The day had finally arrived. Steven Stamkos returned to game action after missing nearly four months due to a broken tibia. On March 6, the locker room of the Tampa Bay Lightning was invigorated as the members of the media were searching for a word from one of the league’s most talented scorers. Stamkos was probably the most excited to get back on the ice than anybody.
“I feel great. It’s exciting. As the day progresses, you get a little nervous heading into the game, but once I get the first couple shifts out of the way, I think I’ll be fine,” Stamkos said.
Stamkos was not the only one ready to get on the ice. His newly acquired teammate Ryan Callahan, who was acquired in the Martin St. Louis trade with the New York Rangers, was also ready to get on the ice with the rest of the Lightning. Callahan was excited to share the ice with the bonafide all-star Stamkos. “It’s gonna be fun. He is a world class player. He is great in the way he plays and the way he leads, so he will be an easy guy to follow,” said Callahan.
Tyler Johnson is a rookie center for the Tampa Bay Lighting and is one of the young players that have stepped up in Stamkos’ absence by contributing over 20 goals in the season so far. Johnson lauded Stamkos’ swift offensive presence on the ice. “We are obviously going to get his scoring ability. He is always a threat on the ice. He is another guy we can rely on a little bit and to get the team going on the right track,” said Johnson.
Stamkos will not only bring his scoring ability to the Lightning, but also his leadership. “He plays the game right. He does all the little things, communicates with the guys and works his tail off. I think just having his presence on the ice will be great for us,” Johnson said.
When Stamkos was asked about taking the role of captain for the team after St. Louis was traded, he said, “Of course I want to be the leader on this team. I think we have so much veteran presence that it makes things easy. I was able to learn from Vinny [Lecavalier] and Marty [St. Louis], especially Marty. Since day one, he has been my mentor. He has taught me so much about what it is to be a true pro in this game, and a great leader. Hopefully I can learn from the other veteran guys in this locker room as well, but take the things I learned from Marty and instill them in this room.”
Since that day, Stamkos has been named the 10th captain in Lightning franchise history. Along with being named captain, Stamkos played in ten games totaling ten points, including seven goals.
The Tampa Bay Lightning have less than 20 games remaining on the schedule. With Stamkos back, the team will be looking toward him to provide leadership and scoring while it pushes for a playoff berth. Stamkos will be examined closely as he tries to ease back into his old, dominant ways.
Dominick Falco can be reached at dominick.falco@spartans.ut.edu.