His team had attempted to become the first to win the Stanley Cup in three consecutive seasons since the New York Islanders won four straight championships from 1980-83. Instead, the Lightning lost 2-1 in Game 6 of the 2022 Stanley Cup Final to the champion Colorado Avalanche at Amalie Arena on Sunday.
Maybe their chance to get in the record books was over, he said, but their resolve to win another title is not.
"Who says we're done?" Stamkos, the Lightning captain, said.
Denis Potvin certainly isn't.
Potvin was captain of the Islanders dynasty whose accomplishments the Lightning were trying to replicate. And even though Tampa Bay could not win a third straight title, Potvin said it deserves its due even in defeat.
"Their guts, their resolve. What it took to get this far in a salary cap era, do you know how tough that is?" the Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman said in a phone interview with NHL.com. "I mean, to win back-to-back Cups the past two years in a pandemic era, then make the Final this year and come so close, this team should get all the credit in the world.
"Even we didn't have to go through what they've gone through. "No one has. I mean, through a pandemic. My God, when they won their first one in 2020, spending months in a hotel. Eating every meal just with the team. Not being able to go out just to get something. The bubble in Toronto. I couldn't imagine going through that. No fans. I remember watching being truly impressed and couldn't believe it was getting done.
"I give a lot of credit to the entire organization to make the players feel that they're all together."
Jon Cooper couldn't agree more.
Under his guidance as coach, the Lightning won 11 consecutive series in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the third most in NHL history. Only the Islanders (19) and the 1976-80 Montreal Canadiens (13) had more.
The streak ended on a humid night in Tampa when the Avalanche defeated the Lightning to win the best-of-7 in six games. When it was all over, Cooper brought his entire coaching staff in with him to meet with the media to show his support for the men who'd helped bring the Lightning this far.
"The playoff streak, that ended, but it's not the end of our run," he said, echoing Stamkos' sentiments.
He then paused to reflect on the legacy of this team.
"These guys are right up there with those 1980s Islanders, the Oilers, those teams you talk about for decades," Cooper said. "I hope people talk about that group in there for decades because young hockey fans coming up, they're watching the same team play in the final every single year. You don't do that by fluke. And these guys worked their way to that point.
"Like I said, we met our match in this series. But I hope people think about this team and write about this team for years to come for what they've gone through in the last three years."
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Potvin certainly will.
"For what Jon Cooper brought this team through, for the leadership Steven Stamkos showed, it's a remarkable run," he said. "And they have the pieces to keep it going."
For the short term, however, there will be pain.
"It's crushing," Stamkos said. "I'm sick to my stomach."
While Stamkos was talking to reporters, his teammate, Pat Maroon, was choking up. The rugged forward had won three consecutive championships, also helping the St. Louis Blues win the Cup in 2019. Known as a tough guy, his eyes glazed over with emotion. Like his Lightning teammates, he wasn't accustomed to losing, and it showed.
"It [stinks]," he said.
The future of the Lightning, however, remains bright.
Forwards Ondrej Palat and Nicholas Paul are eligible to become unrestricted free agents next month, and general manager Julien BriseBois will be hard-pressed to re-sign them. But the heart and soul of the roster should remain intact.
"Don't sleep on these guys," Potvin said. "This is a team that should continue to be competitive for a long time."
