Lightning working hard to promote hockey in the community
Yeah, not in Tampa I haven't.
In what is arguably the most important preseason in franchise history — new owners, new coach, new contract for your franchise center, and the No. 1 overall pick in the draft — the Tampa Bay Lightning have gone above and beyond in their attempt to sell hockey to locals. The first camp in which newly signed rookie sensation Steven Stamkos will participate is taking place in Victoria, British Columbia.
THE TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING PROSPECTS ARE IN TOWN AT BEAR MOUNTAIN ARENA THIS WEEK.
ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE CAMP IS NHL FIRST OVERALL DRAFT PICK, STEVEN STAMKOS.
WHEN ASKED ABOUT THE CANUCK’S PICK IN CODY HODGESON, STAMKOS SAID HODGSON “HAS A WELL ROUNDED GAME” AND HE “WOULDN’T BE SURPRISED IF HE STEPS IN AND MAKES IT RIGHT AWAY.”
THE PROSPECT CAMP CONTINUES THROUGH THE WEEK AT BEAR MOUNTAIN ARENA AND IS OPEN AND FREE TO THE PUBLIC.
- SONJA JENSEN
That’s some damn fine work, Sonja. Irritating caps lock use and poor grammar and spelling aside, the logical step was to ask Stamkos about a player against whom he has played only a few times: the Canucks first-round pick Cody Hodgson (note lack of superfluous E, Ms. Jensen)?
On the day he signed his first professional contract, which can pay him up to $8.55 million in bonuses over the bredth of its three years, Stamkos is fielding questions about Cody F’ing Hodgson?
The question I have is why the Bolts, who should be making sure everyone within 50 miles of the St. Pete Times Forum has indeed Seen Stamkos, wouldn’t hold camp somewhere that’s, say, within 3,000 miles of the home market. I understand Len Barrie was born in nearby Kimberly, B.C., but I don’t think a week-long prospect camp is going to turn any British Columbia residents into Bolts fans and that seems like it should be the goal here, no? It’s as crazy as the Canucks holding rookie camp in Pinellas Park.
July 29th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
If parading their team around their other businesses is the new Tampa owners gameplan, hopefully Stamkos will be brutally murdered in the next 10 Saw movies.
August 21st, 2008 at 11:45 pm
HODGSON AND STAMKOS ARE FROM THE SAME HOMETOWN AND PLAYED MINOR HOCKEY TOGETHER. THAT IS FROM STAMKOS HIMSELF. IF YOU HAD DONE YOUR RESEARCH BEFORE BEAKING OFF, YOU WOULDN’T LOOK LIKE SUCH A PRICK.