Several members of the Tampa Bay Lightning lost a fair amount of hair this evening at the Tampa Bay Times Forum. Vinny Lecavalier, Teddy Purcell, B.J. Crombeen, Alex Killorn, and Matt Carle formed Team Lightning in the 4th Annual Cut For A Cure charity Challenge.
The event sees people from all over the Bay area raising money to benefit the Pediatric Cancer Foundation. The Bolts have also selected the Vincent Lecavalier Foundation as an additional recipient of the funds they raise. Thanks to the wonders of Twitter, we can see what the guys look at after shedding their locks.
Just because the shaving has already taken place doesn’t mean the fundraising has ended. You can still show your support for this extremely worthy cause through May 3rd here. In a very touching gesture, the players are participating in memory of former teammate Dominic Moore’s late wife Katie.
Well, that was a rough one. The Lightning’s offense sputtered a bit in the wake of Philadelphia’s swarming coverage in the offensive zone. Benoit Pouliot scored the only goal for the Lightning and Andres Lindback made 22 saves.
What seemed to make the most news were two fights that took place. First B.J. Crombeen and Zach Rinaldo dropped the gloves at 6:19 in the first.
Like most of you, we didn’t get a chance to watch the Lightning’s matinee match up against the New York Islanders. Based on how the first two periods went and the reactions on Twitter, that might be for the best. The score makes it seem closer than it actually was. Things started off in rollicking old time hockey fashion. Just one second into the game B.J. Crombeen paired off with Matt Martin. As if it couldn’t get better, Pierre-Cedric Labrie dropped his mitts and took on Joe Finley.
The Tampa Bay Lightning announced their opening night roster well ahead of Friday’s deadline. Here’s how the team is going to look:
Forwards: Vinny Lecavalier, Steven Stamkos, Marty St. Louis, Teddy Purcell, Ryan Malone, Benoit Pouliot, Tom Pyatt, Dana Tyrell, Adam Hall, Nate Thompson, B.J. Crombeen, Cory Conacher and Pierre-Cedric Labrie.
Defensemen: Victor Hedman, Sam Salo, Eric Brewer, Matt Carle, Brian Lee, Marc-Andre Bergeron, Keith Aulie and Brendan Mikkelson.
Goaltenders: Anders Lindback & Mathieu Garon.
So there you have it.That’s how the 2013 Bolts ( Not 2012-13. There was no 2012 involved in this season) will get started. The coaches seemed extremely positive about Conacher, so his addition isn’t exactly a surprise. Labrie on the other hand? Wow. For a while it seemed like Tyler Johnson could make the jump to the main club. Both he and Conacher have been insanely prolific when it comes to scoring. Johnson’s time is definitely coming, but not this Saturday.
The addition of Labrie and Crombeen have the potential to change the landscape of the on ice product if you will. With the exception of Steve Downie, the Lightning have been more about skill and finesse since Yzerman & Boucher came to town. The mantra was reacting to the opponent. Labrie and Crombeen play their game with a healthy amount of grit and physicality. They’ll be expected to play with discipline, but it could make other teams think twice before they take physical advantage of the Bolts.
With the NHL’s impending return, the fans are buzzing with excitement of having actual hockey to talk about again. Our players are returning from near and far. Training camps are right around the corner and many squads have already begun informal skating sessions.
While flipping through photos of the Lightning’s skate the other day, an unsettling moment occurred. There was a player in a Tampa sweater. And I had no idea who the hell he was. Summer signings feel like they were a million years ago, so we can cut ourselves a little slack. We need a refresher course as to who exactly plays for our team now. What better way to do that than with a little game?
Here’s how it works. A series of roster photos will be shown along with multiple choice answers. Pick your answer until you reach the end. The answer key will let you know how you did. Winner gets… the satisfaction of a job well done.
Acquired from the St. Louis Blues over the summer, Crombeen has yet to play a game in a Bolts sweater. In the last three seasons in St. Louis, he had 15 goals in 32 points in 199 games. Add on 393 PIMs to round out the statistics.
His contract will allow B.J. to decide if he wants to continue playing on a week to week basis. The decision to start playing came as the lockout stretches on and since he missed 42 games last season with a shoulder injury.
Apropos of nothing, here is Crombeen and Adam McQuaid fighting.
On the eve of the NHLPA submitting their new CBA proposal to the league, the difference between the two sides seems insurmountable. The owners want to cut back the players’ share of revenues to pre-2004 lockout levels. It goes without saying that the players don’t want to take a huge step back on a game that has seen a huge amount of growth and profitability since the previous work stoppage.
New Lightning right winger B.J. Crombeen has been thrown into the labor negotiations before even playing a shift for his new team. As a member of the players negotiation committee, Crombeen continues to offer a view from the players’ association.
After commissioner Gary Bettman’s speech last Thursday declaring that the owners would not play another season under the current agreement, pessimism coursed throughout hockey fandom. Can we hope for a season that starts on time once the NHLPA submits their proposal tomorrow?
“They feel strong enough that they don’t want to continue under this agreement and want further concessions from the players. We’re trying to make sense of what they need and what they want. Our proposal is a good proposal. With our proposal we feel we’ll be closer to getting that agreement done,” Crombeen said. (Quote Source: Tampa Bay Times)
Vague and not too terribly comforting. For now we wait and see what happens.
When the NHL delivered their first proposal for the new collective bargaining agreement to the NHLPA last week, you could pretty much hear the collective hearts of hockey fans sinking. In short the league was proposing a reduction in the players’ revenue from 57 to 46 percent, entry level contracts of five years instead of three, and unrestricted agency after ten years instead of the current seven or the age of 27.
New Lightning defenseman B.J. Crombeen has a message for you: Don’t Panic.
When Tampa acquired Crombeen from St. Louis earlier this month, they also got a member of the players negotiation committee. Even with the outlandish terms of the league’s proposal, he isn’t ready to start warnings about a lost season yet.
So much for waiting for free agency. The Lightning announced that winger Teddy Purcell was signed to a three year contract extension today. He still has one year left on his current contract, so that means we’ll get to see #16 through 2016 at the Tampa Bay Times Forum.
Purcell has continually improved during his time in Tampa, even having a career season last year. He had 24 goals, 41 assists and 65 points. These numbers completely surpassed any of his previous campaigns. His offensive prowess has become more consistent, as we all saw when he filled in on the top line with captain Vinny Lecavalier was injured. The chemistry that Teddy had with Steven Stamkos and Marty St. Louis was beautiful to watch.
“I felt like the past two seasons I’ve really played to my strengths, which have helped me become a full-time NHL player with Tampa Bay. I really don’t think there is a better fit for me and I still believe I can get better every day, so I’m looking forward to remaining with the Lightning and taking my game another step,” Purcell said. (Quote Source: Lightning Official Site)
According to RDS, the new contract is valued at $13.5 million with an annual cap hit of $4.5 million.
