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Tampa Bay Lightning
Team Page |
2000-2001 Schedule |
Roster |
1999-2000 Player Stats
On this page: Comings | Goings | Prospect Watch | Get the Highlighter | Quoteworthy
| |
| 1999-2000 Stat Leaders |
|---|
| Stat |
Leader |
No. |
| Goals |
Vincent Lecavalier |
25 |
| Assists |
Vincent Lecavalier |
42 |
| Points |
Vincent Lecavalier |
67 |
| +/- |
Four tied at |
2 |
| Shots |
Chris Gratton |
168 |
| Ice Time (F) |
Chris Gratton |
20:02 |
| Ice Time (D) |
Petr Svoboda |
23:00 |
| Faceoff Pct. |
Bruce Gardiner |
56.36% |
| Hits |
Fredrik Modin |
123 |
| PP Pts |
Vincent Lecavalier |
28 |
| SH Pts |
Mike Sillinger |
5 |
| |
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If not for the expansion Thrashers, we're talking about the worst team in the NHL three years running. A dozen NHL teams won at least 38 games last season. The Lightning? Thirty-eight wins in the last two seasons after a second kick in the head of 19. Clearly, this is not a team taking big strides toward breaking the franchise record of, you guessed it, 38 wins from 1995-96.
A curious thing happened on the way to this summer's deep-but-without-clear-superstars draft. The Lightning traded their No. 5 overall pick to the Islanders. Dear Lightning fans, remember the name Raffi Torres, for he is the man sent to Long Island for goaltender Kevin Weekes and blue-chip-hitter defenseman Khristian Kudroc.
Perhaps the Lightning didn't need any more draft picks anyway. So many glowing adjectives have been used to describe a number the players in the system that even cynics believe a playoff appearance is only a year away.
For more on the Lightning, bookmark this page and check back Wednesday, Oct. 11 for a Sports Illustrated Scouting Report.
| BRIGHT SPOTS |
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GRAY AREAS |
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Minus-25 is an ugly number, but Vincent Lecavalier did score 25 goals and 67 points last season. He scored 22 points during a dazzling 19-game stretch in the second half and picked up eight points in Tampa Bay's final six games.
Fredrik Modin, the 6' 4" winger who played well on Toronto's first line before being demoted and traded prior to the start of last season, scored a career-high 22 goals and 48 points (second on the team).
If you don't mind the win-one-lose-two thing and want to see some young players of all shapes and sizes -- but mostly large and skilled -- purchase your season tickets today.
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The natives were getting restless for a winner as far back as December. The pressure has only grown with the mounting losses and the Pollyanna words shrouding Tampa Bay's prospects.
Hard to reverse so many solid years of losing.
Even harder to count on so many young players to learn enough in one season to make the playoffs.
Goaltender Dan Cloutier, who can be a bit of a hothead, lost 30 games last season (plus $11,187.50 in salary forfeited due to a suspension) and saved 88.5% of the shots taken on him.
|
| Comings |
|---|
| Player |
Pos. |
From |
Via |
| Kaspars Astashenko |
D |
Tampa Bay |
Re-signed |
| Dan Cloutier |
G |
Tampa Bay |
Re-signed |
| Dwayne Hay |
LW |
Tampa Bay |
Re-signed |
| Brian Holzinger |
C |
Tampa Bay |
Re-signed |
| Ryan Johnson |
C |
Tampa Bay |
Re-signed |
| Dan Kesa |
RW |
Tampa Bay |
Re-signed |
| Pavel Kubina |
D |
Tampa Bay |
Re-signed |
| Steve Martins |
C |
Tampa Bay |
Re-signed |
| Frederik Modin |
LW |
Tampa Bay |
Re-signed |
| Bryan Muir |
D |
Tampa Bay |
Re-signed |
| Wayne Primeau |
C |
Tampa Bay |
Re-signed |
| Andrei Skopintsev |
D |
Tampa Bay |
Re-signed |
| Martin St. Louis |
RW |
Calgary |
Free agent |
| Todd Warriner |
LW |
Tampa Bay |
Re-signed |
| Andrei Zyuzin |
D |
Tampa Bay |
Re-signed |
| |
| Goings |
|---|
| Player |
Pos. |
To |
Via |
| Zac Bierk |
G |
Minnesota |
Expansion |
| Xavier Delisle |
C |
Montreal |
Free agent |
| Bruce Gardiner |
F |
Columbus |
Expansion |
| Robert Petrovicky |
LW |
NY Islanders |
Free agent |
| Reid Simpson |
LW |
St. Louis |
Free agent |
| Michal Sykora |
D |
Philadelphia |
Free agent |
| |
Prospect Watch
Brad Richards, LW, 6'0", 170
Born: May 2, 1980 in Montague, P.E.I.
Acquired: 1998 draft (No. 64 overall)
Richards' numbers for Rimouski (QMJHL) dwarfed those of his former teammate Vincent Lecavalier, who scored 42 and 44 goals for the Oceanic. Richards, though, led major junior hockey with 186 points (71 goals). But ,as always, junior numbers should be handled with care. Lecavalier struggled in his first season and Richards might also. Not to worry, prospect fans, there are more names coming down the pipeline. Winger Dimitri Afanasenkov, who scored 56 QMJHL goals last season could make the team with a good camp, as could the giant Nikita Alexeev (6' 5") and/or the diminutive Sheldon Keefe (5' 10"). And on the blue line, there's always the 6' 6" Kudroc.
Get the Highlighter
Friday, Oct. 6 vs. New York Islanders. Call it "Future of the NHL night," and make sure to buy a program. Many youngsters, but a few guys may end up becoming superstars in the league … just not this year.
Friday, Nov. 24 vs. Florida and Saturday, Nov. 25 at Florida. Battle of the Sunshine State heats up with this home-and-home affair.
Quoteworthy
"I'm just excited to see our kids. There's not a single person in our organization who isn't excited about what we've done around here in the last year."
—Rick Dudley
Team-by-team previews compiled by CNNSI.com's Ken Klavon, Jamie MacDonald and Jimmy Traina.
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