However, Lecavalier did not fulfill expectations and was later stripped of the captaincy before the 2001–02 NHL season when Lightning management decided he was too young even as a high calibre player. Around that time, he clashed frequently with head coach John Tortorella.
Lecavalier was chosen to play for Team Canada at the 2006 Olympics, but returned to Tampa without a medal.
Lecavalier broke the all-time Tampa Bay Lightning record for most points in a season by scoring his 95th point on March 16, 2007, against the Buffalo Sabres. The record was previously held by Martin St. Louis, who had 94 points during the 2003–04 NHL season. His record of 108 points was since surpassed by future Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov, who recorded Art Ross trophy-winning 128 points (41 goals, 87 assists) during the 2018-19 NHL season and holds the record at this point.
In the 2007–08 offseason, Lecavalier underwent shoulder surgery to repair a fracture from taking a hit against Matt Cooke of the Washington Capitals. He underwent another surgery on his left wrist later in the summer.
On July 12, 2008, Lecavalier agreed to an eleven-year, $85 million contract extension with the Lightning. His new contract began after the 2008–09 season, and ran through the 2019–20 season.[7]
He was renamed captain of the Tampa Bay Lightning on September 18, 2008.
In mid-January 2009, rumours were swirling around a possible trade which would send Lecavalier to the Montreal Canadiens, his hometown, but Brian Lawton later stated that Lecavalier would rather stay in Tampa Bay for the rest of his career. Lecavalier confirmed in his own words his preference of playing in Tampa Bay over his native Montreal.[8] On January 24, at the NHL's superskills competition, Lecavalier received a standing ovation from the Montreal crowd that lasted for 30 seconds when he was being introduced.[citation needed]
Lecavalier underwent season-ending wrist surgery on April 3, 2009.[9]
Lecavalier as captain of the Lightning in February 2012
On January 21, 2013, Lecavalier played in his 1000th NHL game, becoming the 280th NHL player to reach that milestone. His 1,000 games were all with the Tampa Bay Lightning. The team honoured him on January 25, their next home game, with several gifts including an engraved silver stick.[10]
In June 2013, the New York Post reported that the Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs had discussed a trade which would have sent Lecavalier to Toronto; the Maple Leafs would receive an asset in exchange for buying out Lecavalier's contract and he would then be free to re-sign with Tampa as an unrestricted free agent at a lower salary cap hit. Though the Maple Leafs denied the report, NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly promptly sent out a memo to all 30 league teams, warning them to avoid transactions deemed a circumvention of the collective bargaining agreement. The CBA prevents teams from re-signing players they've bought out for a minimum of one year.[11] One day later, the Lightning announced that it was buying out Lecavalier's contract, allowing their longest serving player to become an unrestricted free agent. The buyout would pay Lecavalier a total of $32.67 million and rid the Lightning of his $7.727 million salary cap hit.[12]
Philadelphia Flyers (2013–2016)
On July 2, 2013, less than a week after being bought out by the Lightning, Lecavalier signed with the Philadelphia Flyers[13] who agreed to pay him $22.5 million over a five-year contract;[14] which is in addition to the $2.33 million he will receive annually from the Lightning for the next 14 years.[15] Lecavalier chose to wear number 40 with the Flyers as his usual number 4 had been retired by the Flyers in honour of Barry Ashbee.[16] On November 27, 2013, Lecavalier made his first return to Tampa as a member of the Flyers and was welcomed with a tribute video as well as a long, standing ovation from Lightning fans. He scored a goal in his homecoming and was awarded the game's 3rd star. Lecavalier finished the season registering 20 goals and 17 assists, and scored his 400th career goal against the Boston Bruins on March 30, 2014. The Flyers qualified for the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs, before being eliminated in seven games by the New York Rangers, in which Lecavalier had one goal and an assist in the series. The 2014-15 NHL season began quite poorly for Lecavalier, and on December 2, 2014 he was a healthy scratch for the first time in his career.[17]
On April 9, 2015 in a game against the Carolina Hurricanes, Lecavalier fought twice against Hurricanes rookie Keegan Lowe, who was playing his first NHL game. Lecavalier didn't play the third period and suffered a concussion.[18]
Los Angeles Kings (2016)
During the 2015–16 season, having played sparingly for the previous two seasons within the Flyers organization, Lecavalier was traded alongside Luke Schenn to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for Jordan Weal and a third round pick on January 6, 2016.[19] One of the stipulations of the trade was that Lecavalier would retire at the end of the season to keep the Kings from being saddled with his hit to the salary cap. With number 4 being retired for Rob Blake, Lecavalier chose number 44 for the Kings. He officially announced his retirement on June 21, 2016.[20]
Lecavalier began dating Caroline Portelance in 2001. After ten years of dating, the two were married in 2011. The couple have three children together, Olivia, Gabe, and Amelia.[21]
Lecavalier celebrates his overtime goal against the Capitals in game 2 of their 2011 2nd round series.
EA Sports' video game NHL 06 featured Lecavalier as the cover athlete.
In October 2007, Lecavalier pledged $3 million to a new All Children's Hospital facility under construction in St. Petersburg, Florida. The facility was named the Vincent Lecavalier Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorders Center in his honour.
On February 10, 2018, the Tampa Bay Lightning retired Lecavalier's number 4 jersey.[23] Lecavalier is the second player in franchise history to have his jersey retired, the first being Martin St. Louis.[24][25]
On March 17, 2023, Lecavalier was inducted into the Tampa Bay Lightning Hall of Fame, as a member of its inaugural class.
The Tampa Bay Lightning are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. The Lightning compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. They play their home games at Amalie Arena in Downtown Tampa.
Dmitri Anatolyevich Afanasenkov is a Russian former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Philadelphia Flyers.
Martin St. Louis is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger and current head coach of the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL). An undrafted player, St. Louis played a total of 1,134 games, scoring 391 goals and 1,033 points in an NHL career that began with the Calgary Flames in 1998 and ended with the New York Rangers in 2015. He is best remembered for having played with the Tampa Bay Lightning and was a member of the Lightning's 2004 Stanley Cup championship team. St. Louis also briefly played with HC Lausanne of the Swiss National League A. He was elected into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018; his first year of eligibility. St. Louis is widely considered one of the best undrafted players of all time.
Alexandre Daigle is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. A highly touted junior prospect, Daigle was drafted first overall in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft by the Ottawa Senators. After recording a modest career high of 51 points in three separate National Hockey League (NHL) regular seasons, Daigle briefly retired from hockey at age 25, but returned to the NHL two years later. Although he played ten seasons in the NHL and four in the Swiss NL, he failed to live up to the high expectations put forth when he was drafted first overall, and is therefore regarded by many to have been a draft bust.
Bradley Ray Richards is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. Richards was drafted in the third round, 64th overall, by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft and played for the Lightning, New York Rangers, Dallas Stars, Chicago Blackhawks, and Detroit Red Wings during his National Hockey League (NHL) career.
Daniel Jean-Claude Brière is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and current executive. He is the general manager of the Philadelphia Flyers. He was drafted in the first round of the 1996 NHL Entry Draft by the Phoenix Coyotes, and also played for the Buffalo Sabres, Philadelphia Flyers, Montreal Canadiens and Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League (NHL).
Simon Gagné is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger. He played for the Philadelphia Flyers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Los Angeles Kings and Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He spent the first ten seasons of his NHL career with the Flyers (1999–2010), followed by one season with Tampa Bay (2010–11) and two with Los Angeles (2011–13), winning the Stanley Cup in 2012, before returning to Philadelphia via trade for the end of the lockout-shortened 2012–13 season. After not playing in 2013–14, Gagné signed with Boston, briefly playing for them before retiring in 2015.
Alain Vigneault is a Canadian former professional ice hockey coach. Vigneault has previously coached the Montreal Canadiens, Vancouver Canucks, New York Rangers and the Philadelphia Flyers for 19 seasons in the NHL, as well as in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). During his career with the Canucks, he won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL's top coach of the year in 2006–07 and became the team's record holder for wins as a coach. Under Vigneault, Vancouver won back-to-back Presidents' Trophies and made one Stanley Cup Finals appearance (2011). In his first season with New York, he led the Rangers to their first Stanley Cup Finals appearance (2014) in 20 years and a Presidents' Trophy in 2014–15.
Valtteri Filppula is a Finnish professional ice hockey forward for Genève-Servette HC of the National League (NL).
Claude Giroux is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward and alternate captain for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously played for the Philadelphia Flyers and the Florida Panthers. Selected by the Flyers 22nd overall in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, Giroux was named the Flyers' team captain in 2013, and became the longest-tenured captain in team history. Giroux played his 1,000th game with the Flyers on March 17, 2022. Giroux has been known to be a very flexible offensive player; capable of playing comfortably on both center and wing throughout his career.
Kristopher Joseph Pierre Irwin Letang is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and alternate captain for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played juniors in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) for three seasons, during which time he was selected 62nd overall by the Penguins in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. In his second full NHL season, Letang won the 2009 Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh. He became a two-time Stanley Cup champion when the Penguins defeated the San Jose Sharks in 2016, and a three-time Stanley Cup champion when the Penguins defeated the Nashville Predators in 2017. Internationally, he has competed for Canada at the under-18 and under-20 levels, winning back-to-back gold medals at the World Junior Championships in 2006 and 2007.
Steven Stamkos is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward and captain of the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). Stamkos was selected first overall in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft by the Lightning. He is a two-time Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy winner as the NHL's leading goal-scorer, is a two-time NHL second team All-Star, and has been named to seven NHL All-Star Games. Nicknamed "Stammer", he has scored the most goals and the most points of any player born in the 1990s decade. Stamkos captained the Lightning to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2020 and 2021 as well as appearances in the Stanley Cup Finals in 2015 and 2022.
Luke Schenn is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL). Schenn played junior hockey with the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League (WHL). In his final WHL season, Schenn was named to the League's Second All-Star Team. He was a highly touted prospect heading into the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, where he was selected in the first round, fifth overall, by the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Brett Connolly is a Canadian professional ice hockey player for HC Lugano of the National League (NL). During his major junior career with the Prince George Cougars, he was named Western Hockey League (WHL) and Canadian Hockey League (CHL) Rookie of the Year for the 2008–09 season. Selected sixth overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, he joined the team in 2011–12. He was later traded to the Boston Bruins, following which he signed with the Washington Capitals prior to the 2016–17 season. Connolly won the Stanley Cup as a member of the Capitals in 2018.
David Savard is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the fourth round, 94th overall, by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. Savard has also previously played for the Tampa Bay Lightning and won the Stanley Cup with the Lightning in 2021.
Jonathan Marchessault is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward for the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously played for the Columbus Blue Jackets, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Florida Panthers.
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