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The NHL continued its celebration of the past 25 years by revealing the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Quarter-Century Teams on Tuesday.

As with every club, the Bolts were represented by a First and Second Team of six players each—three forwards, two defensemen and one goalie—who played for the franchise during 2000-2024. The teams were selected by a group of broadcasters, national and local media, and NHL.com writers who have covered the respective teams, in addition to select former players.

The Lightning’s Quarter-Century squads left little to debate—generally a bunch of familiar, epic faces who helped bring Tampa Bay to Stanley Cup glory at the tail ends of the quarter-century. But we’re not here to talk about them. Today we’re here to remember the unsung heroes, the silent guardians and the behind-the-scenes stars. The guys who helped get the Quarter-Century Teams to where they are.

Now, if you asked Lightning players and coaches, they would probably be the first to tell you that every player belongs in this subjective category. And I agree with that sentiment. But in the interest of content and my fingers, that’s a list too long to tackle.

For the sake of this exercise, we focused on Lightning skaters who supported the best players and teams over the past 25 years, with a penchant for tenure and historical stats. Consider it a highlight-reel hat tip to a few of the guys behind the guys. They may not make the NHL’s all-century cut for one of the most decorated franchises of that era, but they will never be forgotten.

Forwards

Ondrej Palat

Palat was a Glue Guy Legend during Tampa Bay’s three straight trips to the Stanley Cup—his top-line chemistry respected by teammates and foes alike. His 423 career points rank ninth in franchise history and his 147 plus/minus ranks second, just behind Victor Hedman.

Alex Killorn

Killorn has played the fifth-most games in Tampa Bay Lightning history at 805. He’s also amassed 198 goals and 268 assists in that span—good for top ten in each category. “Total Podcast Minutes” has yet to be added to the Hockey Reference database.

Tyler Johnson

A member of the beloved “Triplets” line alongside Palat and Nikita Kucherov, Johnson was an NHL All-Star during the Lightning’s run to the 2015 Stanley Cup Final. He then leaned into a supporting role during the Bolts’ back-to-back title era. His 161 goals with Tampa Bay are the eighth-most in franchise history.

Anthony Cirelli

Cirelli is an eight-year Lightning lifer and a bona fide two-way hound on the ice, competing for Selke votes nearly every season he’s played. This year he’s taken his offense to another level, on pace for the highest scoring season of his career.

Dave Andreychuk

It feels backwards to call an NHL Hall of Famer an unsung hero, but it would feel even weirder to omit Andreychuk’s role as captain of the original 2003-04 Stanley Cup team. His 39 points and veteran leadership in his Year 22 (!) season famously helped the Bolts hoist their first Cup in franchise history, a moment now immortalized in Thunder Alley.

Vinny Prospal

The Czech forward spent 2001-2008 as a force alongside Vinny Lecavalier and Marty St. Louis—minus a brief stint in ’04 with Anaheim that robbed Prospal of a Stanley Cup. He ranks tenth all-time in points for the Bolts with 371.

Fredrik Modin

Modin was a reliable two-way player whose slapper was one of the hardest in the NHL at the time. He shined in the 2003-04 Stanley Cup playoffs with an 8-11-19 stat line, good for third in scoring on the team behind only Richards and St. Louis.

Defensemen

Anton Stralman

At the height of his powers, Stralman was one of the best defensive-minded players to wear blue and white—an ideal locker room guy during Victor Hedman’s early years. His plus/minus of 80 is 8th in franchise history in only five pivotal seasons with the Bolts.

Mikhail Sergachev

The two-time Stanley Cup-winning defenseman has the second-most points by a defenseman in Lightning history (257) and is fourth all-time in games played (471). He also totaled 670 blocks in his seven years with the Bolts—good for second-most in franchise history.

Erik Cernak

The Slovakian enforcer has spent his entire NHL career with the Lightning. And in only seven seasons, he’s tallied 1132 hits, good for third in franchise history behind Victor Hedman (1154) and Steven Stamkos (1169).

Goalies

Nikolai Khabibulin

The OG Stanley Cup netminder was the first-ever Lightning goaltender selected to the NHL All-Star Game in 2002. The Bulin Wall stopped all 20 shots he faced in the third period of that game, picking up the win in a comeback victory in Los Angeles. His Goals Against Average of 2.39 is the second best in franchise history behind Ben Bishop (2.28).