Steven Stamkos is truly lucky that he plays for Tampa Bay

[sting101]

Injuries have robbed him of any chance of being a playoff performer. Main difference is his speed, he can’t skate like he did when he first entered the league.

This...yes jeeesh the guy gave his body to the team how dare he ride shot gun now in his 30s?

 

[Vegeta]

Stamkos has to be one of the most underrated superstars I have ever seen.

He's almost a lock for 500 goals, is over a PPG for his career, and has had a 60 goal season in the modern era of hockey.

Dude is an absolute monster, yet from day one, people have shit on him. Even his own coach (Melrose).

To say he is lucky to play in Tampa is laughable. For a long time he was their best player. By all accounts, he is still the heart of that squad. He's sacrificed his body for the Bolts, and while he isn't what he used to be (though he looks damn good at the start of this season), he definitely isn't "lucky" to be there.

After all the sweat and blood that dude has poured, Tampa owes him a team that good.

 

[Norwegianoiler]

Your last paragraph is ridiculous. I would understand your point if he was unfairly considered the MVP, but it's not like he's winning back-to-back Conn Smythe on those cup run, he's simply a member of the team contributing in his way.

Winning a cup is so hard, anyone who does twice are definitely rightful winners, be it through performance, sacrifices, role, etc. Every year there's players that simply contributed more to the win then others, doesn't make the smaller contributors non-Cup winners

Colin Fraser liked this. He was such a good passenger that the Titanic would have been kept afloat if he was on it.

 

[BruinsBtn]

Stamkos has to be one of the most underrated superstars I have ever seen.

He's almost a lock for 500 goals, is over a PPG for his career, and has had a 60 goal season in the modern era of hockey.

Dude is qn absolute monster, yet from day one, people have shit on him. Even his own coach (Melrose).

To say he is lucky to play in Tampa is laughable. For a long time he was their best player. By all accounts, he is still the heart of that squad. He's sacrificed his body for the Bolts, and while he isn't what he used to be (though he looks damn good at the start of this season), he definitely isn't "lucky" to be there.

After all the sweat and blood that dude has poured, Tampa owes him a team that good.

That 60 goal season is the biggest sham in years. The guy hung out at the red line for half the season and was totally indifferent to defense as his team got destroyed. It was the definition of selfishness.

 

[Master P]

That 60 goal season is the biggest sham in years. The guy hung out at the red line for half the season and was totally indifferent to defense as his team got destroyed. It was the definition of selfishness.

I love when bruins fans make fools of themselves

 

[SeanMoneyHands]

He's the biggest passenger in the NHL riding shotgun to the big boys on the team.

 

[SI90]

What if I told you the Tampa Bay Lightning are truly lucky to have Steven Stamkos

 

[DownIsTheNewUp]

That 60 goal season is the biggest sham in years. The guy hung out at the red line for half the season and was totally indifferent to defense as his team got destroyed. It was the definition of selfishness.

That’s an absolute lie. Watch the video above and come back here eating crow.

 

[DownIsTheNewUp]

Stamkos has to be one of the most underrated superstars I have ever seen.

He's almost a lock for 500 goals, is over a PPG for his career, and has had a 60 goal season in the modern era of hockey.

Dude is an absolute monster, yet from day one, people have shit on him. Even his own coach (Melrose).

To say he is lucky to play in Tampa is laughable. For a long time he was their best player. By all accounts, he is still the heart of that squad. He's sacrificed his body for the Bolts, and while he isn't what he used to be (though he looks damn good at the start of this season), he definitely isn't "lucky" to be there.

After all the sweat and blood that dude has poured, Tampa owes him a team that good.

This post nailed it. Never understood the hatred and false narratives given to Stamkos on these boards for a guy that by all accounts is one of the nicest and hardest working guys around, loaded with talent and crappy luck.

Nice to see him flying around the ice again to start the season. He’s still absolutely a superstar when healthy, unfortunately that been all too rare.

 

[AD1066]

He's still a great player, but he'd be crucified by fans if he were in the position of McDavid or Eichel, being expected to carry a team.

I don't begrudge him his current success though. He's one of those rare players that no one can really dislike.

 

[wetcoast]

Stamkos has to be one of the most underrated superstars I have ever seen.

He's almost a lock for 500 goals, is over a PPG for his career, and has had a 60 goal season in the modern era of hockey.

Dude is an absolute monster, yet from day one, people have shit on him. Even his own coach (Melrose).

To say he is lucky to play in Tampa is laughable. For a long time he was their best player. By all accounts, he is still the heart of that squad. He's sacrificed his body for the Bolts, and while he isn't what he used to be (though he looks damn good at the start of this season), he definitely isn't "lucky" to be there.

After all the sweat and blood that dude has poured, Tampa owes him a team that good.

Sure he has been lucky in some sense playing with MSL and now in his post prime days on that wicked TB PP but he still is a lock for the HHOF and rightly so as he has had an incredible career even with the injuries.

 

[BruinsBtn]

I love when bruins fans make fools of themselves

Hahahahahha.

If you thought that guy was playing respectable two-way hockey that year then you're the fool.

What the hell does a highlight video show? I watched the games.

That was a good team (Tampa Bay Lightning 2011-12 roster and scoring statistics at hockeydb.com) that missed the playoffs because team leadership abandoned any pretense of defense, especially Stamkos.

 

[LightningStrikes]

Hahahahahha.

If you thought that guy was playing respectable two-way hockey that year then you're the fool.

What the hell does a highlight video show? I watched the games.

That was a good team (Tampa Bay Lightning 2011-12 roster and scoring statistics at hockeydb.com) that missed the playoffs because team leadership abandoned any pretense of defense, especially Stamkos.

Dude, that team was trash defensively. Brewer was the only solid defender, Hedman was still a kid and they had to play defense with over the hill Kubina and Clark and NHL legends like Gervais, Gilroy, Lee, Aulie, Commodore and MAB. The only recipe for success was full-on offense.

 

[PanthersHockey1]

I think some players have longer peaks than others. That doesn’t mean they’re any less great.

But it does feel that Stamkos is on the back side of “prime”.

which is not good for me personally as we are the same model year.

 

[DownIsTheNewUp]

Hahahahahha.

If you thought that guy was playing respectable two-way hockey that year then you're the fool.

What the hell does a highlight video show? I watched the games.

That was a good team (Tampa Bay Lightning 2011-12 roster and scoring statistics at hockeydb.com) that missed the playoffs because team leadership abandoned any pretense of defense, especially Stamkos.

You claimed that he hung out at the red line for half the season. Wouldn’t you think that a video showing all 60 goals that year would show him at least once cheating defensively?

Fact is your claim is a joke and the video evidence proves it. I’d love to see any video you have of Stamkos cherry picking because I’ve watched his whole career and never seen it once.

 

[Matty Sundin]

I wish my team was good enough to say they don’t need a player like Stamkos.

 

[BoltsFanSinceDay1]

Last night in overtime:

 

[DownIsTheNewUp]

Last night in overtime:

Doesn’t even pass to his best friend on a 2 on 1. Most selfish player I’ve ever seen.

 

[wetcoast]

Hahahahahha.

If you thought that guy was playing respectable two-way hockey that year then you're the fool.

What the hell does a highlight video show? I watched the games.

That was a good team (Tampa Bay Lightning 2011-12 roster and scoring statistics at hockeydb.com) that missed the playoffs because team leadership abandoned any pretense of defense, especially Stamkos.

This doesn't even make any sense as Stamkos was still a freshfaced 21 year old and the next poster pointed out how terrible the defense was there.

They actually went for 7th to 9th in GF and 22nd to 30th in GA.

The biggest difference was the PP not clicking in 11-12 like it had in 10-11 and the PK not clicking either.

 

[BruinsBtn]

This doesn't even make any sense as Stamkos was still a freshfaced 21 year old and the next poster pointed out how terrible the defense was there.

They actually went for 7th to 9th in GF and 22nd to 30th in GA.

The biggest difference was the PP not clicking in 11-12 like it had in 10-11 and the PK not clicking either.

30th in GA you say? I wonder why. Maybe because the #1 centre only cared about scoring

 

[BruinsBtn]

You claimed that he hung out at the red line for half the season. Wouldn’t you think that a video showing all 60 goals that year would show him at least once cheating defensively?

Fact is your claim is a joke and the video evidence proves it. I’d love to see any video you have of Stamkos cherry picking because I’ve watched his whole career and never seen it once.

That video doesn't show anything. It doesn't show him cheating on every play. Doesn't show him flying the zone. Doesn't show him going low as the third man. Doesn't show him staying out way too long. Doesn't show him standing around in the defensive zone and waiting for the puck to go the other way.

That he only scored 60 on a team that was 30th in goals against says everything. Believe in the tooth fairy if you want but that 60 will always have an asterisk in my books.

 

[wetcoast]

30th in GA you say? I wonder why. Maybe because the #1 centre only cared about scoring

There isn't really any evidence to back up your opinion his ESGF/ESGA was like this for the 2 years

71-68
93-86

Some of this can be attributed to playing nearly 2 MPG more in 11-12 and having a higher shooting %, MSL had a slightly higher shooting % as well and played 1:40 MPG more than the year before.

 

[DrMartinVanNostrand]

Believe in the tooth fairy if you want but that 60 will always have an asterisk in my books.

Don't worry. As Lightning fans, we're pretty well used to every good thing they do getting an * these days.

 

[wetcoast]

That video doesn't show anything. It doesn't show him cheating on every play. Doesn't show him flying the zone. Doesn't show him going low as the third man. Doesn't show him staying out way too long. Doesn't show him standing around in the defensive zone and waiting for the puck to go the other way.

That he only scored 60 on a team that was 30th in goals against says everything. Believe in the tooth fairy if you want but that 60 will always have an asterisk in my books.

Did Steve Stamkos run over your dog or something?

 

[DrMartinVanNostrand]

Dude, that team was trash defensively. Brewer was the only solid defender, Hedman was still a kid and they had to play defense with over the hill Kubina and Clark and NHL legends like Gervais, Gilroy, Lee, Aulie, Commodore and MAB. The only recipe for success was full-on offense.

The goaltending was also dire. Mathieu Garon was better than he had any business being and that still was mediocre at best, and Roloson went from "great playoffs" to "washed up" overnight. That team had zero recipe for goal prevention success.