The victory of courage

EDMONTON | Steven Stamkos has played 803 games in the NHL and 71 other playoff games. But he will always keep the September 23, 2020 game against the Dallas Stars in mind.

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Stamkos had just five appearances and a game time of 2:47 in this third game of the Stanley Cup Final. He scored with his only shot against Anton Khudobin.

For the captain of the Lightning, it was above all a victory of courage. He made a comeback after a long absence. He hadn’t played since Feb. 25 against the Maple Leafs. Embarrassed by an injury, the number 91 watched his teammates from the bench for the last two periods.

“It’s just an incredible experience to be able to share this moment with my teammates,” said Stamkos. I did a lot of work behind the scenes to get back to the game. A month ago, I wouldn’t have thought I could participate in a game and have an impact on this meeting. It was incredible to be able to participate in this important victory. I was just happy to be able to contribute in a game in which I didn’t play much. “

Risky bet

Stamkos had received the green light from the doctors of the Lightning the day before this third game against the Stars.

“We knew it was going to be risky trying to jump into the action after such a long time without playing,” said the captain. You want to do all you can to help your team win. I watched these guys get dedicated to our ultimate goal. So be a part of it tonight [mercredi] is a dream come true. I’m proud of these guys. I was happy to share this moment with them and to be on the bench watching how brilliant we played. “

Stamkos admitted that he felt pain that kept him from playing for the final 46 minutes.

“I wanted to play as much as I could,” he replied. Obviously there is a problem that I have to live with. We will see what will happen now. But I was extremely happy to contribute to the victory and to take a seat on the bench. There is still a lot of hockey to be played. We have to focus on the next game. “

The trophy before the numbers

Author of his 10th goal since the start of the series, Victor Hedman remained very modest about the feat he had just achieved. He has his eyes on the Stanley Cup, not personal brands.

“I am happy to contribute, but as Kutz (Kucherov) said it the other night, we’re not here for personal stats, but to win the Stanley Cup. Obviously I’m happy with the way it’s going, but the important thing is to help the team win. Whether it’s blocking a shot or scoring a goal, it doesn’t change anything. “

In NHL history, only three defensemen have scored 10 or more goals in a single year in the playoffs. He followed in the footsteps of Paul Coffey (12) and Brian Leetch (11).