The Most Wholesome 1,000 Club in Hockey

The first member of the Lightning to reach 1,000 games was drafted No. 1 overall in June 1998.

America was flocking like mad to see Doctor Dolittle and Armageddon. The No. 1 song in the country was Brandy and Monica’s “The Boy Is Mine.” In hindsight, a bizarrely astute analogy to Tampa Bay’s landing of Vinny Lecavalier.

Lecavalier was The Boy—the most coveted hockey prospect in some time. He was 6’4” with tremendous reach and mittens of Aphrodite. A sharpshooter who saw the ice like an oracle. He was the 18-year-old “Michael Jordan of hockey” according to then Lightning owner Art Williams. A bit of hyperbole looking back, but the career that followed was prolific, especially for a young franchise and fanbase.

We celebrated his wins and milestones on Nokia 6110s and AOL Instant Messenger. And there were many.

He made his first of four All-Star games in 2002-03 and led the Lightning to their first Stanley Cup win in franchise history the next season. Jon Cooper still keeps a picture of Lecavalier’s rally-cry fight from Game 3 in the Lightning locker room.

“I am away from my computer right now while Vinny Lecavalier beats the onions out of Jarome Iginla.”

He scored 52 goals in 2007 and retained his Captain status for good in 2008. He even put out a SmartHockey 21-day workout for the kids. And Vinny was a hero for the kids. He raised countless dollars and endless support for families battling pediatric cancer in the bay area. The Vinny Lecavalier Foundation still has its own Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at All Children’s Hospital in St. Pete.

All of this reached a culmination in the Silver Stick ceremony of Lecavalier’s 1,000^th game in January 2013. A ceremony at Amalie Arena saw Lecavalier joined by his family and showered with adoration from the fans who watched him grow up.

Looking on from the ice that night were Victor Hedman and Steven Stamkos.

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Victor Hedman and Steven Stamkos are old friends.

When Hedman was once asked who his dream road trip partner might be, he answered the Ontarian marksman in 91. Stammer reportedly told The Big Swede he loved him “100 times” after their Stanley Cup victory in 2020. Their kids do insurance commercials together. Their bond is a large reason the pair stayed in Tampa during the free agency frenzy of 2016.

“We’ve gone through so many ups and downs together and have come out on the right side of it,” Stamkos remarked on Monday. “I didn’t know what to expect when we first met, but we were pretty much thrown in this league together around the same time. We became close, our girlfriends, who are now our wives, became close. We will always be there for each other.”

It’s been written that Hedman’s favorite movie is The Hangover—the biggest movie on the planet when the defenseman was drafted second overall in 2009, one year after the Lightning took Stamkos at No. 1. Together, they are the defining back-to-back selections of a singular Bolts era. Throw in their former teammate and mentor in Lecavalier, and the Lightning have finally found their wolf pack.

The hockey pride of Sweden and greatest defenseman in Lightning history.

The revered captain and most prolific scorer in franchise history.

The heart of a hockey town and original Stanley Cup champion.

The strings that attach them through history hold serious weight. Stamkos credits Lecavalier for helping him deal with the pressure of being the 18-year-old chosen one. Stammer and Heddy both say he helped inspire their current charitable work at the Ronald McDonald House and Humane Society of Tampa Bay, respectively. Lecavalier’s face was the first to congratulate Heddy in a tribute video narrated by Stamkos on Monday night.

The reunion of the three touts three Stanley Cups, 2,631 points, 21 All-Star teams, three Rocket Richard Trophies, a King Clancy Trophy, a Conne Smyth Trophy and a Norris Trophy. But the newly minted trio is more than a list of names and hardware.

The Lightning’s 1,000 Club is now essentially a generational connector comprised of its most regal statesmen. It’s indicative of what everyone involved with the franchise has built over time. Things were different when Hedman and Stamkos first took the ice in Tampa. Things were definitely different when Lecavalier first suited up in ’98. The Lightning are far gone from the young club playing games at the Expo Hall. It's three 1,000-game members are as many as the Pittsburgh Penguins and “original six” New York Rangers. There are actual eating establishments—let alone buildings—surrounding Amalie Arena now.

It feels cool that this milestone might continue to serve as its own natural fastener of Tampa Bay achievement. It's newest member is still a stretch pass monster and a masterclass of defense in the NHL. Which of his current teammates might skate their way onto this list down the road?

Hedman’s reflected more than once on his most memorable NHL goal: his first. It came against the Islanders exactly 14 years ago to this day in 2009. All 6 feet and 6 inches of Heds flew down the left side of the ice on a 3-on-1 rush. It wasn’t one of his famous 100-mph tractor beams or drives from deep. The puck was placed perfectly off a sweet cross-ice feed—off the stick of Vinny Lecavalier.