Tampa bay lightning professional#

It was just too much for the Canadiens, who relied again on Price to keep them in a game - and the series. Kucherov, Point and Hedman all played through injuries, too. How deep? Nikita Kucherov had 32 points to join Mario Lemieux as the only players to lead the postseason in scoring two years in a row, and Brayden Point scored 14 goals through three rounds. Never losing twice in a row thanks to Vasilevskiy’s brilliance and one of the deepest rosters constructed since the cap was implemented in 2005, the Lightning solidified their status as a modern-day dynasty.

Tampa Bay joined Pittsburgh as the only back-to-back Cup winner in the salary cap era, but even more impressively did it in the shortest span between championships in the long history of the NHL. The scene couldn’t have been any further from the mirthless, empty arena where the Lightning won the Cup last September in a quarantined bubble across the continent in Edmonton, Alberta. “To do it in front of our fans and our families, it’s so special, special,” defenseman Victor Hedman said. Savard set up Colton’s goal midway through the second period past Canadiens stalwart Carey Price and the packed crowd roared. Ross Colton and David Savard weren’t around last year and made sure to put their stamp on Tampa Bay’s latest title run. “And then you do it two years in a row, you deserve to go down in history.” “It’s so hard to win the Stanley Cup,” Stamkos said. Finishing with a handful in a frantic final minute, he made 22 saves to remain undefeated in games after a loss over the past two playoffs, both of them won by Tampa Bay in the pandemic. Vasilevskiy had a series-ending shutout for an NHL-record fifth consecutive time dating to the 2020 final. Winning has become normal for the Lightning, who did so this time relying on their playoff MVP goaltender, Andrei Vasilevskiy, and the only two Tampa Bay players on the ice without their names on hockey’s holy grail.

“Full arena, incredible energy and another championship in Tampa,” Bettman said. As Stamkos took another lap with the Cup, players held up their phones to capture video of the fans, the confetti and the joy of being able to really, truly celebrate. Buccaneers is a registered trademark of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers LLC.Pyrotechnics went off around him to celebrate not only Tampa Bay winning during a pandemic once again but the end of another grueling season played against the backdrops of protocols, restrictions and heartbreak. This site is neither endorsed, nor sponsored by, nor affiliated with Tampa Bay Buccaneers or NFL Properties LLC. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy.

Tampa bay lightning professional#

The whole “Champa Bay” moniker has been quite fitting for the state of professional sports in the Tampa area, and two of the region’s most influential leaders appear to be inspiring one another to continue that epic run of greatness. In addition to their pursuit of a three-peat, Stamkos and the Bolts have made it to the conference finals in six of the past eight seasons. Since joining the Bucs, Brady has overseen the most successful two-year run in franchise history.Ĭurrently in his 14th season with the Lightning, the only NHL team he’s ever known, Stamkos is in a similar position for hockey’s most dominant franchise. They kick off the Eastern Conference Finals on Wednesday night against the New York Rangers, in pursuit of a legendary third straight championship.ĭuring a recent interview for ESPN, Lightning captain Steven Stamkos acknowledged it might not be a coincidence that the Bolts’ recent success coincided with Brady’s arrival in Tampa Bay, and admitted he uses the GOAT’s “TB12 method” of training to keep himself in top shape while playing perhaps the most physically demanding of the major team sports:īrady spent 20 years with the New England Patriots, helping to lead the most recent NFL dynasty, and one of the best in league history.

Over that same stretch, the Tampa Bay Lightning have been even more successful, winning back-to-back Stanley Cups. On the gridiron, Tom Brady’s decision to sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers back in March of 2020 quickly led to a Super Bowl victory in his first season with the team, followed by their first NFC South title in more than a decade the following year. Tampa Bay sports fans have led a pretty charmed life over the last couple of years.