Lightning great Martin St. Louis named team captain
TAMPA BAY -- Tampa Bay all-time points leader Martin St. Louis was named the ninth captain in Lightning history, head coach Jon Cooper announced Tuesday night.
The Lightning's three alternate captains will be defenseman Matt Carle and forwards Steven Stamkos and Nate Thompson. "Our discussions regarding a new captain began in June and we're very excited to make this announcement tonight," said Cooper, who made the announcement night at an invitation-only event in St. Petersburg.
"Marty embodies everything a captain should be. The captaincy is one of the highest honors in hockey and Marty is well-deserving. We have a great group of leaders on this team and I’m sure Marty will receive plenty of support moving forward." St. Louis, 38, is the Lightning's all-time leader in points (892), assists (556) and shorthanded goals (28). He ranks second in games played (910), goals (336), power-play goals (87) and game-winning goals (59).
He also is Tampa Bay’s all-time post-season leader with 63 games played, 33 goals, 35 assists, 68 points, 10 power-play goals, three shorthanded goals, eight game-winning goals and three overtime winners. St. Louis' double-overtime goal in the 2004 Stanley Cup finals against Calgary forced Game 7, which the Lightning won 2-1 to capture the franchise’s first championship. The Laval, Quebec, native is a six-time NHL All-Star who was awarded the Hart Trophy as the league's Most Valuable Player in 2003-04. He's also a two-time recipient of the Art Ross Trophy as the league's top scorer, and a three-time recipient of the Lady Byng Trophy for sportsmanship.
