Steven Stamkos

Early life

Stamkos is of ethnic Macedonian and Scottish descent. He grew up in Unionville, Ontario, and played for the Markham Waxers in the Eastern AAA Hockey League of the Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA). During one of his seasons with the North York Canadiens, he was teammates with current NHLer P. K. Subban. Prior to being drafted in the OHL, Stamkos attended Central Park Public School and St. Brother André Catholic High School in Markham, Ontario. After being drafted by the OHL's Sarnia Sting, he attended Northern Collegiate Institute and Vocational School in Sarnia. Stamkos won eight OMHA titles in a row in minor hockey and led his Waxers club to the OHL Cup title in March 2006.

Sarnia Sting

Following a season with the minor Waxers, in which he scored 197 points over 66 games, Stamkos was selected first overall in the 2006 OHL Draft by the Sarnia Sting. Stamkos played with other notable current NHLers in his minor and junior hockey career, including Logan Couture, John Tavares, Michael Del Zotto, Cameron Gaunce, Cody Hodgson and P. K. Subban during his minor hockey career in the Greater Toronto Area. Joining the Sting in 2006–07, he recorded 92 points (42 goals and 50 assists) over 63 games as a junior rookie. He was named to the OHL Second All-Rookie Team, ranking behind Sam Gagner at the centre position. Stamkos also won the Bobby Smith Trophy as the League's scholastic player of the year for his academic efforts off the ice.

The following season, Stamkos improved to 58 goals and 105 points over 61 games. He was named to the OHL Second All-Star Team, but was later selected to the CHL First All-Star Team, which encompasses all three national major junior leagues. Playing in his NHL draft-eligible season in 2007–08, Stamkos was top-ranked throughout the campaign by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau and International Scouting Services. He also won the CHL's Top Draft Prospect Award.

Tampa Bay Lightning

As the 2008 NHL Entry Draft approached, Stamkos was largely seen as the best available centre. His primary competition for the top overall pick were defencemen Drew Doughty and Zach Bogosian, as well as Russian winger Nikita Filatov. The Tampa Bay Lightning, by virtue of their 2007–08 campaign in which they won an NHL-worst 31 games, owned the first pick.

As expected, Stamkos was selected first overall by Tampa Bay. On July 29, 2008, he signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Lightning, in which he could earn as much as $8.55 million in performance bonuses. Leading up to the start of the 2008–09 season, the Lightning centred their promotional efforts around Stamkos, including a website with the slogan "Seen Stamkos?"

2008–09 season

Stamkos played in his first NHL game in Prague, Czech Republic, at the start of the 2008–09 season. The Lightning fell to the New York Rangers 2–1 and were eventually swept in Prague. He recorded his first point — a secondary assist — in his eighth game, which was against his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs. Following the game, Stamkos commented that his hometown support was "louder than when the Leafs scored." He scored his first goal the next game against Ryan Miller of the Buffalo Sabres.

After 54 games, Stamkos recorded the first NHL hat-trick of his career, on February 17, 2009. The Lightning held a 3–1 lead midway through the second period on the strength of Stamkos' natural hat-trick, but were still beaten by the visiting Chicago Blackhawks, 5–3. The three goals enabled Stamkos to become the first rookie in Lightning history to score three goals in a game. Additionally, he also became the second youngest player in NHL history to record a hat-trick; current record-holder Bobby Carpenter was 18 when he scored three on February 25, 1982.

Though Stamkos was heavily criticized for his lack of production during the first half of the season, in which he was limited to less than 10 minutes of ice time some games (largely due to a dispute amongst then-Head Coach Barry Melrose and upper management, mainly Co-Owner Len Barrie on how to approach the development of Stamkos in the NHL), he finished the season with 19 points in his final 20 games. In his rookie season, Stamkos totalled 23 goals and 46 points, as well as a −13 plus-minus rating.

2009–10 season

Prior to the 2009–10 season, Stamkos spent the summer training extensively with former NHL player Gary Roberts, working on adding strength and endurance. Roberts got to know Stamkos in the 2008–09 season, his last in the League. He oversaw Stamkos' off-season workouts north of Toronto in Roberts' in-house gym, which is a quick drive from Stamkos' family home in Unionville. Stamkos spoke highly regarding the workouts: "It helped me a lot," Stamkos said. "I learned a lot about what I needed to improve on. There are certain aspects of my game that have improved because of that, and I'll be there again this summer working hard. It definitely gave me that extra jump for this season."

In his second year with the Lightning, Stamkos began to find his range as an NHL sharpshooter and had a breakout season. Playing the bulk of the season on a line with Martin St. Louis and Steve Downie, Stamkos started the 2009–10 campaign with ten goals in his first 11 games. Through the months of January and February, Stamkos had an 18-game point streak. By the time he turned 20, he was in the top five in the NHL in scoring, challenging the likes of Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby.

On April 10, Steven netted a pair of goals against Tampa Bay’s rivals, the Florida Panthers, which made him reach the mark of 50 goals. Stamkos ended the season with 51 goals, tied for most in the NHL with Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins; the two shared the Rocket Richard Trophy as League goal-scoring champions. He tied Crosby in the final minute of the last game of the season with an empty-net goal. Stamkos became the third-youngest player to score 50 goals in a season, after Wayne Gretzky and Jimmy Carson. His number of goals, 51, was five more than his total points amount in the previous season. Additionally, Stamkos' 44 assists gave him 95 points for the season, good for fifth place in the NHL behind Henrik Sedin, Alexander Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby and Nicklas Bäckström. Tampa Bay, however, finished the year with 34 wins and 80 points. After the season, the team's poor record prompted Lightning Owner Jeffrey Vinik to clean house — General Manager Brian Lawton and Head Coach Rick Tocchet were both fired.

2010–11 season

Following a high-scoring start to the 2010–11 season, in which he scored 19 goals in his first 19 games, Stamkos began to attract media attention for challenging the elite "50 goals in 50 games" standard. Wayne Gretzky, who scored 50 goals in a record 39 games in 1981–82, told reporters he thought Stamkos was surrounded by enough talent in Tampa Bay to achieve the feat.

On December 20, 2010, Stamkos scored his 26th goal of the season and the 100th of his career, leading the Lightning past the Carolina Hurricanes 5–1 on a Monday night game. Stamkos had one of three Lightning goals late in the second period that put Tampa Bay ahead 5–1. The centre's milestone goal came in his 194th NHL game.

In January 2011, Stamkos was named by the NHL to play in the NHL All-Star Game. Stamkos was drafted second overall by Team Lidstrom, joining Tampa Bay teammate Martin St. Louis on the squad. As the season progressed, however, it became apparent that Stamkos would not achieve the 50-in-50 mark. By the 52nd game, he had recorded a League-leading 38 goals. Stamkos' latter portion of the season was markedly less successful; he recorded just seven more goals in the last 30 games. Finishing with 45 goals, he ranked second in League-scoring, behind Corey Perry of the Anaheim Ducks. His 91 points placed him fifth in the NHL for the second consecutive year.

As the Lightning ranked fifth in the Eastern Conference, Stamkos made his Stanley Cup playoff debut in 2011. On April 23, he scored his first two career playoff goals, as well an assist, in an 8–2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Lightning advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Bruins. During the deciding Game 7, Stamkos took a slapshot from Bruins defenceman Johnny Boychuk to the face; the impact broke his nose and bloodied his face, forcing him to momentarily leave the game, though he eventually returned wearing a full-visored mask. The Lightning went on to lose the game 1–0, eliminating them from the playoffs. Stamkos scored below his regular season pace with 13 points over 18 games, ranking fifth in team-scoring.

2011–12 season

During the off-season, Stamkos became a restricted free agent on July 1, 2011. Eighteen days later, however, he re-signed with Tampa Bay on a five-year, $37.5 million contract.

On March 13, 2012, Stamkos scored his 50th goal of the 2011–12 season in a 6–1 win over Boston. In doing so, he became the sixth player in NHL history to record more than one 50-goal season before his 23rd birthday. He then scored his 53rd goal on March 26 against the Philadelphia Flyers, breaking Vincent Lecavalier's team record for goals in a season, set in 2006–07. Five days later, Stamkos set an NHL record by scoring his fifth overtime goal of the regular season, beating Winnipeg Jets goaltender Ondřej Pavelec from the left circle, Stamkos' "trademark" shot during his first three seasons.

On the final day of the regular season, Stamkos recorded his 60th goal in a 4–3 overtime win against Winnipeg, becoming the 20th player in League history to achieve the feat and the first since Alexander Ovechkin did so in 2007–08. Adding to his 60 goals, Stamkos recorded 37 assists for 97 points, ranking second in the NHL, 12 behind Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins, who, along with Henrik Lundqvist, were named the League's three finalists for the Hart Memorial Trophy in April. Despite Stamkos' individual success, the Lightning struggled as a team, finishing the season out of the playoffs at tenth overall in the East.

2012–13 season

During the 2012–13 NHL lockout, Stamkos trained with a handful of other NHL players at Gary Roberts’ training academy in Ontario.

The lockout also gave Stamkos an opportunity to do things in his hometown of Toronto he normally would not get to do. That included playing in his father's pick-up hockey league every Thursday night, when he and former Lightning forward Steve Downie would mix it up with a group that varied as much in age (22–65) as ability. On playing in his father's pick-up league, Stamkos stated, "It was a blast, those guys loved it they don't get a chance to play with NHL guys very often." He additionally added, "It was a lot of fun and something I'll cherish forever."

On March 1, 2013, after play resumed for the shortened 2012–13 season, Stamkos was named the NHL's First Star of the Month for February. He joined Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby and Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Ray Emery, who ranked as the Second and Third Stars, respectively. Stamkos had a season-high six-game goal streak, six multi-point outings and recorded at least one point in 11 of 14 games last month. He ended February on an eight-game point streak (seven goals and seven assists).

On March 18, 2013, Stamkos scored his 200th career goal to give the Lightning the victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. Stamkos ultimately finished the season with 29 goals, ranking him second in the NHL behind Alexander Ovechkin's NHL-leading 32. He also had 28 assists, which gave him a total of 57 points in 48 games.

2013–14 season

On November 11, 2013, Stamkos suffered a broken tibia in a game against the Boston Bruins. He was backchecking on a play late in the second period when he was tied up with Boston defenceman Dougie Hamilton. His left skate appeared to hit the post first before his right leg crashed into it around the shin area. He tried to get up twice before going down to the ice in pain, grabbing his leg just above the ankle. After a brief delay, a stretcher was brought out and he was taken off to loud applause. He was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital. Stamkos entered the day tied for the NHL's lead in scoring with Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby.

On November 12, 2013, Stamkos underwent successful surgery in Boston to stabilize a fracture in his right tibia, and he began rehabilitation immediately.

On November 25, 2013, Stamkos made a press appearance where he was seen walking without the use of crutches or a walking boot. He updated the media on his miraculous progress and was hopeful that he could return to the Lightning before commencement of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, which he was widely considered to play in for Team Canada. Ultimately, however, he was unable to recover in time to participate in the Olympics. He was, however, cleared to play for the Lightning on March 5 – the same day former teammate Martin St. Louis was traded to the New York Rangers – and returned March 6 in a game against the Buffalo Sabres, which the team lost 3–1. Stamkos was named the new captain of the Lightning before the game, replacing the departed St. Louis

On March 24, 2014, Stamkos played in his 400th career NHL game, notching a power play goal to tie the game at three in an eventual 4–3 shootout loss to the Ottawa Senators.

2014–15 season

On November 11, 2014, Stamkos picked up his 200th career NHL assist in a Tampa Bay Lightning 3–2 shootout loss to the Chicago Blackhawks. On December 9, 2014, Stamkos reached another career milestone when he scored his 250th NHL goal. The goal came in a Tampa Bay 5–3 loss to the Washington Capitals, his 17th of the season. On May 24, 2015, during the 2015 playoffs, Stamkos scored a goal in a 2–0 Lightning victory over the New York Rangers, tying him with the Lightning playoff record for goals in consecutive games (4). After the Lightning defeated the Rangers in seven games, Stamkos and the Tampa Bay Lightning would move on to the Stanley Cup Final where they were defeated in six games by the eventual Stanley Cup Champions Chicago Blackhawks.

2015–16 season

On October 12, 2015, Stamkos recorded his 500th career NHL point off a power play goal against the Boston Bruins.The Lightning would go on to win the game by a score of 6-3. With his 500th career point, Stamkos became the third player in Lightning history to record 500+ points. He joined both Martin St. Louis (953) and Vincent Lecavalier (874) as the only players to do so. On October 23, 2015, Stamkos played in his 500th career NHL game in a 4-3 OT Lightning victory over the Winnipeg Jets. On November 1, 2015, Stamkos moved into second place for the most power play goals in Lightning history with 97. Stamkos moved from a tie with former teammate Martin St. Louis, who had 96 power play goals in his time with the Lightning On January 6, 2016, Stamkos was selected to his fourth All-Star game where he will be joining teammate Ben Bishop. Under the new format, Stamkos will be playing for the Atlantic Division in a 3 on 3 team tournament. On February 20, 2016, Stamkos scored his 300th career NHL goal, which came in a 4-2 Lightning win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Stamkos became the third Lightning player in franchise history to record 300 goals. Stamkos joined Vincent Lecavalier (383) and Martin St. Louis (365). During an post game interview, Stamkos stated "first of all, it means you've around for a while and secondly, I've been fortunate to play with a lot of good players. I've been able to be put in positions to score goals and obviously it was special coming in a big win for our team." On February 26, 2016, Stamkos played in his 553 game in Lightning history, which came in a 4-0 win over the New Jersey Devils. With this game Stamkos surpassed Brad Richards (552) for number four all time in team history in games played. On February 28, 2016, Stamkos recorded his 245 career assist as a member of the Lightning in a 4-1 over the Boston Bruins. The assist moved Stamkos past Vinny Prospal (244) to become number four all time in franchise history in assists.

On April 2, 2016, the Lightning announced that Stamkos was diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome, which is the same injury that sidelined teammate Andrei Vasilevskiy at the start of the season. It is a condition that is rare among hockey players. Stamkos said that he first felt some discomfort in his arm after the game against the Montreal Canadiens. He is scheduled for surgery on Monday with Dr. Karl Illig, who performed Vasilevskiy's surgery. Lightning General Manager, Steve Yzerman, stated that there will be no long-term impact on Stamkos' health or his career. In addition, Yzerman indicated that Stamkos recovery time would be between one and three months, but they would have a better idea in a couple of weeks where he falls within that time frame. Yzerman also stated that the team's desire is for Stamkos to remain with the organization, which came after a question of whether Stamkos had played his last game in a Lightning uniform. On April 4, 2016, Stamkos had successful surgery at Tampa General Hospital. Stamkos' surgeon stated that they plan on evaluating him in approximately two weeks and that should clear up his prognosis. On May 26, 2016, Stamkos dressed for game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Pittsburgh Penguins despite still being on blood thinners following surgery. He registered five shot attempts during the game, but the Lightning ultimately lost 2-1 and were eliminated from the playoffs.

2016–17 season

On June 29, 2016 (Two days before Stamkos was set to become an unrestricted free agent), the Lightning re-signed Stamkos to an eight-year, $68 million contract extension with an AAV of $8.5 million. Stamkos played in 77 games with the Lightning last season, recording 36 goals and 64 points. He ranked first in goals and second in points. Stamkos ranks third in Lightning history on the all-time scoring list for goals (312) and points (562). Stamkos ranks second all-time for power-play goals with 108. He has also had eight career hat tricks, which is tied for first with Martin St. Louis in team history. General manager Steve Yzerman stated that "we are very appreciative of the effort and commitment that Steven and his representatives have exhibited in getting a deal done.” “We are excited to have him as a cornerstone part of the team for the next eight years as we continue in the franchise's ultimate goal of winning another Stanley Cup."

On November 15, 2016, Stamkos fell and left the game, which turned out to be a torn lateral meniscus in his right knee. Lightning General Manager, Steve Yzerman, stated that there was no timeable for his return and that Stamkos is out "indefinitely." Stamkos and the team are in the process of evaluating options for repair and rehabilitation and will release more information when it becomes available. On November 17, 2016, Stamkos headed to Vail, Colorado to undergo arthroscopic knee surgery to repair a lateral meniscus tear The procedure he is undergoing is estimated to have a four-month recovery window, which would keep Stamkos out of the lineup until at least mid-March. This could translate into Stamkos missing at least 50 games. Later in the day, the Lightning announced that Stamkos underwent surgery that day. As predicted, Stamkos is expected to miss approximately four months.

On February 20, 2017, Yzerman provided an update on Stamkos' rehabilitation progress. Yzerman said that Stamkos had begun light skating, and is progressing well. Yzerman further stated that the timeline is still 4–6 months for his recovery. Stamkos would be approaching the four-month recovery window in mid-March. If Stamkos needs the full six months, he would be out for the remainder of the season.

On March 29, 2017, the Lightning head coach, Jon Cooper, said that after the team's upcoming game against the Detroit Red Wings Stamkos would be considered day-to-day. Stamkos said that he was not going to put any dates on his return, however, he did say that he was very pleased and excited with how his knee was feeling. Stamkos did not return to the lineup for the Lightning that season.

International play

Stamkos played for Canada in the 2008 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, where he helped the team win a gold medal. After his rookie season with the Lightning, Stamkos was named to Canada's senior roster for the 2009 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships. Stamkos continued to impress at the 2009 IIHF World Championships, scoring on his first career shift and meshing with fellow Lightning forward Martin St. Louis for seven goals, 11 points and a +9 plus-minus rating en route to a 2–1 loss to Russia in the finals. He was also selected as a reserve by Canada for the 2010 Winter Olympics and scored seven goals in Canada's fifth-place finish at the 2013 World Championships. Stamkos was expected to be a major contributor for Canada in Sochi for the 2014 Winter Olympics and was named to the roster, but his injuries sustained prior to the NHL Olympic break, including a broken tibia sustained in November 2013, prevented him from participating.

On March 2, 2016, Hockey Canada named Stamkos to its roster for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey in Toronto. Stamkos won the tournament with Team Canada after a 2-1 win over Team Europe in Game 2 of the best-of-three series. He recorded a goal as well as an assist in the tournament, with a plus-minus rating of +3.

Endorsements

Following his selection into the NHL, Stamkos signed a number of sponsorships, including an athlete’s agreement with Nike. He was featured in a web-only Nike commercial called Forget Everything, which was released to coincide with his first game in his hometown of Unionville on October 28, 2008. He has also endorsed Tissot watches. On June 22, 2011, Stamkos was named the cover athlete for the EA Sports' NHL 12 video game. In late 2013, he played the leading role in a web commercial for Coca-Cola Zero named "Shawn Warford's Moment Zero." Most recently, Stamkos signed a multi-year sponsorship with Sport Chek, Canada's largest sports retailer.

Records