Earlier this week, Steven Stamkos scored his 384th career goal, which slots him as the #1 all-time goal scorer for the Tampa Bay Lightning franchise. He passed the legendary Vinny Lecavalier who set the previous record at 383, and Marty St. Louis (my favorite player, probably ever) who had 365 with the Bolts. Stamkos has had pretty solid teams surrounding him throughout his career, so that has helped him along the way. It is ironic that Stamkos’s first career goal was assisted by Lecavalier and St. Louis.

The incredible thing about the Stamkos goal-scoring record and pace is the amount of games he has been able to do it with. He currently has 737 GP with Tampa Bay. Lecavalier played in 1,037 games with the Lightning. That’s easy math: exactly 300 games more for Vinny than Stammer. Those numbers are astounding. Assuming Stamkos makes it to 1,037 GP in a Bolts uniform, he could potentially amass literally hundreds of more goals by then. I do feel it’s important to point out that Stamkos’s career started after the 2004-05 NHL lockout, meaning that Stamkos has played his entire career in the “new NHL.” Lecavalier began his career in 1998 and played about half of it in the old dirty days (and won a Stanley Cup during that time too). Back then, there was much more clutching and grabbing. Refs let players get away with murder on some nights and Lecavalier was able to set records regardless. Stamkos has proven to be a tough guy (game 7 vs Boston, 2011, google it). But Stamkos didn’t have to play in the same NHL that Vinny did for 7-8 years. Had he played back then, who knows where his scoring numbers would be. I have to imagine they’d be lower, and that’s not a knock on Stamkos; it’s just the way the NHL was back then. Less scoring.

Given the fact that Stamkos is a highly skilled player with elite talent and that he plays in a time-period that is very goal-friendly, it is no wonder that he was able to break Lecavalier’s record. It seems that Stamkos is destined to become one of the greatest Bolts players of all-time. He even won the President’s Trophy with his team this year, which is something Vinny was never able to do. Obviously, a Stanley Cup is next for Stammer.

Is this the year? A lot of people are comparing Stamkos’s team to the 1995-96 Red Wings, who were one of the greatest teams of all time and set the record for wins in a regular season. The Lightning are only 6 wins away from tying that record, and they have 9 games left. I believe they will reach that mark. However, let’s not forget that the Red Wings did not win the Stanley Cup that year. Colorado did. So, the regular season means nothing at this point. Records are cool, but Stanley Cup rings are cooler.

Written by Andrew Silvers

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