The news was published on October 5th that Vincent Lecavalier wasn’t going to be in the lineup tonight for the Philadelphia Flyers. Lightning beat writer Joe Smith shared with the public that Vinny’s had a little more forewarning about the fact:
Lecavalier said it’s tough not to play, especially here in Tampa. Was told 10 days ago he’d be a scratch for opene… http://t.co/cLzlgASoUQ
— Joe Smith (@TBTimes_JSmith) October 8, 2015
Clicking on the tweet and seeing it on the web will show you some remarks form Lecavalier… But as a fan, this hurts to see. 10 days ago was only 5 days after training camps opened around the league. The decision from coaching in Philadelphia likely was already madedays prior to that.
Vinny’s not showing something they want, and a scratching is all that can come form it.
At any rate, this is only a snippet of a grander column coming from Smith and the Times. (EDIT: You can find the full piece here) Evidence of this is how the subject matter of the 2015 NHL playoffs and Lecavalier’s habits of the time were also brought up on Twitter.
Lecavalier was in Tampa during some of playoffs, watched a few Lightning games at friends houses and sports bars, … http://t.co/OMyHWoX5pW
— Joe Smith (@TBTimes_JSmith) October 8, 2015
Vincent’s declaration that “This is a hockey town.” is fitting. This hockey town is the one that he helped build.
