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Vincent Lecavalier
Vinny Lecavalier 2007
Position Centre
Shoots Left
Nickname(s) Vinny, St. Vincent
Height
Weight
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
222 lb (101 kg)
NHL Team Philadelphia Flyers
Nationality Canada
Born (1980-04-21)April 21, 1980,
Ile Bizard, PQ, CAN
NHL Draft 1st overall, 1998
Tampa Bay Lightning
Pro Career 1998 – present

Vincent Lecavalier (born April 21, 1980) is a Canadian professional hockey centre for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Lecavalier previously spent his first 14 NHL seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning before being bought out following the 2012–13 season and signing with the Flyers for $22.5 million over 5 years. He was chosen first overall by the Lightning in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft and won a Stanley Cup with the team in 2004. He won the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy in 2007 as the NHL's leading goal scorer.

Playing career

Rimouski Océanic

Lecavalier played two years of junior hockey for the Rimouski Océanic of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). During his tenure, he quickly established himself as one of the NHL's top prospects. In his first season with the Océanic, he won the Michel Bergeron Trophy as the QMJHL's top rookie forward.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Lecavalier was drafted first overall by Tampa Bay in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft, during which new Lightning owner Art Williams proclaimed that Lecavalier would be "the Michael Jordan of hockey".[1].

On March 1, 2000,[2] following his sophomore season, he was named captain, becoming the youngest captain in NHL history at 19 years and 314 days (since surpassed by Sidney Crosby). Previously, Steve Yzerman had held that honour, having been named captain of the Detroit Red Wings at 21 years, 5 months.[3]

Lecavalier however never fulfilled expectations and was later stripped of the captaincy before the 2001–02 NHL season when Lightning management decided he was too young even as a high calibre player. Around that time, he clashed frequently with head coach John Tortorella. Tortorella demanded more accountability from his players, and showed this by stripping Lecavalier of the team captaincy after he missed the start of 2001–02 because of contract negotiations.

Iginla v Lecavalier

Lecavalier faces off against Jarome Iginla. The two players battled in the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals.

Tortorella has since noted that Lecavalier has matured and become a less selfish player since losing the team captaincy.[1] During the 2003–04 NHL season, while Martin St. Louis led in regular season scoring and Brad Richards led in the playoffs, Lecavalier played a key role in the team's Stanley Cup victory, assisting on the Cup-clinching goal. He was named MVP of the Canadian National Team in the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, which Canada won.

During the lockout which canceled the 2004–05 NHL season, Lecavalier, along with Lightning teammates Nikolai Khabibulin and Brad Richards, played for Ak Bars Kazan in the Russian Superleague. Lecavalier scored 16 points as Kazan finished 4th in the league and lost in the first round of the playoffs.

Lecavalier was selected to play for Team Canada at the 2006 Olympics, but returned to Tampa without a medal.

Lecavalier broke the all-time Tampa Bay Lightning record for most points in a season by scoring his 95th point on March 16, 2007 against the Buffalo Sabres. The record was previously held by Martin St. Louis, who had 94 points during the 2003–04 NHL season.

On March 30, 2007, in a game against the Carolina Hurricanes, Lecavalier became the first Lightning player to record 50 goals in a season. He finished the season with 52 goals, edging Ottawa's Dany Heatley, who scored 50 goals, to earn the Maurice 'Rocket' Richard Trophy as the NHL's top goal scorer for the 2006–07 season.

Vincent Lecavalier 2007

Lecavalier in 2007.

During the 2007–08 NHL season, Lecavalier recorded 8 straight multipoint games, being the first to do so since Jaromír Jágr in 1996. The scoring streak put him first in the NHL scoring race, until he was surpassed by Ottawa Senators' captain, Daniel Alfredsson, who scored 7 points in the final game before the All-Star break. He was named captain of the Eastern Conference at the 2008 NHL All Star Game.

In the 2007–08 offseason, Lecavalier underwent shoulder surgery to repair a fracture from taking a hit against Matt Cooke of the Washington Capitals. He underwent another surgery on his left wrist later in the summer.

On July 12, 2008, Lecavalier agreed to an eleven-year, $85 million contract extension with the Lightning. His new contract begins after the 2008–09 season, and runs through the 2019–20 season, which could see the All-Star forward end his career with the Lightning.

Before the start of the 2008–09 NHL season, he was re-named captain of the Tampa Bay Lightning on September 18, 2008.

Vinnylecavalier

Captain Vincent Lecavalier in December 2009.

In mid January 2009, rumors were swirling around a possible trade which would send Lecavalier to the Montreal Canadiens, his hometown, but Brian Lawton later stated that Lecavalier would rather stay in Tampa Bay for the rest of his career. Lecavalier confirmed in his own words his preference of playing in Tampa Bay over his native Montreal.[4] On January 24, at the NHL's superskills competition, Lecavalier received a standing ovation from the Montreal crowd that lasted for 30 seconds when he was being introduced.

Lecavalier underwent season-ending wrist surgery on April 3, 2009.[5]

On January 21, 2013, Lecavalier played in his 1000th NHL game, all with the Tampa Bay Lightning, becoming the 280th NHL player to reach that milestone. The team honored him on January 25, their next home game, with several gifts including an engraved silver stick.

In June 2013, the New York Post reported that the Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs had discussed a trade which would have sent Lecavalier to Toronto; the Maple Leafs would receive an asset in exchange for buying out Lecavalier's contract and he would then be free to re-sign with Tampa as an unrestricted free agent at a lower salary cap hit. Though the Maple Leafs denied the report, NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly promptly sent out a memo to all 30 league teams, warning them to avoid transactions deemed a circumvention of the collective bargaining agreement. The CBA prevents teams from re-signing players they've bought out for a minimum of one year. One day later, the Lightning announced that it was buying out Lecavalier's contract, allowing their longest serving player to become an unrestricted free agent. The buyout will pay Lecavalier a total of $32.67 million and rid the Lightning of his $7.727 million salary cap hit.

Philadelphia Flyers

On July 2, 2013, Lecavalier signed a five-year, $22.5 millon contract with the Philadelphia Flyers, less than a week after being bought out by the Lightning.[12] Lecavalier will not be able to wear his usual number 4 in Philadelphia, since the uniform number is already retired in honor of Barry Ashbee. Instead, he will wear number 40.


Personal life

Attended Thorndale Elementary in Pierrefonds and then he went to John Rennie High School in Pointe-Claire, Quebec for two years (1992–1993) before transferring to Athol Murray College of Notre Dame in Wilcox, Saskatchewan, Canada. Has been best friends with ex-Lightning center Brad Richards, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2004 as Most Valuable Player of the NHL Playoffs, since the age of 14, when they met at Notre Dame, where they were roommates and became best friends. Since then they have gone on to being teammates with the Rimouski Océanic and also with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Lecavalier currently resides in Tampa's Davis Island.

Lecavalier has been dating Caroline Portelance since 2001. On May 3, 2010, at 1:20 pm Portelance gave birth to their first child, a girl, whom they named Victoria.

He is featured in The Rocket: The Maurice Richard Story. Lecavalier portrayed legendary Montréal Canadiens center, Jean Béliveau. He wears number 4 to honour Béliveau and legendary Boston Bruins defenseman Bobby Orr.

During the release of the video game NHL 06, EA Sports featured Lecavalier as the cover athlete for the game.

In October 2007, Lecavalier pledged $3 million to a new All Children's Hospital facility under construction in St. Petersburg, Florida. The facility will be named the Vincent Lecavalier Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorders Center in his honor.

Career statistics

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1994–95 Notre Dame SHA 50 38 42 80
1995–96 Notre Dame SHA 22 52 52 104
1996–97 Rimouski Océanic QMJHL 64 42 61 103 38 4 4 3 7 2
1997–98 Rimouski Océanic QMJHL 58 44 71 115 117 18 15 26 41 46
1998–99 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 82 13 15 28 23
1999–00 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 80 25 42 67 43
2000–01 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 68 23 28 51 66
2001–02 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 76 20 17 37 61
2002–03 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 80 33 45 78 39 11 3 3 6 22
2003–04 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 81 32 34 66 52 23 9 7 16 25
2004–05 Ak Bars Kazan RSL 30 7 9 16 78 4 1 0 1 6
2005–06 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 80 35 40 75 90 5 1 3 4 7
2006–07 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 82 52 56 108 44 6 5 2 7 10
2007–08 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 81 40 52 92 89
2008–09 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 77 29 38 67 54
2009–10 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 82 24 46 70 63
2010–11 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 65 25 29 54 43 18 6 13 19 16
2011–12 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 64 22 27 49 50
2012–13 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 39 10 22 32 29
NHL totals 869 326 413 739 624 45 18 15 33 64

International play

Medal record
World Cup
Gold 2004 World Cup of Hockey Ice hockey

Lecavalier has played for Canada in:

International statistics

Year Comp   GP G A Pts PIM
1998 WJC 7 1 1 2 4
2001 WC 7 3 2 5 29
2004 WCH 6 2 5 7 8
2006 Oly 6 0 3 3 16
Senior int'l totals 19 5 10 15 53

Awards

Junior

NHL

International

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 [1]
  2. Tampa Bay Lightning History 1999-2000. Tampa Bay Lightning. Retrieved on 2008-07-21.
  3. Brian Bellows was named interim-captain at age 19 years, 4 months while Craig Hartsburg was out of the lineup with an injury.
  4. http://www.cbc.ca/sports/blogs/2009/01/lecavalier_wants_to_stay_in_ta.html
  5. http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=534203 Retrieved on 2009-04-02.

External links


Tampa Bay Lightning Captains
Ysebaert | Renberg | Zamuner | Houlder | Gratton | Lecavalier | Andreychuk | Taylor | Lecavalier | St. Louis | Stamkos


National Hockey League first overall draft picks

Monahan Gauthier Veilleux Gibbs Pagnutti Plasse Houle Perreault Lafleur Harris Potvin Joly Bridgman Green McCourt Smith Ramage Wickenheiser Hawerchuk Kluzak Lawton Lemieux Clark Murphy Turgeon Modano Sundin Nolan Lindros Hamrlík Daigle Jovanovski Berard Phillips Thornton Lecavalier Štefan DiPietro Kovalchuk Nash Fleury Ovechkin Crosby Johnson Kane Stamkos

This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at Vincent Lecavalier. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Ice Hockey Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License 3.0 (Unported) (CC-BY-SA).


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