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An Honor To Be Part Of History

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 25, 2009

Lightning center and No. 1 overall draft pick Steven Stamkos is making the transition this season from junior star to NHL regular. Throughout the season, the 18-year-old from Markham, Ontario, will share his experiences with Tribune writer Erik Erlendsson to give readers an insight into a new way of life during his rookie journey.

It will be nice to meet and greet with the other YoungStars players during this weekend's All-Star festivities, and to see some familiar faces in Toronto defenseman Luke Schenn and Kings defenseman Drew Doughty. I'll probably hang out with them the most.

I think it will be cool, too, to get to know some of the guys you battle against every night and get to know them off the ice. This is my first experience with this, so I'm going to try to soak up as much as I can and have as much fun as I can.

Our schedule has been pretty packed, with signing sessions and me and Schenn visited a hospital here in Montreal. There are corporate events to attend, plus the game itself. Hopefully I'll get the chance to relax today and take in the All-Star Game.

This is a pretty historic event in Montreal. As somebody who grew up in Toronto as a Maple Leafs fan, you learn to hate the Habs, but this is pretty nice. With it being in a Canadian city, it's a pretty hyped-up event.

There was a buzz before we even came, the building will be packed, the fan support is great and the city has done a great job. With this the 100th year of hockey for Montreal, seeing all the honored greats, it's a pretty historic time. I feel pretty honored to be here.

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