelievable 28-game winning streak. Under Head Coach Jon Cooper, Palát and the Admirals won the Calder Cup as American Hockey League champions.

For the 2012-2013 season, Tampa Bay moved its AHL affiliation to Syracuse, and Palát and his teammates joined the Crunch. He continued to improve and develop, and he scored at nearly a point-per-game pace, including notching his first hat trick as a pro, scoring three goals against Rochester on February 26, 2013. 

A week after that hat trick, Palát was recalled THE SHOW for the first time, joining the struggling Lightning on March 3. He debuted the next night when the Lightning visited the Penguins, recording his first NHL point with an assist on Tom Pyatt's (remember him?) second period goal. The Lightning lost 4-3, however, continuing a downward trend. With the team clunking along, Lightning General Manager Steve Yzerman dismissed Head Coach Guy Boucher and elevated Cooper to the big club. 

When the 2013-2014 season began, Palát started the year on the Lightning and excelled at the NHL level, scoring 21 goals and 59 points in 81 games, good enough to place second in rookie of the year Calder Trophy voting. His Norfolk-to-Tampa Bay teammate Tyler Johnson would place third, with Nathan McKinnon taking the award.

The emergence of Jon Cooper as a top-level coach, the arrival of Palát, Johnson, and fellow rookie Nikita Kucherov, and having established stars Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman enter their primes would be the defining moments of the Lightning's next decade. 

Together the group would swing between the highs of two Conference Finals and four Stanley Cup Finals including brilliant back-to-back championships, the pains of the injury-laden 2016-17 season, and the shock of the 2019 first-round sweep at the hands of the Columbus Blue Jackets after an all-time great regular season. And as a consistent performer, especially in playoff time, Pally has been emblematic of the group. He leaves with a reputation as a clutch playoff warrior, having elevated his Goals-Per-Game average from 0.227 regular season to 0.347 in the playoffs. In the 2020 Stanley Cup run, he set the Lightning team record for goals in the most consecutive games with five.

He leaves the Lightning with his name twice etched on the Stanley Cup. Best wishes in New Jersey to Ondřej Palát.