The Lightning Card of the Week Returns! Draft Day Edition

There are certain cards out there that you have to have because they are awesome cards (1971 Topps ThurmanMunson). There are some cards that you have to have because they are iconic (1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr). And there are some that you have to have because they represent a specific moment in history.

For me, the 2011-12 Panini Rookie Anthology Draft Year Vincent Lecavalier/ David Legwand because it represents the draft that the Lightning got right and started building into a Stanley Cup winner. The fact that it has Vinny on it and two jersey swatches makes it a little bit awesome as well.

Let's talk about the 1998 draft. Heading into it, it was clear that there were two players at the top of the class and then a bunch of decent players after that (sounds familiar). Both of those players were centers (sounds familiar). There was a consensus number one pick, a franchise savior, a “Next One” if you will, but the other player was quietly gaining in popularity to the point that some think they might go first overall depending what team ended up with the overall pick (sounds familiar). One was Canadian and one was American (again, sound familiar).

So yes, there are a lot of parallels between the 1998 NHL draft and the upcoming 2015 draft. Instead of McDavid vs. Eichel we had Lecavalier vs. Legwand. Lecavalier played the part of McDavid, dominating Major Junior hockey for years leading up to the draft, while Legwand was the hard-working American kid that may be having a better year (mostly because of McDavid's injury, but hey I'm trying to build a narrative here!)

It's odd looking back now that fifteen years have passed, but there was talk that the Lightning might go with Legwand instead of Lecavalier. At the time, Legwand was actually considered the more offensively gifted of the two players by some. Now, it was quite apparent that the Lightning were all aboard the Lecavalier train, but that doesn't prevent experts from speculating.

Would things have developed differently if Art Williams had declared Legwand the “Michael Jordan” of hockey instead of Lecavalier? Would he have blossomed into the scorer under the defensively lax guidence of Jaques Demers and Steve Ludzik? Would Lecavalier developed into a solid two-way center instead of the 50-goal scorer under Barry Trotz's offense-stifling style of play?

One thing is certain – Lightning fans wouldn't have had to sit through a decade of “Lecavalier to Montreal” rumors. Talk which actually started before the Lightning had drafted him. In an April 1998 St. Pete Times article, Tim Buckley mentions that Montreal was rumored to be dangling Saku Koivu inexchange for the pick.  Joe Sakic's name was also floated around as potential trade bait.

While Sakic and Koivu never ended up in Tampa, without a couple of trades this card would look a lot different. The picks used by Tampa and Nashville were not their original first round picks. The number one pick used by the Lightning was originally held by the Florida Panthers who traded it to San Jose for Victor Kozlov. At the time the deal was made (November of 1997) the Panthers were 5-9-4 (the last column was for ties. Yes Little Jimmy in the '90s games could end in a tie). They were struggling, but not necessarily out of the playoff hunt. General Manager Bryan Murray thought Kozlov, 23-years-old at the time, would be more beneficial to the team in the short run then what he thought would be a mid-round draft pick. “Certainly we thought we'd be a playoff team and never expected the top pick, but we'll have a top player in Kozlov for many years to come” he told the Sun Sentinel after the draft order was announced.

While Kozlov never reached the upper echelons of stardom he did have some solid seasons for the Panthers topping out with 22 goals in 2002-03 before getting dealt to New Jersey in 2004. Oddly enough Kozlov has the distinction of being traded for a #1 overall pick (Lecavalier) AND a #2 overall pick as his rights were traded from Hartford to San Jose for a package that included Chris Pronger in June of 1993.

Speaking of the Sharks, they kept that first round draft pick all of four months when Lightning General Manager “Trader” Phil Esposito came a' calling. For Bryan Marchment, David Shaw and the Lightning's first round pick Espo received the Sharks first round pick and Andrei Nazarov. Marchment himself had barely unpacked in Tampa before getting shuttled off to San Jose. He had been part of a trade with Edmonton that had sent former first overall pick Roman Hamrlik to the Oilers. It was a busy year for Mr. Esposito as he managed to pull off 10 trades over the season. 

So the Lightning had the number one pick and drafted Lecavalier. So why isn't David Legwand a San Jose legend? On the day of the draft the two teams swapped positions with San Jose moving down to draft third (where they would pick up defenseman Brad Stuart and a second round pick that they used to draft Jonathon Cheechoo who would score 56 goals in 2005-06 for the Sharks, a year before Lecavalier would score 52 for the Lightning) and Nashville moving up to get their franchise center in Legwand.

All-in-all I think it ended up alright for everyone involved (maybe not Florida). Despite never developing into a scoring juggernaut Legwand had a long tenure in Nashville and still holds just about every offensive record for the team. And despite some rough going early on (and suffering the shame of having the captaincy stripped from him) Lecavalier put together a pretty decent career in Tampa before economics and nagging injuries made him a contract buyout casualty.

All three of the top picks from that year have logged more than 1,000 games in the NHL which is kind of special in itself (Kozlov ended up playing in 897 NHL games and is still kicking around in the KHL). In the last 30 years only three other drafts can boast that – the 1987, 1988 and 1997 drafts. We have a few years left to see if the 2007 and 2008 drafts can be added to the list, but the top three players in both drafts are still in the NHL so there is a chance!

One thing that began to bother me after staring at this card for the last couple of hours. Panini surely could have used better pictures/cropping. Vinny is missing part of his hand. Meanwhile they went with the LinkedIn profile practice of cropping Legwand out of a group photo – most likely this one:

They get credit for using draft year photos (and for both of them sporting the dress shirt/tie/jersey combo. However, a little more time in the Google Image search probably could have led to some better results. Despite that, still a pretty neat card to add to the Lightning collection.

The Lightning Card of the Week Returns!

Finally, it is time to return from yet another self-imposed writing hiatus. This one dragged on a bit longer than normal and featured a couple of posts that died before they had a chance to live. Lucky for you I am feeling rejuvenated and raring to go again. Of course I have no idea what to write about so I'll kick it off by leaning on a semi-regular crutch – The Lightning Card of the Week!

A once regular feature that has been mothballed (much like boxing coverage and Through The Mail posts) due to sheer laziness I figure it's a good way to keep writing with the lull between the end of the season for the Bolts and the upcoming draft/free-agency season. Let's see what the box of hockey cards has in it:

A 2001-02 Upper Deck Tantalizing Tandems Vincent Lecavalier/ Brad Richards insert.

Look at those two – so young, so unaware of their careers would take them (they haven't even starred in “The Punisher” yet. Just two kids from Canada having fun playing hockey in Tampa. When the card was issued Vincent had finished his third full season in the NHL, scoring 20 goals in the regular season for the second year in a row (a streak that would continue for 12 seasons) and was the youngest player to ever be named captain of a NHL team (Sidney Crosby and Gabriel Landeskog have since stolen that accolade).

Richards was the dynamic rookie who had lead the team in scoring in his first full season and finished second in the Calder Trophy race. This was the year that the original “Big Three” of Lecavalier, Richards and a young cast-off from Calgary named Marty St. Louis played together for the first time. The nucleus of the 2004 Stanley Cup team was born that year.

On the back of the card, the copy writers for Upper Deck wrote that “Tampa Bay will look to young and talented centers Brad Richards and Vincent Lecavalier to ignite the offense” and that the team was “hoping to be one of the most improved teams in the NHL in 2001-02”.

The Lightning did improve their record in 2001-02 by winning three more games over the year before. Oddly enough their offense actually decreased year-to-year. The 2000-01 squad scored 201 goals while the 01-02 team only scored 178. While Richards submitted numbers that were almost a carbon copy of the year before, Lecavalier struggled as he only scored 37 points under the burden of the captaincy.

The notable change was on their defense as the 00-01 defensive corps surrendered an unconscionable 280 goals (which is what happens when Kevin Weekes, Dan Cloutier, Wade Flaherty and Dieter Kochan occupy time in the crease). The next season would be the first full season for the enigmatic Russian Nikolai Khabibulin. With the “Bulin Wall” in net only 219 pucks would cross the Lightning goal line.

Richards and Lecavalier were both fresh-faced 20-year-olds when this card was first inserted its mylar wrapper. Over a decade later, they are now gray-haired veterans wearing uniforms for other teams. Richards, reunited with St. Louis in New York is currently battling for another Stanley Cup. Quite a turnaround from a year ago where he was a leading candidate to be bought out after being benched in the playoffs. Lecavalier fell victim to the amnesty buyout sword in Tampa and struggled through another injury-plagued season in Philadelphia. He did, however, knock off a bevy of career accomplishments by scoring his 400^th career goal, his 500^th career assist and 900^th career point during the 2013-14 season.

As for me, I was living the good life in 2001-02. I had just bought my truck (man I miss that truck) and was still living in a one-bedroom apartment in the heart of Largo, Florida. I was working at the Super Happy Fun Company making more money than I should have while not saving anywhere near enough. My game-day attire probably would have been shorts, sandals and a Lightning name-less third jersey (the one with the lightning bolts down the sleeves). Tickets to games were unbelievably cheap. So cheap that scalping them wasn't necessary. I'm pretty sure I was single.....yup definitely single.

Off Season Hockey is The Worst Hockey

A few weeks ago, ok a month ago, the fine folks at Raw Charge asked me a question.  Well not just me, but Lightning bloggers, and since I was briefly a Lightning blogger on a semi-prominent website, Raw Charge still invites me to partake in their Questions of the Week. I guess it’s kind of like sportswriters who wrote about baseball 20 years ago still get to vote for the Hall of Fame even though they haven’t covered the game in a decade.

The questions was: “So looking at what the Lightning have done {in the off-season}, now we ask: Are We Better Yet?”

My response was basically, sure why not? Valtteri Filppula was an ok signing (once the length of the contract was removed as a factor) and number one pick Jonathan Drouin has an excellent chance of making the team and providing some excitement.

Since this is my spot in the mad chaos that is the internet I figured I’d finally get around to expounding on my thoughts. Originally I was going to post it the same week the question went up, but as you might know by now, I’m quite the lazy blogger.  As the season draws ever nearer I figure it’s not a bad time to take a look at the off-season roster makeover and see where they stand, at least on paper.

The Big Loss

This is Photshopped, right? Please say yes.

We barely knew you Benoit Poulet.  I’m kidding, of course. No discussion of off-season moves can begin or end without mention of the compliance buyout of Vincent Lecavalier. The all-time leader in games played, goals scored, shots taken, money donated to local hospitals and Stanley Cup Finals fights with other superstars was given his walking papers  (and $32 million) just before Free Agent Frenzy began in July.

I’m not sure I’ve totally processed it yet.  Until he actually takes the ice in those ugly orange and white sweaters that Philadelphia wears I refuse to believe it actually happened.  He’s totally coming back, you guys.  It’s just a well-worked swerve job by the Lightning.  October 10th, the lights are going to go dark in the Ice Palace, “Thunderstruck” will start playing, Dave Mishkin will scream out, “Dear God! That’s Vinny’s Music!” in his best JR voice and Lecavalier will step on the ice.  IT’S GOING TO HAPPEN!!!!

But, for the sake of this column let’s say Lecavalier is really with Philadelphia and the Lightning have to replace his production. Over the last two season’s Lecavalier provided .79 points per game - that’s not chicken scratch. It was productive enough that other team’s had to worry about the second line, occasionally freeing up young Steven Stamkos to do what he does - score goals.

Quite frankly, there is no one on the roster set to provide that kind production or second line protection. I’m pretty sure we’re seeing the pinnacle of Teddy Purchell’s scoring ability (which isn’t bad) and Nate Thompson isn’t going to blossom into a 25 goal scorer overnight. Thus General Manager Steve Yzerman waded into the Free Agency Frenzy looking for a second line center and signed….

The Big Pickup

Valterri does "smoldering" well.

…Valterri Filppula* to a five-year $25 million contract, instantly burning up some of that precious cap space Lecavalier’s buyout had provided.  I have nothing against Filppula, and I apologize for spending the last seven years thinking his name was “Valarie Fippula”, but like or not, no matter how to the contrary coaches and players say it, he’s going to have to fill Lecavalier’s shoes.

Will he be able to do it?  Maybe-ish.  Health will be a big factor.  If 2011-12 was the last season he played fully healthy then things are looking rosy.  His .81 points per game are right in line with what Vincent was providing and by all reports, Filppula might be a bit more responsible defensively. I love Vinny as much as a guy can love a total stranger who he has only seen on TV, but asking Lecavalier to play defense is like asking Secretariat to pull a carriage of tourists down Michigan Avenue.

According to the Finnish forward a knee injury didn’t let him prepare in the off-season as well he would have liked before the lockout shortened 2012-13 season and led to his drop off in production.  He feels that he should be in better shape this season despite the ankle injury he suffered in game 7 of the Western Conference finals.  In other words, nothing to see here folks.  Keep whistling past the graveyard.

Some folks out in Lightning-land are wondering why the former Detroit was signed in the first place. After all, the Harvard Man, Alex Killorn looked pretty solid in his debut season posting 19 points in 38 games for the Lightning.  Why not give him or Tyler Johnson the reigns and let them run with it? Well, because it’s kind of a big role on the team and Mr. Yzerman might not be willing to bet the season (and his job) on a player that was cramming for finals less than two years ago.  If the Lightning go into the season with Killorn as their number two center and he fails Alexander Daigle-style (aka spectacularly) then it is harder to find a replacement. With Filppula penciled in as the starter and Killorn waiting in the wings (probably quite literally) Mr. Yzerman has given himself an out. Should his free agent fail, then Killorn can step right in.

Mr .Yzerman wasn’t done there, he also signed ummm…..Geoff Walker.  Hmm…I guess he was done.  Which, I actually took as a good sign.  Or at least a sign that the organization’s depth has improved over the last three years because he did re-sign most of their restricted free agents and J.T. Brown, Mark Barberio, and Keith Aulie will probably all see significant time with club this season (Godspeed Evan Oberg, we’ll always have this to remember you by).

The General Manager’s lack of attention towards the defense has me a little nervous, since the returning group didn’t exactly light the world on fire last season.  However, with such a young core, they can only get better with experience, right?

Sitting with the third pick in the draft Mr. Yzerman did have an excellent shot at picking up another exciting young defenseman in Seth Jones after Colorado and Florida passed on the highly rated blue liner. However, he dashed aside visions of a Victor Hedman/ Seth Jones pairing terrorizing opponents for the opportunity to have goaltenders shake in fear at the sight of Steven Stamkos locked and loaded waiting for the puck from….

The Big Draft

Love that he's wearing a shirt and tie under the sweater, but has his gloves on. He's ready to play, or go to a job interview.

…Jonathan Drouin.  Mr. Yzerman might just be thinking, “if you can’t stop ‘em, outscore ‘em”. What is scary is that Drouin might actually make Stamkos better.  Noted hockey expert Bob McKenzie has compared him to Patrick Kane and states that the newest Bolt “can process the game faster than anybody else {in the draft}.“ It’s that extra “hockey sense” to see plays develop before they actually happen and put the puck where it needs to be to confound the other team.

Go to you tube and search Jonathan Drouin and you will be happy if you’re a Lightning fan.  Not to put too much pressure on him, but he could really be the best pure playmaker the Lightning have ever had in their history.  Their draft history/prospect history has tended to focus on big scoring forwards whose talents lie in putting the puck in the net, not setting up their teammates.

Of course, if you’ve been privileged to follow my live tweets during a game (@TorchRamrod) you know that one of things that drive me batty is the forward’s desire to score pretty goals instead of just putting the puck at the net (aka The One More Pass Syndrome). The biggest victims of this disease were Lecavalier and Marty St. Louis. I’m all for being a giver on the ice, but sometimes you want someone that is a bit more selfish. Gimmie the GOALS!

There is a danger that Drouin, as an electric playmaker, might fall into that habit especially if he defers to his elders on the ice.  It’s hard to project how effective he’ll be this season, especially with the Lightning’s history of not rushing their prospects.  He will have to earn his spot on the roster, but if he does he will replace some of the offense lost with Lecavalier.

Somewhat lost in the hype of the Drouin pick is that the Lightning picked up a pretty good prospect with their second round choice of Adam Erne. Where Drouin gets the “electric,” “flashy,” “sizzling” superlatives, Erne is described as “gutty,” “hardworking” and “big-bodied”.  He is more in the line of the big power forward mold prospect (think Brett Connolly). I would think he spends next season back in juniors, but after that he should provide some size to the young crop of talent that makes up the Lightning prospects.

So where does that leave the 2013-14 Tampa Bay Lightning?  In the end I still think they’re a better team. Simply because they were a better team then they preformed last season AND the additions they made make them even better.   Losing Lecavalier hurts, it really, really hurts. But it’s not a back breaking loss.  Let’s face it, injuries are starting to catch up to him and counting on him for a full season is no longer a given. The financial flexibility helps this season and will really help next season when the cap should go up.

While the Lightning might be better on the ice, planning your next summer vacation based on them making the playoffs might be a bit premature. The main problem is the fact that their competition ratcheted up several notches due to realignment. Contending with Boston, Montreal and even Toronto is going to be a lot harder than contending with Carolina and Winnipeg.

In the end, any talk of success echoes the discussions of the previous two seasons. Those discussions revolved around goaltending.  If Ben Bishop and Anders Lindback can’t keep the puck out of the net, it doesn’t matter what Filppula or Drouin do on the ice. That’s why the lack of improving the defense, other than a full season of Radko Gudas, has Lightning fans a little skittish about improvement.

With about two months to go before the actual drop of a meaningful puck, there is a chance that Mr. Yzerman makes a few last minute moves (cough, cough blueline depth), but I think the feeling on Channelside drive is that this is the team they are going to live and die with.

* Yes I want to make Filppula’s nickname “The Big Pickup”. It won’t happen, but that doesn't mean  I can’t dream.

When Good Promotions Get Awkward - Updated 7/15/13

Now that the excitement of free agent frenzy is over, hockey fans are settling in for a few months of slow activity.  Even the most dedicated professional hockey reporters retire to their cabins to relax. So it's understanding that certain hockey-related destinations might need to run promotions in order to draw in fans who might be distracted by fireworks, hot dogs and trips to the beach.

The Hockey Hall of Fame is one of those destinations.  So the ad wizards partnered up with our friends at Upper Deck to offer a pretty cool promotion.  On 30 select days throughout July and August each NHL team will have their own selected day. If you are a fan of a particular team and show up at the Hall of Fame wearing a jersey, hat or other article of clothing for that team you get in for half price.  What a deal!

There is a second part of the promotion.  The first 1,000 paying entrants will receive an Upper Deck card featuring a relic card of a player from the team being celebrated that day. Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin and Jonathan Toews are all listed.  Pretty sweet, huh?  A free jersey card just for showing up.

The Lightning have their own day.  Fans mark your calender for August 19th, 2013.  Enjoy a nice weekend in Toronto and then roll into the Hall of Fame in your favorite Enrico Ciccone jersey to get your half price ticket and your card of........

Oh wow....that's a little....umm....awkward. 

See they're celebrating the captains of the NHL teams and I'm sure when this ran through marketing the thought was, "No WAY they buy out that contract.  We're good to go with the Lightning."

I'm not upset, it's totally understandable.  These things take time to plan out and execute.  As a matter of fact I think it's kind of funny, one of those "of course it happened to the Lightning" kind of things that we haven't seen for a few years.  Think of smudged faxes, trying to trade draft picks the team didn't have and players' cars getting repossessed during games.

As of right now the Hall of Fame hasn't responded to a question I asked about if there is going to be an alternative card handed out on that day.  Granted I just sent it about 3 minutes ago, but hey we're in an instant information age!  I'll update this post if they respond.


***UPDATE***

No response from the Hall of Fame, but Upper Deck Hockey did reply to a tweet I sent them today.

@torchramrod They have already been produced so it will be Lecavalier: https://t.co/7CC6D5MMXI
— Upper Deck Hockey (@UpperDeckHockey) July 15, 2013

So The Lightning Had an Interesting Week

Lets all reflect on the biggest takeaway from the Lightning’s 2013 draft - Steve Yzerman did not draft a Russian.  He did take a Latvian, Kristers Gudlevskis, who plays in the Russian junior league so he came close. However, for the first time since 2010 the Bolts organization did not dip into the wealth of talent available from the Mother Land (and you know he was eying Valeri Nichushkin).

He also didn’t draft a defenseman even though Seth Jones was still sitting there when Mr. Yzerman went to the podium to announce the selection. Visions of Victor Hedman and Seth Jones terrorizing teams for the next 8 seasons had to be pretty tempting. That being said, Steven Stamkos taking one-timers from Jonathan Drouin isn’t something goalies are going to want to see anytime soon.

Perhaps this is an indication of a shift in organizational philosophy. Former Orioles GM Andy McPhail had a “grow the arms, buy the bats” philosophy to building a team. Perhaps Mr. Yzerman is instituting a “grow the goal scorers and buy the blueline” method.


(umm...yeah those three minutes made me feel A LOT better about this kid)


Of course, for the Lightning no matter who they drafted they would be overshadowed by the really, really big news - the severing of ties with captain Vincent Lecavalier.  On Thursday, owner Jeff Vinik bit the bullet and cut a large check to tell the all-time Lightning goal leader that his services were no longer welcome. According to ESPN, Lecavalier receives an $8 million payout in full and then two-thirds of his remaining contract ($24.67 million) spread out over 14 years. No matter what he does the Lightning will cut him a check for $1.76 million every year.  Not a bad deal.

So long shirtless Lecavalier.  May you bring page hits to bloggers for your new team

The good news for the Lightning is that they now have an extra $7 million and change of cap room to play with and they save about $50 million over the life of the contract. For the long term health of the franchise, that savings is nothing to sneeze at. Mr. Yzerman now has a little more flexibility to fill the holes in the roster that were evident even when Lecavalier was still lacing up the skates with Tampa Bay.

In all likelihood the bulk of any investment is going to go towards the defense.  Currently the team has 6 healthy defenders inked to contracts (Matt Carle, Hedman, Eric Brewer, Sami Salo, Radko Gudas and Keith Aulie).  It’s a solid if unremarkable group of blue liners that the fans would definitely like to see upgraded.  While the free agent market isn’t exactly overflowing with talent (Ryan Whitney, Toni Lydman, Brett Clark?) the Lightning do have depth to trade from.

The organization has already dipped into that well once using Cory Conacher as bait to bring in Ben Bishop to hopefully solve their goaltending woes.  With Jonathan Drouin and Adam Erne soon to be added to the fold that well is even deeper.  Brett Connolly seems to be the leading candidate to be moved as his size and tenacity are big draws for other teams (and because why not trade the last remaining player in my personal collection).

Next season is going to be a big one for Mr. Yzerman.  The team’s recent inability to win consistently has already cost Coach Boucher his job and if they struggle again it’s most likely the general manager’s head on the chopping block.  There is way too much talent on the roster for this team to be drafting in the top 10 every year.    He needs to find a way to get the team out of the funk they’ve been in the last two years and have them compete with Boston, Toronto, Montreal and the rest of their new division.

Another benefit from kicking Lecavalier to the curb is that Mr. Yzerman frees up money to retain his younger players in the future.  While the cap is undoubtedly going to rise after this year, he has a host of young talent that he needs to lock up long term. Players like Connolly, Alex Killorn, Richard Panik (not winning man of the year in Grand Rapids anytime soon), and Tyler Johnson are considered the next wave of impact players and none of them are signed past next season. While the Lightning retain control of the contracts and therefore negotiating power, it would be nice to lock them up for a few years down the road.

Lets not forget the Rocket Richard-sized elephant hiding in the corner.  Steven Stamkos is going to need a new contract after 2015-16.  While it’s a little early to start the Stammergeddon 2 Goal Scoring Boggaloo Watch it is something to consider. When it is time to re-sign him the Lightning will be looking at trying to retain one of the most prolific, post-lockout scorers in his athletic prime.  Good luck on getting a hometown discount!

The other side of the Lecavalier coin is where does he end up and how much do I care.  I’ve made no secret of the fact that he is my favorite player on the team and that my entire Lightning history is pretty much centered around his career. For those who are new to these parts, I started going to games the year before he was drafted.  So next season is going to be the first season I’ve watched the Lightning without Wizard for Ile Bizard on the roster (and yes I’m upset that that nickname never caught on). It’s going to be weird.

Even when he was hurt the last few seasons there was always the anticipation of his return and the impact that would have on the team. Now….nothing. No more dispute of whose line should St. Louis be on. No more quest to find the perfect winger for Lecavalier (Simon Gagne, Jussi Jokinen, Matthew Barnaby among a cast of thousands). No more complaining about his $10 million contract and 60 point production.  God, what are fans going to bitch about next season.  The goaltending? Oh ok, cool.  As long as they have something.

So back to his eventual destination.  It’s more that there are teams I DON’T want to see him on.  Namely, Boston, Toronto or Philadelphia.  Of course, all three teams have expressed interest (along with every other team in the league).  But it would seem so weird, almost dirty to see him in a Philly uniform.  Not quite as unholy as Jagr in Flyers’ orange, but still so, so weird. I hold out the hope that he signs a one-year deal and then ends up back in Tampa at a reduced rate.  Hey….a boy can dream, right?

It is funny to see all the love he’s getting now after years of being branded as overpaid and underachieving. Fans of other teams who have laughed at his contract (looking at you Toronto) are now talking themselves into signing him to a three or four year deal.

He should have no problem finding a place in the league.  He can still put up 20 goals and 50-60 points for a team when healthy.  Could Edmonton use him?  Most definitely, he’d be a great influence on a young team. As long as he stays away from Montreal he also has the advantage of lower expectations.  Wherever he goes no one is going to brand him the Michael Jordan of hockey before he has a chance to take the ice for them.

Will I keep collecting his cards - probably.  Unlike Crawford, Tokarski and soon to be Connolly, I have quite a bit invested in my Lecavalier collection.  Why stop now?  Besides it’s going to be so awesomely awkward to get that first card of him in a Blackhawk uniform.

The free agent frenzy begins in a few days and while it’s not likely that the Lightning will be big players, they have put themselves in position to find at least one impact player before training camps open in the fall.  Cutting Lecavalier was tough for management and tough for the fans, but in the end it makes the team better. As much as we love the names on the back of the uniforms, it’s the crest on the front that we really cheer for.

Top Five Lightning Rookie Cards to Own

As the internet’s resident Tampa Bay Lightning card collecting blogger I must say this post is long overdue.  As the Lightning bandwagon grows (it’s actually more of a mini-van at this point) folks out there are going to want to know what cards they need for their collection. Well I’m here to drop the cardboard knowledge on you!

Coming up five names for this list was fairly easy.  That’s what happens when you follow a team that has been in existence less than 20 years.  I didn’t have to go back 40 years and figure which long-dead greats should make the list.  Nor did I have to debate which Hall of Famer should I leave off.  For the record on two members of the Hall of Fame have donned the black, silver and blue – Dino Ciccarelli (111 games) and Denis Savard (105 games). Spoiler alert – neither made the list.

I debated a couple of names from the pre-Cup teams, names like Selivanov, Puppa and Zamuner. In the end, I thought I’d stick with players whose rookie cards showed them in Lightning uniforms (with one exception). If I’d extended the list to 10, at least one of those names would have definitely made the list (but so would Nikita Alexeev – hey my list, my rules!).

One benefit of being a Lightning collector - low prices.  There isn't much demand for the cards below so they're pretty easy to pick up (with one glaring exception). 

With no further adieu – I present the Top Five Rookie Cards Lightning Fans Should Own

5. Brett Connolly 2011-12 Upper Deck - $4.25-$6.99

The new kid on the block has had an up and down rookie year.  His cards have slid back down a bit after starting off hot (around $10) when the Upper Deck series was first release.  His performance at the World Juniors provided another bump, but lately the prices have been coming back down (getting benched does that). 

Connolly could very well be the first of the new crop of Lightning stars to emerge in the NHL.  If things work out as management hopes, names like Carter Ashton, Dustin Tokarski, Cory Conacher and Tyler Johnson could be gracing this list pretty soon.

4. Brad Richards 1997-98 Upper Deck - $1.25- $5.00

Yes he’s a Ranger now (a dastardly Ranger who scores overtime goals against his former team), but he still has a loyal following in the Tampa Bay area.  Moving to the bright lights of the big city hasn’t affected his cards that much so they’re still relatively easy to obtain. 

Upper Deck was able to sneak a bunch of young players into their main set before they were drafted by creating a subset called “Program of Excellence” and showing them in dramatic staring-off-in-the-distance poses or in their Team Canada gear.  A very young Vincent Lecavalier is featured in this set as well.  Is that card on the list?  Only The Shadow knows.

3. Martin St Louis 1998-1999 Upper Deck Rookie - $.99 - $2.99

There are so many weird things about this card - the Calgary uniform, the number 46, the fact he isn’t scoring a goal. Marty’s entry into the NHL wasn’t exactly accompanied by fanfare. As a non-drafted, college player who toiled in the AHL for three seasons he didn’t get all of the bells and whistles that card companies lavish on top prospects.  So his Upper Deck rookie was just a common card released in the era of over produced sets.  Since there are a lot of these cards out there the prices remain low.

When he eventually retires I’m sure there will be some talk about the Hall of Fame for St. Louis.  He should have over 350 goals and close to 1000 points. I hope it’s enough for him to be enshrined, but you never know with these things.  If he is inducted it will be interesting to see if his cards get a bump in value.

2. Vincent Lecavalier 1997-98 Upper Deck Black Diamond - $1.29-$4.99

It’s almost criminal that Enzo’s cards go for so low on eBay.  There are some parallel versions (Triple Diamond) that trade for around $20 or so, but those don’t pop up that often and we don’t consider parallels as true rookie cards here at the Hopeful Chase headquarters (except for the number one card on the list).

I think the relative affordability of Lecavalier’s cards is reflective of being a star in a non-hockey market. To the hockey world outside of “Hockey Paradise” his declining numbers and escalating salary have hit him with the dreaded overrated label and that affects his collectability.  That being said, if had been traded to Montreal the value of his cards would have escalated no matter what his performance would have been.

I’m not even going to offer you a cheaper alternative.  If you can’t spare $1.50 – get off of eBay right now. 

1 .Steven Stamkos 2008-09 Upper Deck The Cup Patch Auto - $1700-1800

This is going to be the first card I go out and purchase once I hit the Powerball.  For those not familiar with “The Cup”, it’s pretty much a product geared toward the 1%.  Four card “boxes” can sell for more than $400 online and even the base cards normally hit the secondary market for more money than I care to spend.

Stamkos’ card is the card to have out of the 2008-09 set. It started off high and never wavered.  As he continues his march to being the most elite goal scorer in the NHL I don’t see it tapering off any time soon.

There are less expensive rookie cards out there to bring into your collection.  His 2008-09 Upper Deck Young Guns goes for about $50 on eBay these days.  As I’ve mentioned before, the Young Guns rookies are pretty good cornerstones for player collections.  If that’s still a little too rich for your blood his 2008-09 Upper Deck MVP card can generally be had for less than $5.  

Gordie Howe in a Lightning Uniform and Other Photos

I was flipping through my photo box looking for a particular photo to replace the one I have on my header on this site and stumbled across a collection of sports photos I've taken over the years. Since I don't feel like writing a lot today and I haven't posted a Chicago photo in forever I figured I'd give you, my loyal readers, a quick photo journey.  Here we go:

Baltimore Orioles

Albert Belle stretching some time in 2000. Pretty sure Albert is debating throwing a baseball at me.

 BJ Ryan warming up vs Rays 2001? Some would say he was the last true closer the O's had.

Saint Leo College Baseball

Thomas B. Southard Stadium Saint Leo, FL - Play at the plate probably 1997 or 1998 1996. One of my favorite photos of all time. Can't remember the catchers name at the time - Link or Saint Leo Mike help me out? (edit - Per fellow Saint Leo Monarch Pat - the catcher's name is Bryan Lafata.)

AL Lang Field, St Petersburg, FL 1996  - Link at the plate 1997 or 1998 - Before he was a part time blogger and full time steel-slinger he was the only hitter I've ever seen who could hit a home run that almost took off the second baseman's head.  Line shots that kid hit.

The Horse Track

Tampa Bay Downs 2002 - I probably bet on this horse.  I'm pretty sure he didn't win.

The Lightning and Hockey

 The Ice Palace 10/2/1999 - Opening night and Mr. Hockey was there to drop the puck.  Damn seamless glass messed up what would have been a nice photo to have.  In case you were wondering I had tickets in the lower bowl, 10 rows up that I bought the day of the game at the box office.  Cost - $40.00.

 Ice Palace 10/2/1999 - Felix Potvin looking at the action behind the net. Felix the cat always had some of the best pads in the game.

Ice Palace 10/2/1999 - A better shot of his pads with the cat face on them.  With the equipment I had at the time, pictures of the goalie were really the best I could do.

Ice Palace 10/2/1999 - Darren Puppa don't need no mask to keep his crease clean!

Ice Palace 10/2/1999 - Well maybe he does.  The Lightning actually won this game 4-2.  If I'm not mistaken that might have been the only time they were over .500 that season.

 Ice Palace  10/2/1999 - Puppa's backup that season - Dan Cloutier.  Pictured here not fighting anyone.

Ice Palace November 1999 - Freddie Modin.  The Cory Cross for Modin trade is usually the first move I look at that built the 2004 Stanley Cup team (other than drafting Vinny, of course).

 Ice Palace - No idea - I'm pretty sure this is Jassen Cullimore, but I'm not sure when I took this photo.  In 1999-2000 he wore 27 and Bruce Gadiner wore 5, and I don't have any other photos from the Rangers vs. Lightning to get a better grasp of when the game was played.

 Ice Palace November 1999 - TUCKSIE!  A young Darcy Tucker finished with 34 points that year. That was good enough for 5th on the team in scoring.  Not a good season for the Lightning.

 Ice Palace November 1999 - The captain for the Lightning at the beginning of the year - Bill Houlder! This was actually taken at Houlder's last home game with the Lightning.  A few days later he would be put on waivers and claimed by Nashville. Later that season a 19 year-old Vincent Lecavalier would don the "C" on his sweater. Which lasted about a season and a half.

Ice Palace November 1999 - Mike Sillinger.  Also known as the last Lightning player to wear the number 26 before Marty St. Louis. Sillenger was traded in March of 2000 and Marty was signed in July of that year.  I have a feeling that it's going to be the first jersey number retired by the organization  when Marty retires - which should be around 2031 or so.

 Ice Palace November 1999 - There he is!  A young Vincent in his second year. So young, so hopeful. He would score 25 goals that year starting a streak of 11 straight seasons with at least 20 goals.

 Ice Palace November 1999 - The Undertaker!  (Because he buries pucks - at least that's what the billboards said).  Stephane Richer would bury a total of 16 goals for the Lightning during parts of two seasons with the club.  He also fancied nice suits and loafers with no socks.

 Ice Palace November 1999 - In case Steve Guolla needs to prove to his kids he played in the NHL. Just kidding.  Steve actually logged over 200 games in the NHL with Tampa, San Jose, Atlanta and New Jersey.

Ice Palace November 1999 - We finish with Chris Gratton. Seen here in his second tour of three tours of duty with the Lightning.  He would be sent to Buffalo in March along with a 2nd round draft pick in a good ol' blockbuster deal that netter the Lightning Corey Sarich, Wayne Primeau and Brian Holzinger.

The Sabres would use the second round pick for Derek Roy - not bad.  When the Lightning acquired Gratton for a third time they dealt Florida a second round pick in the 2008 draft as well.  That player turned out to be recent TTM signer Jacob Markstrom.

I hope you enjoyed this trip down memory lane.

New Cards and Cheapshots - A Lecavalier-centric Post

It’s time for another card that I just added to my collection and a bit of a discourse on being a fan of a player who does something a bit underhanded and shady.

First up, we have the newest Vincent Lecavalier card. It is also the first Lecavalier card from the 2011-12 added to my collection. Thanks to eBay and to those folks who post auctions with no shipping charges.

Is this the face of a villian?

That is the 2011-12 Upper Deck Canvas version of Vincent Lecavalier’s base car.  Nice card of the Lightning captain making his way onto the ice. I’m 90% certain that the young fan over his left shoulder is rocking an O’s hat as well. 

The canvas parallels are definately one of the nicer parts of the set.  So nice that I hope they bring Masterpieces back as a set next year.

Onto the shady side of things.  While I was enjoying the Ravens victory over the Texans yesterday the Lightning were taking on the Pittsburgh Penguins in a meet up of two struggling franchises.  As typical for Tampa Bay as of late, the Lightning went down 3-0, rallied back to tie it at 3-3 and then, in the end lost 6-3.

To say Evgeni Malkin had him self a day would be an understatement.  With two assists and a natural hat trick, “Geno” showed why he could be a dark horse contender for MVP as the season rolls on.  However his offensive output isn’t what I’m writing about.

With about 8 minutes left in the game, Hopeful Chase man crush Vincent Lecavalier went to hit Malkin in the corner. The cagey Russian ducked out of the way and there was some contact at the waist/leg/knee level.  As they skated back up the ice, Lecavalier kept shoving and trying to provoke Malkin into dropping the mitts for a rarely seen superstar showdown.

Malkin refused to take the bait, but finally had enough and threw a shoulder into Vinny’s face. The two danced, a couple of punches were winged in the general vicinity of each other’s head and then everyone scrummed up.  As the two combatants were dragged apart, Lecavalier landed what can be nicely described as a surprise jab to the face, but is better known as a sucker punch.   Watch it develop here.

First off, I disagree 100% with the NHL on NBC folks.  I don’t think Malkin was “low-bridging” anyone.  He was just getting the hell out of the way.  Lecavalier didn’t talk to the media after the game, so we can’t be 100% certain as to what set him off.  Coach Boucher stated that Vinny thought Malkin went for his knees.  No one likes to have their knees taken out (one of the reasons Mr. Marchand is enjoying a five-game suspension) and Lecavalier’s reaction would indicate that.

Vinny isn’t a dirty player, but he is physical. He’s dropped the gloves in the past, the most memorable one being his throw-down with Jarome Iginla during the Stanley Cup run in 2004.  When he’s on his game, he’s throwing his body around and creating havoc in the offensive zone and that’s all he was trying to do in this case.

I can't believe this is almost 8 years ago- photo from Life

I honestly believe that he thought he was being clipped, but that doesn’t excuse the sucker punch at the end of the scrum. Perhaps he flashed back to the 2006 Olympics when Malkin was suspended for trying to kick him in the head, or maybe it was just the heat of the moment.

 I know the entire team is frustrated. Losing isn’t fun.  Waking up in last place isn’t fun. Playing from behind isn’t fun. Storming back from three goals only to go back down by two less than three minutes later isn’t fun.  It seemed that all of that just boiled over and Lecavalier entered that zone normally occupied by Steve Downie.

As a huge Lecavalier mark, it’s hard not being able to defend that punch.  I want to, I really, really want to lay all the blame on the Penguins.  Unfortunately, in this case it’s pretty black and white.  To be entirely honest, I’m surprised he didn’t at least get the $2,500 NHL slap on the wrist for his actions. According to Bob McKenzie, Vincent will not be subjected to any supplemental discipline from the league.  Dang, no Shanaban video.

It’s not like I’m going to sell off my Lecavalier collection. He’s still my favorite player, but now I’ve got to put up with fans of other teams and their snarky comments.  They already have his declining production, oversized contract and standing on the Sports Illustrated “overrated player list” in their ammo belts, now they have this.  Trust me, it won’t go away.  No matter how much money he donates to local hospitals, or how many times he’s up for the Lady Byng – some fans will label him a dirty player because of this incident (and if you’re a Canadians’ fan – his slash of PK Subban).

He can help alleviate some criticism by upping his performance on the ice - fans will forgive a player anything if he performs.  He could apologize, fans love them some apologies. Or, he can just ignore it and move on with things.  Chances are that the third option is the most likely.

It’ll be interesting to see how Lecavalier will be received in Pittsburgh when the Lightning head up there on February 12^th.  I’m assuming a lot will be determined by where the Penguins are in the standings. If they’re still struggling I’m sure there will be some animosity. If their healthy players are back and good times rolling, it’ll be a minor issue.  I also wonder if one of their tough guys goes after Vinny, perhaps a little Matt Cooke regression?

As a fan it sucks when your favorite player does something dirty, but it’s not the end of the world.  Single actions do not define their legacies, nor do they take away from past glory.  The best part of this story is that no one was physically hurt, just their reputations.

Let's end this on a good note.  Your Steve Downie photo of the week.  What an awesome Downie Mustache.

Auditioning for another Steve Prefontaine movie? Photo from SI.

Did Matt Cooke Destroy Lecavalier's Career?

Pittsburgh winger Matt Cooke is cooling his heels for four games thanks to a vicious blindside hit to Fedor Tyutin on Tuesday night. Cooke, no stranger to questionable plays on the ice, delivered a textbook example of the type of hit that the NHL is trying to eradicate. He hit the Columbus Blue Jacket forward from the back, and drove him forcibly into the boards. It wasn’t a matter of if Cooke would be suspended, rather a question of how long. Especially given his tie up with the league’s alternate poster Alex Ovechkin that led to knee-to-knee contact and got the talking heads all a flutter on Sunday.

Around the Bay area, Tampa not Green, Cooke is a name that causes most fans to grind their teeth a bit. While with the Capitals he took a run at Vincent Lecavalier and the resulting collision/awkward landing finished the Lightning star’s 2007-08 season (hit comes 48 seconds into the video). Lecavalier would require off-season surgery to repair the labrum in his right shoulder.

It’s been two and a half season’s since that hit and Cooke has moved on to more controvery (Marc Savard) and Lecavalier has suffered through two of the least productive years of his career. Could the decline in his production be tied to the hit? If you were to ask the talented center from Quebec he would answer in the negative, saying that the shoulder is fine and doesn’t affect his game. A look at the numbers might speak to a different tune.

In the five seasons (including 2007-08) previous to the injury the 4 time All Star had scored 33, 32, 35, 52 and 40 goals. He was an emerging star in the NHL, fulfilling the “stud” portion of the great Art Williams declaration when he was drafted. Despite the injury he signed an 11 year extension worth $85 million (and has him currently the top paid player in the league) and became the face of a franchise for a couple of new owners who shall not be named. Of course, they also spent the rest of their ownership tenure trying to trade him, but that is a totally different story.

Since the surgery how has Lecavalier performed? The sample size is small, but not reassuring. His goal scoring has regressed to 29, 24 and 11. Granted he still has 40 games to improve on that 11, but the chances he hits 30 are pretty slim.

More than just the numbers is that his style of play seems to have changed. When Lecavalier is at his best he is a physical force on the ice. Not quite to the level Ovechkin deplays, but still breathtaking. He uses his size to shield the puck from the defense or to muscle into the front of the net for deflections and rebounds. As a precursor to Steven Stamkos’ ballyhooed shot from the left circle, Lecavalier was just as deadly from the right circle. Often he would rifle pucks past goaltenders with blistering one timers from that position on the power play.

He wasn’t afraid to try different shots either. On breakaways or one-vs.-one against a defender he tried anything to get the puck past his opponent. Most of the time they didn’t work, but for Lightning fans it was always fun to watch him try. His ability to mix power and finesse made him the first Tampa superstar.

After the injury he seemed a ghost of the player he was on offense. He would drift on the periphery, his shoots coming almost reluctantly, after he figured there was no one else to pass to. Two-on-ones became depressingly repetitive, without a doubt he would wait for the last moment to pass the puck. He no longer looked to initiate the hits, the edge he used to play with dissipated.

Of course, it’s impossible to look at Lecavalier during those years and not take other factors into consideration. The organization got rid of two of the players he was closest to, first in Brad Richards and then in Vinny Prospal. Constantly trade rumors swirled about him. His contract became the albatross around his neck, blamed for the woes of the team. Stoically, he would play through nagging injuries that seemed to plague him on a regular basis.

He became a focal point for fan outrage, his normal aloof nature taken as a lack of care for his play and the team. Quiet spoken he didn’t fit the image of a captain, someone who knocked over water coolers or called out teammates in the press. As a matter of fact, often there wouldn’t be any quotes in the press. Scanning recaps of the game his name was largely absent from the list of players quoted.

Did the shoulder injury fundamentally change who he was as a player? Based on his performance this year the answer should be no. Since his return from a shoulder injury the Vincent Lecavalier of old seems to have returned. He is playing aggressive hockey, hockey that his coach has acknowledged. A notoriously streaky player, the goals haven’t been appearing until recently. A fact somewhat masked by the torrid pace young Mr. Stamkos has adopted in regards to goal scoring.

Perhaps the stability of an owner dedicated to the team and not Ed Hardy shirts has relaxed him. Stamkos’ emergence as a top player in the league has shifted the attention off of him. Even bringing in fellow French speaking native Simon Gagne can be seen as a positive influence. Whatever it was, it seems to be working. Hopefully, it continues over the length of the contract and helps fuel the Lightning’s resurgence.

Maybe it’s better to say that the hit put his career on hold for a bit. Rebuilding the strength in the shoulder along with the confidence that it won’t fail again takes time. Lecavalier is only 30, in today’s NHL he should have another 8-10 years in him. A return to the 30 goal plateau is not out of the question.

Matt Cooke may be responsible for the end of Marc Savard’s career, but he’s not taking Vinny down with him as well.