Ben Bishop on Kyle Okposo
To me this play pretty much the Ben Bishop experience in one simple play. Bishop goes behind the net to play the puck. He tries to get the offense started by making a pass up the middle to Brayden Point. It’s cut off by Okposo who has the entire net to shoot at. Yet Bishop bails himself out by making a diving glove save. Turning a routine play into a heart-stopping, highlight reel save — that was Ben Bishop as a member of the Lightning. — JustinG.
Bishop suplexes Ben Smith
In November 2014, the Tampa Bay Lightning met the Chicago Blackhawks in a game that foreshadowed the Stanley Cup Final. Youngster Ben Smith was still with the Blackhawks, and decided to be a good offensive player and screen Bishop — with his backside. He shoved his rear into Bishop’s face, skating just a little too close. Bishop, showing his trademark streak of temper and dislike for getting pushed around by players in his crease, battled back.
As Bishop fell backward from the impact of Smith’s rear in his face, he reached up with his blocker, gripped Smith, and pulled him backward to the ice in a perfect wrestling suplex. The referees, undoubtedly sympathetic to getting sweaty hockey bottoms shoved in their faces, gave Smith a penalty on the play. This moment shows Bishop’s feistiness and spirit, and I will always remember it fondly. — Achariya
Ben Bishop loses his front teeth
Earlier this season, Bishop took a shot to the face from Toronto’s Peter Holland, which knocked out his front two teeth (that according to coach Jon Cooper were fake). It was a bizarre turn of events that was slightly comical, and it also was memorable that Bishop lost his teeth, found them, shook it off, and then proceeded to make 40 saves for the win. Out of all of Ben’s highlights this one always just makes me laugh. Just reminds me of how much of a badass Ben was. — iActium
Bishop instilled confidence
The thought I have on BIshop isn’t a specific event memory but a certainty about the man in the crease and the confidence he gave me as a fan. He was a degree of certainty or a best-chance for the Lightning. He stands above other top notch Lightning netminders who presented that aura of confidence (Nikolai Khabibulin, Darren Puppa) and light-years ahead of the all-too-common rank-and-file goalkeepers who saw playing time in Tampa Bay. — John Fontana
A save from the bench
We’ve presented the on-ice saves Bishop has made in his Lightning career but what about the on-the-bench saves? Those reflexes… — waffleboardsave
One sure way to become a fan favorite
During the Lightning’s pre-season fan fest event in September of 2014, players were scheduled to be available to fans for 45-minute autograph signing sessions. Undoubtedly, there were a few fans who left disappointed because the lines to reach certain popular players were simply too long to get through in the alotted time… unless you were looking for a signature from Ben Bishop. Without regard to any set time limit, he stayed until everyone who wanted an autograph and/or a photo got one. In total, he made himself available for two hours, more than an hour after the event itself was supposed to conclude. — Clark Brooks
