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Vinny on the clock

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Joe Henderson

jhenderson@tampatrib.com

Published: October 2, 2009

TAMPA - Where did all those seasons go? Vinny Lecavalier doesn't have the answer, except he knows they have flown by since he entered the National Hockey League 11 years ago. He has gone from a raw rookie to a superstar with his name on the Stanley Cup to a frustrated member of a really bad team.

The clock never stops, though. He will be 30 years old in April, and he finally has the security of a contract that will end the trade rumors that have surrounded him for years. He is the face of the Tampa Bay Lightning - just look at the giant banner on the side of the Forum featuring five players.

Vinny is the guy in the middle.

It's a fitting position for a player at the crossroads of his career, the leader of a team that was lost but seems on the rebound.

"I've been through ups and downs, a lot of tough years - especially at the beginning," he said. "But we won the Cup here and I want to spend the rest of my career here. I just like being here. I love playing for this team. We can be a good team."

He is coming off a 67-point season, one of the lowest outputs of his career. He needed surgery last spring to repair an injured wrist, and he had shoulder surgery the year before that, and that was frustrating. And, of course, he was the leader of the gang that couldn't shoot straight - a Lightning team that for two seasons now has been unable to get out of its own way. That was the worst of all.

The Bolts head into Saturday's regular-season opener at Atlanta, though, with more than just cautious optimism. They are talking playoffs. They upgraded the defense and have goalie Mike Smith back and healthy; he missed the second half of last season because of post-concussion syndrome. They added Alex Tanguay up front to beef up the attack.

And they have Vinny. They have to have Vinny be the kind of player everyone knows he can be.

"I just think he's mentally fresh and physically fresh. He's had three or four months to get away, get his body in shape and get himself healed up," Lightning coach Rick Tocchet said.

"I just think it was good for him to get away, wherever he went, he took a couple of good vacations to get away from hockey, and you can tell that he's excited about this year. So that's the most important talks we've had this summer is for him to get away, get his body and mind fresh, and come back and be the leader he can be. He's doing his job."

He seems different, though. Actually, a lot of things are different on Channelside Drive these days - including Vinny. He has never sought the spotlight and the attention that goes with it, but when it is suggested he has to lead this team on its path out of purgatory, he quickly answers, "Of course."

A season like last year will do that to you.

"It was miserable. It was tough to come to the rink," Lecavalier said. "It's like anybody when things don't go well at work. It wasn't fun, and when it's not as much fun, nobody produces as much. It was just a tough environment."

The constant trade rumors made it worse. There was always some media report that Vinny was headed out of town, but July 1 came and went and he was still here. And he is going to stay here. That date triggered a "no trade-no movement" clause in his contract, so anyone still stuck on the notion he'll be playing somewhere else needs to get over it. The contract runs until 2020.

"I love playing for this team. We can be a good team. This team, the sweater I put on, it's special because I've been here a long time," he said. "This city has been great to me from the second I got here."

In turn, Lecavalier has been an active force for good in the community and an unfailing good ambassador for his franchise and his sport. When you've held Lord Stanley's cup aloft, though, it's hard to accept the constant losing and turmoil that have been a way of life for the Bolts the past two years.

It's still about winning. It's about getting back to playing competitive hockey. It's about Vinny being Vinny.

Where did the seasons go?

Here's a more relevant question: Are better days ahead?

One look at Vinny and you have your answer.

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