Back in 2015, a young, dynamic Tampa Bay Lightning team made the Stanley Cup Final. They weren't some happy-go-lucky team. They had 110 points, they led the NHL in scoring. They had two great superstars entering their prime in Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman - both 24. They had a truly great second line with players 21, 23 and 24 (Kucherov, Palat and Johnson). They were deep, fast, and extremely skilled. I thought they would win that final against an aging Chicago Blackhawks team. It was something of a passing of the torch. But somehow the Blackhawks stole a few games, and took the series. It was supposed to be the start of something great in Tampa. It was - it just took a while to get the silverware.
This past five years of the NHL has been defined by teams that had been contenders for a number of years finally breaking through. First it was the Penguins in 2016 (admittedly, they won in 2009). Then the Capitals, in maybe the most enthralling, cathartic breakthrough, won in 2018. The Blues won it last year. Finally it gets capped with a Tampa team that was as talented as that group - had been on the losing end of some of those runs (both the 2016 Penguins and 2018 Capitals beat the Lightning in the Conference Finals). Tampa truly deserved it, and given the ages of some of their core, they might not be done quite yet.
The Lightning seemed destined for this moment, but like the Capitals before them, the road here was a slog. The year after the Cup loss, they had a rough, uneven year, sneaking into the playoffs in a weak division, but then took fire. The player who rose up that season was a 25-year old Victor Hedman, truly coming into his own that year. Those playoffs, Steven Stamkos had a heart issue that kept him out of most of it. Hedman took on the role of the de-facto Captain, taking his team on his back to some degree, to a 3-2 lead in the Conference Final. It wasn't enough, Pittsburgh took the last two games.
In 2018, the Lightning were a truly great team, 113 points (tops in the East), 296 goals - most in eight years. They were reaching their apex - easily handling the Devils and Bruins (a 110-point team themselves) in the playoffs. Then the Capitals snuck one out - once again winning the last two games when down 3-2 in teh Conference Finals.
Of course, we all know last year. Unparalleled regular season success with 128 points, 325 goals. Three with 90 points. Hedman with another stellar year. Andrei Vasilevsky won the Vezina. Then they were swept - and not only swept, but done so with embarrassing aplomb. First, they blew a 3-0 lead in the first game. Then Kucherov got suspended. Then Hedman re-injured his ankle. It was truly terrible. It should have hurt this team long-term. It did for a bit with a slow start to the season - then they hit their stride.... and then Covid hit.
The Lightning made it look easy year after year in the regular season, but never did in the playoffs. So it is fitting when they finally win, they do so in a bubble, with no fans, in isolation, in the toughest way possible.
The Lightning are a team full of great stories - not too surprising given perennial 'we got so close' type teams generally get empathized over time (take the Capitals). It starts with the man who got the Cup first. Steven Stamkos is an electric player, but his body has failed him time and time again. Sometimes not of his doing (breaking his leg at the Olympics in 2014, a blood clot issue in 2016). Sometimes it was wear and tear. He is beloved by his time, more or less so by the NHL community. He has been a rousing Captain and it was truly great to see him lace up twice this series, first to score a goal on one of his three shifts (and my God, what a shot) and finally to lift the Cup.
The guy who took it second is right there in Victor Hedman. He was drafted #2 the year after Stamkos went #1, and immediately the two were poised to take over. It took a while for Hedman to fully develop, but he's been the best defensemen over the past five seasons, and is squarely in line for the Hall of Fame. He was dominant throughout the playoffs, and while he was so desserving of the Conn Smyth, seeing him break down carrying the Cup was awesome to see.
The Lightning still have a decently long runway left. Kucherov and Point have taken on and now exceeded the Stamkos-sized position of leading the offense. Guys like Sergachev and Cernak are ready to up their game as players like McDonagh slow down (Hedman, I assume, will be a swedish Adonis for years to come). Vasilevsky is still young and extremely dependable. Jon Cooper's steady hand survived a bunch of rough waves and should comandeer MS Lightning for years to come.
The whole bubble experience was incredible. Such a credit needs to be given for the NHL and they way they handled it. The two bubbles kept, they never had issues. Sure it was tough on players, but ultimately they created an environment for players to care, for fans to get their wish and for the cup to get awarded. They created an in-arena atmosphere that worked fairly well. They did their job - the Lightning (and other teams) did the rest.
The Lightning leave the bubble with the hardware, something they so richly deserved. Stamkos and Hedman likely locked up their place in the Hall of Fame. The Lightning play with such an open, fun, connected style. They 'grit' players they brought in like Patrick Maroon, Barclay Goodrow and Blake Coleman perfectly complemented then innate skill their top end has. It was a perfect fit. The Lightning were a perfect fit - finally.
