What is 91 Days of Stamkos?
Every day for the next 91 days we will be putting up at least one post about beloved captain Steven Stamkos.
Every Day?
Yup. Even on Sundays and holidays. We’ll deliver more than the post office.
Even on Presidents’ Day?
Especially on Presidents’ Day!
Why 91?
Because it’s his number.
Really?
Well, yes. Also, 91 days from now should match up pretty closely with his return to the line-up.
So, is it going to be 91 days straight about his injury situation? Because, I hate to break it to you, there hasn’t been much news.
Thank you for pointing that out. No, it’s not just injury news. It’s going to be all about Stamkos and his career. We’ll go over videos, articles, important games, Tweets, hockey cards, editorials, pretty much anything that relates to Stamkos. [OK now, Gollum and Smeagol. – Acha]
Wait, hockey cards? This is another excuse for JustinG to write about hockey cards, right?
No comment.
So just stuff about Stamkos and no injury news?
No, we’ll include any injury news as it’s released, but c’mon it’s the Lightning. A player could have his hand cut off and they would say that he’s “day-to-day with an upper body injury.”
For day one, let’s set the table. If you’re new to the Lightning, and you decided your New Year’s Resolution was to become a Lightning fan, here is a basic primer on Steven “No Middle Name” Stamkos.
The Lightning had the number one pick in the 2008 draft. They were an organization adrift. Luckily there was a flaxen-haired savior from Markham, Ontario waiting for them with the pick. As the number one pick in the entire draft, much was expected of him.
In the nine seasons he has played for Tampa Bay, he has already fulfilled much of those expectations. He has scored 321 goals (3rd all time for the Bolts) and assisted on 261 goals (4th all time). His 17.1% shooting percentage, 0.55 goals per game, and 0.99 points per game are all franchise records. In short he’s been really, really good.
He’s also been hurt a few times. Most notably a broken leg derailed his 2013-14 season and a blood clot in his shoulder kept him out of most of the playoffs last season. After signing a huge contract to stay in Tampa this summer, he started off the season like a bat out of hell, recording 20 points in 17 games.
Unfortunately the hockey gods took him from us on November 15th when he tore up his knee in a game against the Detroit Red Wings.
Since then it has been pretty much radio silence on his condition. We know he had surgery in Colorado. We know at some point he returned to Tampa. We know he is watching the World Juniors. And we know that he is “fine.”
That’s it. That’s all we know about the leader of a team that is floundering in the playoff race. No real projections on his return, no update on his skating, no comment from the player or the team, although we do know he’s working hard.
Steven Stamkos working out on an exercise bike as #tblightning practice today pic.twitter.com/8MGxRTMlxD
— Erik Erlendsson (@Erik_Erlendsson) January 2, 2017
In the meantime, enjoy 90 more days of Stamkos!
