Stamkos prepares for ‘a bit different’ experience playing in Tampa with Predators

TAMPA -- Steven Stamkos has walked into Amalie Arena hundreds of times during his 16-year career.

But never like this.

This time, it was strange. This time, it was a different entrance, a different dressing room, a different vibe. This time, he arrived here as a visitor, not as the face of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

New team. New chapter.

One he is still coming to grips with.

“Yeah, it’s a little weird going in the other door, that’s for sure,” he said Monday morning. “But obviously, it brings back a lot of really good memories.

“Just catching up with a lot of people I haven’t seen since the end of last year, that certainly was the highlight of the morning for sure.”

Since being selected with the No. 1 pick by Tampa Bay at the 2008 NHL Draft, this had been his hockey home. He was named Lightning captain in 2014 and holds their record for games played (1,082), goals (555) and points (1,137). He won the Stanley Cup twice (2020, 2021).

But the marriage between player and team crumbled during the offseason when the sides could not come to an agreement on a new contract, leading the 34-year-old to sign a four-year, $32 million contract ($8 million average annual value) with the Nashville Predators.

Now, there he was, back at the rink he was so familiar with, preparing to face his former team for the first time when the Predators face the Lightning on (7:30 p.m. ET; HULU, ESPN+, TVAS). Stamkos says he doesn’t know what kind of reception he’ll get from the fans when he steps onto the ice, but count on it being a warm “and crazy one,” as Lightning coach Jon Cooper put it.

“I’m usually not an emotional guy in terms of letting people see the emotions,” Stamkos said. “I don’t know how it’s going to be until that moment comes. I mean, you have an idea of what it is, but you can’t replicate that.

“That feeling, it’s like anything. The best feelings in your life, the worst feelings in your life, you don’t know how you’re going to react until you go through it. Certainly, I went through some of that in the summer with everything that went on, but I think this will be a bit different.

“We’ll see how it plays out.”

Cooper thinks he knows.

“It should be a night to be cherished,” he said after Tampa Bay’s morning skate, adding that it is “guaranteed to be a really emotional night.”

“Let’s be honest -- Steven Stamkos and the Tampa Bay Lightning are going to be synonymous with each other until the end of time,” Cooper said. “He came here as an 18-year-old with the weight of everything on his shoulders and, in the end, he delivered for us and brought us to multiple Stanley Cup Finals, a couple of which we were fortunate to win. He did everything we asked of him for many, many years.

“Breakups are hard. It’s the soap opera of sports. It’s why we watch it. It’s why we circle water coolers, for moments like this and to see how the drama of life is going to unfold. And it happens in real time; there are no outtakes. It just happens, and I think that’s what makes games like this unbelievably exciting to be a part of. So, I think everyone should enjoy today.

“I think it will be an emotional night, more so for No. 91 than anyone else.”

Chris and Lesley Stamkos, Steven’s parents, will be in the stands to experience it. So will his wife, Sandra, who stayed at the family home of new Lightning captain Victor Hedman on Sunday. The Stamkos and Hedman families are best of friends and were neighbors in Tampa the past few years.

Unfortunately, Stamkos said, his two sons, Carter and Chase, will not be in the building. They are back in Nashville. School takes priority.

His biggest fear about changing teams and cities was how his family would adapt. Fortunately, he said, it’s been a seamless transition for them. He said one of the biggest moments for his kids was their second day in Nashville when the Predators mascot, Gnash, visited their new home. That, he said, sold the boys on life in the Music City.

As for their dad, Stamkos met with Hedman and many of his other former teammates Sunday, including going out for dinner. They are, after all, some of the best friends he has in the world and will remain so.

In the process, he admits he’s still struggling with the divorce from the Lightning.

“I mean, you know, it takes time,” Stamkos said. “There certainly is an adjustment period. This place is all I had known as a professional athlete, so it’s certainly difficult in terms of that.

“But I certainly landed in a good place in terms of a place that is home for my family. And that transition has been great.”

At least off the ice. On the ice, there have been struggles.

The Predators have rebounded from an 0-5-0 start by winning three straight, Stamkos has just one goal in eight games and is minus-7. He hopes that changes Monday.

“Obviously we didn’t get off to the greatest start,” he said. “Myself either. You put that pressure on yourself.

“At least we’ve turned the page a bit.”

Which is exactly what Stamkos himself will try to do Monday when he finally gets a chance to salute the fans in person who supported him for all those years.

It won’t be easy, but it will be special.