Zizing 'Em Up: Stamkos' painful road to 1,000 NHL games for Lightning

NHL.com staff writer Mike Zeisberger has been covering the NHL regularly since 1999. Each Sunday during the season, he will use his extensive network of hockey contacts to write his weekly notes column, "Zizing 'Em Up."

TORONTO -- Steven Stamkos politely declined to discuss his impending 1,000th-game milestone the other day, choosing not to jinx it.
For Chris Stamkos, his dad, and Jon Cooper, his coach -- two of the most influential figures in his impressive career -- it's easy to understand why.
When it comes to the Tampa Bay Lightning forward, his journey has been filled with adversity and pain, hiccups and health scares, all potential roadblocks he's grinded through and puck-handled around to get to this point.
Now, after playing his 998th NHL game Saturday against the New York Islanders, he only needs to get through a matchup at the New York Rangers Wednesday before reaching the mark at the Islanders on Thursday, health permitting.
And when you're Steven Stamkos, the term "health permitting" has always been the asterisk looming over your career.
"In hockey, injuries come with the territory, some more severe than others," Cooper said via text. "'Stammer's' unfortunately have been more severe than most.
"You look after your body, it will eventually bounce back. It's the mind you have to worry about. The doubt. It can be hard to overcome. That's what makes Stammer's run special. He has been able to overcome not only the physical hurdles but, more importantly, the mental ones."
He's had no shortage of those.
On Nov. 11, 2013, Stamkos broke his tibia when he became tangled with then-Boston Bruins defenseman Dougie Hamilton and crashed into the net. The injury crushed his dream of representing Canada at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, a goal he'd been very public about pursuing.
On April 4, 2016, Stamkos had surgery to treat a blood clot near his right collarbone, a type of vascular thoracic outlet syndrome called effort thrombosis. The Lightning captain, who was eligible to become an unrestricted free agent July 1, was treated with blood thinners but still took a risk in coming back to play Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final on May 26, a 2-1 loss at the Pittsburgh Penguins.
"I can't speak for Steven, but probably the biggest questions of all the injuries were probably the blood clot surgeries," Chris said. "At the time the surgeries really didn't go probably as smooth as they could have, meaning he ended up having two surgeries with the blood clot, and they really didn't go the way they wanted them to come out.
"There was a lot of soul searching in terms of getting the right remarks as to whether he could continue playing that particular year. What made it worse for us, and probably for him, was that he was coming up on free agency too.
"He ended up playing that Game 7 in Pittsburgh and had to come off blood thinners on that. Had they advanced, he would have had to go on and off the blood thinners, which is always a concern because of the potential of internal bleeding. They ended up losing that game to end the season, and he ended up re-signing with the Lightning anyway."
Six months later, more adversity: Stamkos tore the lateral meniscus in his right knee and was lost for the remainder of the 2016-17 season.
On March 2, 2020, he had surgery to repair a core muscle. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Stanley Cup Playoffs were pushed back by more than three months, giving him additional time to rehab and return to the lineup.
Or so he thought.
On Sept. 23, 2020, Stamkos suited up for the Lightning for Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Dallas Stars and scored one of the most dramatic goals of his career on his first shot of the postseason. He was limited to 2:47 of ice time in the game and was unable to play for the remainder of the series, only returning to the ice when it was time to be awarded the Stanley Cup three games later.
"What he's had to go through, to endure, to overcome, that shows what a competitor and a fighter he is," Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo said. "And the fact that three of us from the same summer league team -- Johnny Tavares, Stammer and I -- have already hit 1,000 (games) or [are] on pace to do it -- is amazing."
Pietrangelo is referring to the Toronto Blues, a summer team that Tavares joined at age 11 and that included future NHL players Pietrangelo, Stamkos, Michael Del Zotto, Cody Hodgson and Michael Hutchinson. Chris Stamkos and Joe Pietrangelo, Alex's dad, ran the team.
Tavares, the Toronto Maple Leafs center, played his 1,000th game on Jan. 29. Pietrangelo is 54 games shy and should reach that milestone next season.
What truly is impressive about Stamkos's run is that he's overcome all of that to average more than a point per game for his career. Entering Saturday, he had 1,052 points (514 goals, 538 assists) in 998 games (1.05 points per game).
"He's been through a lot," Chris said. "It speaks to his persistence and his refusal to never give up."

NO TIME FOR LOTTERY LAMENTS

May 8 is the day one lucky team will win the 2023 NHL Draft Lottery and the chance to select generational player Connor Bedard in the 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft.
But what about the teams that don't win the lottery and can't draft the 17-year-old center from Regina of the Western Hockey League?
According to NHL Stats, the lottery odds will be the same as they were for the 2022 NHL Draft, meaning the 32nd place team in the League standings has an 18.5 percent chance of winning the No. 1 pick, followed by 13.5 percent for the 31st team and 11.5 percent for the team that finishes 30th. Those are the only three slots that have at least a 10 percent chance of winning.
"Superstars like this kid can change a franchise," Arizona Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong said Friday. "We all hope the lottery ball goes our way.
"But you have to be realistic. When you look at the odds, they're against all of us, even against the team that wins it. You have to be prepared and be ready and be well versed with the cache of players at the top of the draft not named Connor Bedard."
After Bedard, the list of top prospects includes forward Adam Fantilli of the University of Michigan, forward Matvei Michkov of Sochi in the Kontinental Hockey League, forward Leo Carlsson of Orebro in the Swedish Hockey League, forward Zach Benson of Winnipeg of the WHL, forward Andrew Cristall of Kelowna of the WHL, and forward William Smith of the USA Hockey National Team Development Program Under-18 team.
"The truth is, once Bedard is gone, there are 31 teams that still have to draft," Armstrong said. "And there are players available that can really help a franchise. It's a deep draft.
"I think there's a lot of good players that can come in and change your franchise."
With his Coyotes eliminated from playoff contention, Armstrong said the 2023 IIHF World Championship will be a gathering place for executives and scouts to get a final look at some of the players who will be expected to go in the first round. The tournament runs from May 12-28 in Tampere, Finland, and Riga, Latvia, meaning NHL teams will already know the draft order and can focus on those who should be available in their individual slots. The draft will be held June 28-29 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.
"A good chunk of kids are going to be going there," Armstrong said. "Our season will be over, so I'll be there too."
Indeed, it will be a good opportunity for teams' draft gurus to see how certain prospects react on the big stage.
"Look, we can all hope and dream about winning that top pick," Armstrong said, "but even after that, it's a good draft to draft in."
Even if you don't get Bedard.
The Coyotes (27-37-13) are 27th in the standings, which translates into a 7.5 percent chance of winning the lottery. Casting a deaf ear to those conspiracy theory-based fans who suggest Arizona should have concentrated on losing more games to have better odds for Bedard, Armstrong said he's proud of a Coyotes team that is 20-14-4 at home.
"These guys could have packed it in so many times," he said, "from our seven-game road exhibition schedule, to the [2023 NHL] Trade Deadline where we traded away the likes of [Jakob] Chychrun, Shayne Gostisbehere, Nick Ritchie, Troy Stecher and Nick Bjugstad. Instead, they go out there and are competitive every night.
"They deserve credit. That's all you could ask."

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HOWDY, NEIGHBOR!

On Oct. 9, 2008, the Maple Leafs spoiled the Stanley Cup banner-raising ceremony of the defending champion Detroit Red Wings with a 3-2 victory at Joe Louis Arena.
It was the first NHL game for defenseman Luke Schenn. The No. 5 pick in the 2008 NHL Draft played 17:20, finishing with one shot on goal and three hits and playing with partner Tomas Kaberle.
Schenn played his first four NHL seasons with Toronto before stints with the Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles Kings, Coyotes, Anaheim Ducks, Vancouver Canucks (twice) and Lightning. On Feb. 28, he returned to Toronto, traded to the Maple Leafs by the Canucks for a third-round pick in the 2023 draft.
Imagine, then, his surprise when he discovered who his neighbor was while moving into his new Toronto-area home this past week.
"You want to know how small a world it is?" he said "I found out my neighbor is Tomas Kaberle, my first defense partner in the NHL. You can't make something like that up.
"He lives right across the street. Right across. I mean, we've had different paths to get here, but here we are."
Schenn said he'd forgotten that he had Kaberle's information among his list of contacts until he got a text last week:
"Hey, it's 'Kabby.' I heard we're neighbors."
Schenn said of Kaberle, who retired from the NHL in 2013 after 14 seasons, "He taught me so much when I broke into the League. He was a great mentor. So cool."
Indeed it is. And it hasn't taken long for Schenn to assimilate into the neighborhood.
A few days ago, he saw Luka, Kaberle's 11-year-old son, with a discouraged look on his face after he'd returned from a loss in his minor hockey league game.
Schenn asked what the score was. Luka told him it was 2-0.
"I said, 'You'd better get used to it because I'm going to come over and kick your butt, too,'" Schenn recalled with a laugh.
Game on, neighbors.

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QUOTE/UNQUOTE

"I'm a little disappointed in the Panthers. They're a soft team and they're getting everything they deserve right now … But they're still hanging on, they still have a chance, and it's up to them to get their butts going and start playing like a team that should be a lot better than what they're showing right now."
-- Former NHL player Keith Tkachuk, father of Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk, to TSN 1050 radio in Toronto on Wednesday morning. For the record, the Panthers won back-to-back games, against the Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday and Thursday, after Keith's comments. Is there a correlation here? You be the judge.

THE SUNDAY LIST

With two weeks to go in the NHL regular season, The Sunday List is taking a weekly look at some of the most intriguing and crucial matchups in the upcoming seven days. Here's this week's version:
-- Monday, Nashville Predators at Dallas Stars, American Airlines Center: The clock is ticking on the Predators in their attempt to overtake teams like the Calgary Flames and Winnipeg Jets for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Western Conference. They face a Stars team that is in a neck-and-neck race with the Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche for first place in the Central Division. Something has to give in "Big D."
-- Tuesday, Edmonton Oilers at Los Angeles Kings, Crypto.com Arena: Edmonton has a shot to outbattle Los Angeles and Vegas for first place in the Pacific Division, which would ensure home-ice advantage through the first two rounds of the playoffs. The Oilers, with Stuart Skinner making 43 saves, defeated the Kings 2-0 at home Thursday.
-- Wednesday, Calgary Flames at Winnipeg Jets, Canada Life Centre: It's simple: This is a battle for the second wild card from the West and will go a long way toward determining who gets into the postseason. Whatever happens, this battle of the Canadian prairies looks to be a doozy.
-- Thursday, Los Angeles Kings at Vegas Golden Knights, T-Mobile Arena: To repeat: The top of the Pacific is a free-for-all between the Kings, Golden Knights and Oilers. However it works out, it's very likely two of these three teams will clash in the Western Conference First Round.
-- Saturday, Florida Panthers at Washington Capitals, Capital One Arena: As the season winds down, these teams are pursuing the second wild card from the Eastern Conference, with the Panthers closer to that goal. A vital game for both.