The fans know him as Stammer, the players know him as a great teammate and the coach knows him as a fighter. So what can all of them agree upon? Steven Stamkos is one of the best players in the NHL, reaching more than one 50-goal season before turning 23 years old.
Stamkos, the 22-year-old forward for the Tampa Bay Lightning, is one of the only players in the NHL to score 40 or more goals for three consecutive years. The Canada native is also the sixth player in NHL history to hit 50 goals this early in a career, joining a group of elite players under the age of 23 years, including Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin, as well as others. Stamkos was the first overall draft pick as he was chosen by the Bolts in 2008 at the age of 18, and attributes a lot of his success to his teammates.
“There were a lot of veteran guys here showing me the ropes, and it was a constant learning experience.” After his second year, he was able to score 50 goals, which he says, “built confidence and made me realize what it took to score at that level.”
That confidence led him to multiple years with 40 or more goals per season. Coming from the beginning of his career until now, he says, “I matured as a player as I went along, and it took a lot of experience to learn how to stay consistent.”
The superstar makes his way onto the ice for practice the same way he would for a championship game, filled with excitement and ready to take on opponents. Standing at 6-foot-1, his blonde hair sticks out of his helmet as he flies down the ice, having every curve of the rink memorized and known to him as second nature. His broad shoulders underneath all of the pads make for a powerful hit when checking members on the other team.
Stamkos can always be seen with other players, getting patted on the back or approached by coaches to work on a part of his game. He is very well liked, as his teammates could not think of anything negative about him.
“He’s awesome, especially how good and young he is, as well as accomplished,” comments teammate Teddy Purcell. “He’s really humble. It just goes to show that even though he’s a great hockey player, he’s still the same guy that he always was.”
Purcell, a fellow forward on the team, is close with Stamkos and says, “It’s great to be able to come to work and do what you love, especially with guys like him.” He smiled adding, “you get to learn new things even though he’s younger; you look up to guys like that. It’s fun to come to the rink every day and work with your best friends. It’s great to play with him and get the opportunity to see what he does everyday.”
Captain Vinny Lecavalier agrees when questioned about Stamkos off the ice.
“He’s a great guy, everybody enjoys him ever since he got here when he was 18-years-old. He wasn’t this kid who came in and had a bad attitude.
“He was, and still is, very respectful with everybody and that’s a great way to get success.”
As the captain looks forward to his return to the ice from an injury, it is good to be able to have a dominant player like Stamkos on the team.
“He’s got a good head on his shoulders and he’s going in the right direction by being so determined.”
Despite the statistics he has consistently touted as a member of the Lightning, Stamkos arguably has a lower amount of recognition in the national spotlight compared to players like Sidney Crosby or Alex Ovechkin.
Some players, Stamkos included, think it may be due to the location of the team in Florida, especially because it is not one of the top hockey markets or because the team is currently not in the playoff mix.
“He’s obviously proved that he’s good enough to be part of that group of guys year in, year out,” says Purcell. “He puts pressure on himself and he still is in the spotlight, yet he does a really good job of handling himself.”
Lecavalier says he does not really watch TV or read what the media has to say, but Stamkos should be talked about more.
“It’s pretty incredible, it hasn’t been done by many people,” he said.
“He’s probably one of the best under the age of 23 and the best in America.”
When Stamkos was asked his opinion on the little coverage that his success was getting, he gave a rather modest answer.
“I’m more of a go-under-the-radar kind of guy and I prefer to stay like that. I’ve been that way my whole life.”
He gathered his tough composure and said that his turning point was last year when he didn’t finish the season with as many goals as he wanted.
“I came in this year and just proved to everyone that I could do it again.” He did just that with a few games left in the season, leaving Lightning fans proud and amazed by his remarkable work on the ice.
Coach Boucher mentioned Stamkos and said he’ll always think well of him. “He’s a warrior, that kid, in every way.”
Jessie Lehrbaum can be reached at jlehrbaum@spartans.ut.edu.