Steven Stamkos has a STRONG message for the NHL
The Tampa Bay Lightning looked to be on their way to becoming the first team in the salary cap era to win the Stanley Cup three years in a row, the only issue was they got bulldozed by an Avalanche.
At the beginning of the year, the Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning were projected to be the two teams in the finals and that turned out to be true. The Lightning battled back from a 3-2 deficit to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs in round one, swept the President Trophy winning Florida Panthers in round two, battled back from 2-0 against the New York Rangers in round 3, and then after falling behind 2-0 against the Colorado Avalanche, they forced a game 6.
We learned today of all the injuries that the Lightning were playing with and it sounds like not a single player on the team was healthy in the final round, but that's not to deny the amazing series that the Avalanche played.
After this loss, many fans and pundits believe that this Tampa Bay ''dynasty'' is now over, especially when you realize they are going to need to make some tough decisions this offseason to figure out their cap situation.
Despite needing to make some moves, Lightning Captain Steven Stamkos doesn't believe this team is anywhere near done. Stamkos was giving it all he had to drag his team to a victory in this series, as he tallied the first goal in the final game, and he believes this team is still going to be as dominant as ever. They were just 2 wins away from a 3rd stanley cup in 3 years and this is what he has to say to all the people who believe the Lightning's best days are behind them:
Who said we're done? This core is here. We've battled. We've been through everything you can think of and, for the most part, we've found a way to come out on top.
The Tampa Bay Lightning Head Coach Jon Cooper also doesn't believe this is the end of the Lightning, stating:
"The playoff streak ended. But it's not the end of our run, I've been extremely fortunate in my coaching career to have won championships at different levels, and those are the teams you remember. Sometimes, you don't remember as much that a team didn't win. But I think I'll remember this team the most. What these guys went through, with the injuries ... it's been well-documented what kind of warriors they are. You should see what's going on with injuries.
| POLL | ||
Will the Tampa Bay Lightning be back next year? | ||
| yes | 288 | 46.3 % |
| no | 334 | 53.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
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