The players have been practicing together at TGH Ice Plex for the past month. The pre-camp skates set the tone early on.
There was renewed energy this week as players reported back for Training Camp. A culmination of new players coming in, and a veteran core group that had a full summer of rest for the first time in three years.
The winning culture that has been built into the Lightning's framework is still there. As Victor Hedman took to the podium for Media Day, he quickly expressed his desire to win another Stanley Cup. They know people are counting them out, but that doesn’t phase anyone. When asked if the window was still open for them to make another run, Hedman responded confidently.
“Yeah it’s never going to close.”
“We're going to battle, even though people are not going to pick us to win or even make the playoffs. We still believe in our group. We believe in what we have. We’ve got all the pieces and we’ve just got to put everything together,”
“The bottom line is that you don't want to have these long summers. You want to be doing rehab and stuff because you’ve obviously gone far, but at the same time, three long years and two Cups. I wouldn't change that for the world.”
The Lightning’s leading defenseman is looking forward to guiding some of the new additions on defense. Darren Raddysh and Nick Perbix enter this season with NHL ice time under their belt. The expectations will be high for them to step up to the plate.
“For us to be back now and have a little bit of a different shape to our team, we’ve just got to get to work right away and try to get these new guys into our systems and just get ready. Training camp isn’t that long and we're going to get underway very quickly, so you just need to be focused and sharp from the start.”
With several veteran players leaving this summer due to salary cap restraints, leadership efforts will be distributed among multiple players. Stamkos and Hedman will continue spearheading their efforts.
“We have to lead the way and that's the bottom line,” said Hedman. “We've been here for a very long time, but I’m turning 33 in December. I’m not in the beginning of my career, so you’ve got to take advantage of these opportunities when you get to play for this organization and play for this team.”
“It’s going to be a different shape, but I’ve got to go out there and be as good as I can, and the same goes for the rest of the guys. We've got to lead the way from the start and get ready to go here when the fun starts October 10.”
The Lightning will face the Hurricanes for their first preseason matchup on Tuesday, September 26th.