Lightning capture Stanley Cup

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This article was published 28/09/2020 (1815 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

EDMONTON — It was the most epic road trip they’ve ever taken, a journey into the great unknown. And now, it’s ended with the ultimate shiny souvenir, representing a remarkable triumph for the Tampa Bay Lightning and a major victory against the odds for the NHL.

Brayden Point’s playoff-leading 14th goal stood as the game-winner, trade-deadline acquisition Blake Coleman added some valuable insurance and perennial Vezina Trophy candidate Andrei Vasilevskiy pitched a 22-save shutout in a 2-0 victory over the Dallas Stars Monday night to capture the Stanley Cup in six games. 

“It’s obviously the best moment of our hockey lives. So many emotions, it’s probably going to take months to sink in. But we’re going to be champions forever, we’re going to be on that Cup forever,” said defenceman Victor Hedman, named the Conn Smythe winner as playoff MVP. “It’s a dream. It’s what you dream of when you play on the streets back home growing up. It’s what you imagine all the time.”

It’s the second championship for Tampa Bay, following a 2004 triumph. But this one will go down as the most surreal in the league’s existence, an event many thought would never happen after COVID-19 shut the season down indefinitely in mid-March.

As part the return-to-play protocols, Lightning players, coaches and support staff bid goodbye to loved ones, travelled more than 2,000 miles from their usual hockey home and spent more than nine weeks living in a protective bubble — first in Toronto, then in Edmonton — while a global pandemic continued to wreak havoc in the outside world.

But all that dedication, all that sacrifice paid off. The on-ice celebration may have been devoid of fans, but had all the raw emotion from participants you’d expect. With pyrotechnics firing in the background, sweat-soaked skaters took twirls around the Rogers Place ice raising hockey’s Holy Grail, their boisterous hoots and hollers echoing throughout the otherwise empty rink.

At the same time, live video played on the video screens of thousands of fans back in Florida flooding the streets to party. Few masks were seen in a state that has been a virus hot spot for months. 

First to take the trophy for a skate was future Hockey Hall of Famer Steven Stamkos, the injured Lightning captain and team’s best pure scorer who played five shifts in the playoffs, scoring a memorable goal in his one brief appearance during Game 3.

“What can you say. To go through all the ups and downs, this is what you play for. This is one of the best feelings in the world,” Stamkos said in his post-game availability. “This whole run was so special this year, to do it in the style we did it. Just to be out there and celebrate with the guys, I’m so proud of each and every one of them.”

No asterisk required for his club’s achievement, not with what they had to endure. If anything, this was likely the hardest Cup to win of all time, with an expanded playoff format of 24 clubs, no true home-ice advantage and everyone well-rested, mostly healthy and not facing any travel.

In the end, the best team was left standing. There was nothing cheap or fluky about it. Tampa Bay has been a model franchise for years, building an impressive core through drafting, developing, free agency and trades. And it’s also redemption for a 2018-19 campaign in which they captured the President’s Trophy as the runaway No. 1 regular-season team, only to cruise into the playoffs and get shocked in the form of a four-game, first-round sweep by the Columbus Blue Jackets.

They exorcised those demons early these playoffs, taking nothing for granted in a five-game triumph over the Blue Jackets. That was followed by impressive series victories over the Boston Bruins (five games) and the New York Islanders (six games).

Next up was a surprising Dallas team that had eliminated favoured clubs in Calgary, Colorado and Vegas to get here. And when the Stars took Game 1 in impressive fashion, another upset seemed to be brewing.

But Tampa Bay didn’t panic, reeling off four wins in the next five games, the only blemish being Saturday’s double-overtime defeat that triggered Game 6. But rather than allow the Stars to get any more life and force a winner-take-all Game 7, the Lightning showed why they are a deserving champion under the guidance of Jon Cooper, the NHL’s most-tenured bench boss. 

“We can’t wait to get back to Tampa and celebrate with our families and our fans,” said Hedman, who scored 10 goals in the playoffs, third-most by an NHL defenceman in a single playoff year. “I’m so proud of the way we came together as a group. Even with Stammer not playing, he was still in there with us, still rallying the troops.”

Point, a Conn Smythe Trophy favourite as playoff MVP, opened the scoring Monday with his team on the power play midway through the first period. Fittingly, Hedman and the other Conn Smythe contender, Nikita Kucherov, had the assists.

The mountain became even taller for Dallas when Coleman scored on a one-timer just over seven minutes into the middle frame. On this night, that was more than enough offence. With the early goals under their belts, Tampa Bay tightened up defensively, limiting Dallas to just eight shots through the first 40 minutes. The Stars came to life in the third, but Vasilevskiy stood tall.

“I thought this was one of the most complete games we’ve ever played,” said Hedman. 

No doubt a frustrating end for Dallas, but they were running on fumes the entire series. No. 1 goaltender Ben Bishop, forwards Roope Hintz, Blake Comeau and Radek Faksa, and defenceman Stephen Johns were sidelined by injuries as the playoff grind took a painful toll. Their search for a second-ever Cup will have to wait at least another year. 

And now, at long last, the 2019-20 NHL season is over — an unprecedented 361 days after it began last October. With the bubble now broken, talk will quickly turn to a tumultuous off-season and what the 2020-21 campaign will look like. The Lightning, however, will take their time soaking in the present. 

“Listen, whether it was the bubble life, we’re going to remember this moment for the rest of our lives. Without your support staff, your family and your friends, we just stayed focused after what happened last year. There was just a chip on our shoulder. We kept the same core together, we added some vital pieces at the trade deadline,” said Stamkos, who was asked what he might miss about this unique ordeal. 

“I guess we’re going to miss being together every second of every single day. I think it’s one of the toughest championships to win under the circumstances. I’m just so happy to be here,” he said. 

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg