Lightning Round: Congratulations to Steven Stamkos

Dec 2, 2022 - 12:00 PM

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It took eight games for Steven Stamkos to record his first NHL point. On October 28th, 2008 he picked up a secondary assist on a Vincent Lecavalier goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs (and future teammates Anton Stralman and Luke Schenn). Yes, it was on the power play. It came off of a face-off scrum and probably took a little bit of re-watching to make sure he actually touched the puck.

It was likely that many in the Tampa area weren’t watching the game live as most of the sporting world was focused on the Rays and Phillies in the World Series. The 28th was a day off between the suspended Game 5. Remember that? That was awesome.

After picking up that first point against his hometown team, Stamkos has never stopped scoring. Over the next 937 games in his career he picked up 999 more points and last night, in the City of Brotherly Love, Steven Stamkos hit the magic number of 1,000 career points when he picked up a secondary assist on Nick Paul’s second period goal.

Stamkos became the 95th player in NHL history to hit the 1,000 point mark and the first to do it entirely in a Tampa Bay Lightning uniform. Marty St. Louis is in the club as well, but he “only” scored 953 points while with the Bolts. Stamkos is the eighth active player to achieve the feat and none of those players did it in fewer games. Overall, only 42 players hit 1,000 points in fewer games.

Five years ago, when he was rehabbing one of his injuries, we asked the question - “Will Steven Stamkos join the 1,000 point club?” We speculated that he would (although we chickened out in predicting when he would):

Even facing those possible setbacks, in all likelihood Steven Stamkos will be the first player to celebrate 1,000 points while in a Lightning uniform. It’s just a matter of when.

On a Thursday night in Philadelphia, he proved us right.

Congratulations Steven Stamkos. Here’s to scoring a few hundred more before you hang them up!

Lightning / NHL News

Nick Paul scores twice in Lightning win over Philly [Raw Charge]

The Lightning got to an early lead on the Flyers, and faced very little pushback for the rest of the way, apart from a little score effects at the end of the game. Despite leading, the Lightning had an astonishingly easy second period where they out-shot the Flyers 24-3 (14-1 on net). At 5v5, the Lightning carried 65% of the shots, 77% of the expected goals, and a shocking 91% of the high danger scoring chances. Pretty fitting on Stamkos’ big night.

Not only was it a big night for Stamkos, Pierre-Edouard Bellemare quietly set a record of his own.

Bellemare spoke about achieving the honor prior to the game.

Coach Cooper talked to the media after the game about one of the “most celebrated secondary assists” he’s ever seen:

Steven Stamkos thanked the players that helped get him to the monumental occasion:

Nick Paul - “Oh my God, that’s 1,000!”

Gritty chooses the right side in the Pat Maroon/Jack Edwards saga.

Out with the Old-School: The Leadership Culture [Hockey in Society]

Most of the athletes in this study advocated for an interpersonal and athlete-centered leadership style. They highlighted the importance of “valuing athletes as people” (Participant 4): leaders who get to know their athletes or teammates, and that have the ability to adapt to the needs of each individual and the team as a whole. Their preferred leadership style was built around open and honest communication, and several participants explained how the positive personal characteristics of a sport leader was connected to the overall performance of the team on and off the ice.

Cal Petersen on waivers - How did it get this bad? [The Athletic]

The bet was on Petersen taking the throne and now it’s looking like a miscalculated one. No one is going to claim him. It would be utterly shocking if a team did. The Kings canceled their on-ice workout Wednesday and opted to stay behind closed doors and not hold any media availability, so the earliest that the Kings will address the plan for Petersen will be Thursday, before their game against Arizona.

32 Thoughts: All eyes on Patrick Kane [Sportsnet]

18. Penalty-kill stats go back to 1977-78. Only three times has a team been below 70 per cent on the PK — 1978-79 Washington (69.7), 1979-80 Los Angeles (68.2) and 1982-83 Los Angeles (68.6). This year, four are below that baseline: Seattle (69.7), St. Louis (69.4), Anaheim (66.3) and Vancouver (66.2).