TAMPA -- The mostly solemn expression on Steven Stamkos' face Monday morning was hardly what you'd expect from a player who had just finished the year in elite National Hockey League company.
Then again, that said a lot about the 22-year-old star of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
For Stamkos, the personal reward of scoring 60 goals in 2011-12 paled in comparison to the disappointment of his team falling short of the playoffs.
"To not make the playoffs outweighs anything you do personally," he said, "Especially after last year's run, having got a taste of that, that was still the most fun I've had playing hockey."
There was nothing fun about the final day here inside their Forum headquarters for Stamkos and his teammates. First came a 10 a.m. team meeting, then exit interviews with head coach Guy Boucher and a time to say goodbyes for the long off-season – instead of gearing up for the Stanley Cup Playoffs as they did in their magical postseason ride a year ago.
Facing a cluster of TV cameras and reporters inside the Lightning locker room, Stamkos reflected quietly on the season as well as his amazing personal achievement – becoming only the 20th player in NHL history to do so, including such greats as Wayne Gretzky, Brett Hull, Mario Lemieux, Alexander Ovechkin (the last player to reach the 60 mark in 2007-08) and Bolts general manager Steve Yzerman, who accomplished the feat twice in his career.
As it turns out, Stamkos now shares something else with his GM in that rare group. He's the first NHL player to score 60 goals and not make the playoffs since Yzerman did so with the Detroit Red Wings in the 1989-90 season.
Of course, Yzerman couldn't be prouder of the first overall pick of the 2008 draft, who gave Bolts fans plenty to cheer in spite through an often difficult, inconsistent and injury-plagued season.
"He's a special player," said the NHL Hall of Famer Monday. "He's really determined to continue to get better. He worked very hard in the off-season. He worked really hard throughout the course of this year. He's driven to get better. And we're fortunate to have him here. Regardless of whether he gets 55, 60 or 65 next year, he's getting better in all the aspects of the game. And his best hockey is yet to come."
Lightning captain Vinny Lecavalier, who has watched Stamkos come into his own as a young player, echoed the sentiment.
"It's unbelievable what he did – and to do it at his age in pretty incredible," Lecavalier remarked. "It was an unreal season. It's too bad we didn't make the playoffs. We kept pushing and kept going, but it's nice to see a young player like that do what he did. He's going to be here a long time and be a big player in this organization. So I'm truly excited about that."
Yzerman ensured that Stamkos will be around for a while, signing him in July to a five-year deal worth $37.5 million. That deal followed a sensational sophomore season in which Stamkos finished tied for the league lead in goals with 51.
When he reached the 50-goal mark this year, he became only the seventh player in NHL history to record a pair of 50-goal seasons before the age of 23.
Stamkos headed into Saturday's season finale in Winnipeg needing one goal to reach the magic number. And he notched it with a wrist shot early in the third period. Jets fans had chanted "No Goal Stamkos!" throughout the game, but showered him with cheers and applause when he finally scored his landmark 60th. That goal, along with Teddy Purcell's third of the night in overtime, helped the Bolts go out with a 4-3 win and a high note.
"I was feeling the pressure," he told reporters after the game. "I was doing my best to not show it and trying not to get too discouraged. It's kind of surreal right now."
So are some of his achievements along the way this season:
• Finished 10 goals ahead of the next-closest goal scorer in the league, Pittsburgh Penguins star center Evgeni Malkin (50) and 19 more than the third-place finisher, New York Rangers' right wing Marian Gabornik.
• Joined Ovechkin as the only other player to reach 60 goals since Lemieux scored 69 and Jaromir Jagr notched 62 in 1995-96.
• Scored an NHL-record five overtime goals.
• Tied for the league lead with Phoenix's Radim Vrbata in game-winning goals (12).
• Scored 48 even-strength goals, the most of any player since 1992-93.
• Has totaled 156 goals since the start of 2009-10, 36 more than the next-closest player (Ovechkin).
His numbers are even more impressive considering that he played the last month of the season with an injured left shoulder, a fact that came to light Monday.
Stamkos isn't sure when he hurt it, though it bothered him enough to nearly miss the March 10 game against Carolina. The injury wasn't bad enough to prevent him from scoring two goals – No. 49 and No. 50 – one game later. As a precaution, Stamkos underwent an MRI Monday and results could be known Tuesday. If there's any issue at all, he might opt to skip playing for Canada in early May in the World Championships.
In the meantime, Stamkos is still trying to wrap his mind around the number sixty. He acknowledged Monday that the whole thing hadn't quite sunk in yet.
"I don't know when it will," he said. "Maybe after the playoffs are all said and done, I don't know. To be honest, it was a special night. I was relieved to get it. I was kind of thinking yesterday, if I did get stuck on 59, as much as I said it wouldn't have meant anything, it would have. So it was nice to do it."
As for being part of legendary group of players now, Stamkos feels honored. "It's something no one can ever take away from you," he said. "You'll always be remembered as someone who's done that and will get mentioned with those guys. It's surreal to think my name will be in that group with all those Hall of Fame players. But like I said, it's something that hasn't sunk in yet and when it does, it'll be even more special."
Stamkos scored on nearly 20 percent of his shots this season. Does that suggest Boucher will encourage him to take even more shots next year?
"I can't encourage him more than now," Boucher said. "His shot's his main asset with his speed. … With Stammer, it's always been about his speed, his charging through players rather than trying to (fake them out). I think he has the perfect mix right now. His focus is right, on everything. So I don't want to mess with whatever else he's thinking about. He's on the right track with everything."
The Lightning hope to get back on the right track now, returning to the playoffs next season after a 10th-place finish in the Eastern Conference standings at 38-36-8. Stamkos certainly wants that more than any individual glory.
As he told reporters last week on the eve of scoring his 60th, "You'd trade this stuff in a heartbeat for winning a championship. You don't play to score a certain amount of goals or to get individual awards. You play to win a league championship game."
That's what would truly bring a smile to his face.
