TAMPA, Florida – The Tampa Bay Lightning enter the 2015 Stanley Cup Final and look across the ice at their opponent, seeing what they hope to become. The Lightning are the mirror image of what the Chicago Blackhawks were just before their first Cup run in 2010. Speed, size, pure scoring talent and solid goaltending are what put Chicago in the dynasty conversation and the Lightning are following that same blueprint.
But it was a struggle before Tampa Bay could be considered in the League’s elite category. They reached the Eastern Conference Final in 2011 before losing to eventual Stanley Cup Champion Boston in seven games. Then they faced two seasons of not qualifying for the playoffs before being swept by Montreal in the opening round of last season’s playoffs. Ben Bishop’s late season elbow injury spelled doom for the Lightning and the Canadiens never encountered difficulty in dispatching this year’s Eastern Conference finalist.
Getting to where they are today took some time. A hockey team building something special from a relatively lowly depth needs good leadership in the front office and behind the bench to reach this stage. General Manager Steve Yzerman and Head Coach Jon Cooper represent the leadership for Tampa Bay and their fingerprints are all over this club.
Yzerman’s leadership comes from ascending to the captaincy of the Detroit Red Wings in his fourth season. Upon retirement from the ice, he was quickly bumped up to the front office where he learned the role from General Manager Ken Holland and current Dallas Stars General manager Jim Nill. With three Stanley Cups as a player and two Olympic Gold Medals as a General Manager of Canada to his name, the Lightning General Manager continued to spin his magic in bringing a championship-caliber effort to Florida.
While he inherited some key players upon arrival in Spring of 2010 (Steven Stamkos – 2008, 1st rd 1st overall, 7 goals and 17 points in 20 playoff games and Alex Killorn – 2007, 3rd round, 77th overall, 7 goals and 16 points in 20 playoff games), Yzerman began putting his mark on the team by building from ground up with several key draft selections.
In the 2011 draft, Yzerman selected right wing Nikita Kucherov (2nd rd, 58th overall, 9 goals and 19 points in 20 playoff games), defenseman Nikita Nesterov (5th rd, 48th overall, 1 goal and 6 points in 14 playoff games) and left wing Ondrej Palat (7th rd, 208th overall, 7 goals and 15 points in 20 playoffs games). All three players have played integral roles in elevating the performance of the club and will be relied upon in the Final to be the talented depth Stanley Cup-caliber teams need.
Yzerman has made several shrewd and risky signings which have placed the Lightning on hockey’s top stage.
Among them was the signing of undrafted free agent Tyler Johnson in 2011. The center has 12 goals and 21 assists in 20 playoff games. He earned 29 goals and 72 points with a +33 rating in 77 regular season games.
Another great move was the free agent signing of Anton Stralman, member of the 2014 Eastern Conference Finalist New York Rangers. Stralman has a goal and 7 points in 20 playoff games while logging nearly 22 minutes a game. In the regular season, he netting 9 goals and 39 points and a +22 rating, appearing in each of Tampa Bay’s games. An anchor on defense, Stralman has four more years on his contract.
Yzerman also made some trades, some out of necessity and one being a forced move.
Perhaps key among them was the acquisition of goaltender Ben Bishop. Acquired from Ottawa in exchange for Cory Conacher in 2013, Bishop represents the one key piece missing from earlier Lightning teams in Yzerman’s tenure. In his first NHL Playoff season, Bishop is 12-8 with a 2.15 goals against average, a 0.920 save percentage, 3 shutouts and 3 assists.
Bishop won key games on the road in Detroit and New York to keep the team moving through the playoffs when their surge could have ended. He delivered a 5-2 road victory against Detroit when faced with elimination and backstopped 2-0 shutouts on the road in New York in games 5 and 7 to earn a berth in the Final. Incidentally, Bishop and I are the only two people involved in the Final who have regularly defended the net at the Kirkwood Ice Arena in Missouri.
Another acquisition involved the trade of Tampa Bay captain Martin St. Louis to New York in exchange for their captain, Ryan Callahan. The transaction came about after St. Louis was deeply insulted by being left off Canada’s Olympic roster in 2014. He expressed interest in being moved after the snub. Callahan has been somewhat quiet in the playoffs with a goal and 4 points in 19 games, but has registered 24 goals and 54 points with a +9 rating while skating nearly 18 minutes a game. His leadership presence is felt beyond the score sheet.
With a roster filled out, the role of shaping a winner came down to the impact of a coach. Jon Cooper has certainly done that in Tampa Bay. He is an interesting story. An attorney by trade, he went back to playing hockey while in law school which eventually led to his first head coaching position of a high school team in Lansing, Michigan.
I watched him coach the St. Louis Bandits, a US junior team in the North American Hockey League, to back-to-back Championships. Anaheim’s Pat Maroon was on that team, leading the NAHL in scoring that season. Cooper advanced to the USHL, the top US junior league, and won a championship in his second year. He then left to coach the Norfolk Admirals of the AHL where he won the Calder Cup in his second season. And now he sits four wins away from another championship.
It’s no surprise he wins wherever he goes. When you listen to him speak, his thoughts are clear, concise and direct. His demeanor is genuine and respectful and his answers draw the listener closer. Perhaps it is his legal background which comes through when he communicates. Talk to his players and you learn they will run through brick walls for him. Without question, he operates like a successful business leader does, treating others with respect, genuinely caring about his players and bring a group together to work as one in order to be successful. He motivates and guides his team in ways which causes others to put everyone else ahead of themselves. It is a key element of the magic observers see in Tampa Bay.
While the Chicago Blackhawks await these new kids on the block, no one should underestimate this speedy, physical and skilled Tampa Bay Lightning team. The Blackhawks are formidable and their success has come in the same way Tampa Bay has reached this fourth and final round. Despite lacking the deep playoff experience Chicago possesses, the Lightning belong in the Final and come Wednesday night, everyone will see why.
Game One is scheduled at the Amalie Arena in Tampa with face-off at 8:00 PM ET.
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