The Tampa Bay Lightning acknowledged one of the greatest players in franchise history on Wednesday, and did it in style.
Flyers forward Vincent Lecavalier -- who spent the first 14 years of his career with the Bolts -- played his first game as an opponent in Tampa tonight, and both his former organization and its fans paid tribute:
Here’s the tribute video in full:
Bought out of his 11-year, $85 million deal in July, Lecavalier was a beloved figure in the area and known for community involvement — in 2007, he pledged $3 million to a pediatric cancer center (that bears his name) at the All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg.
On the ice, he was an instrumental figure on the club’s first and only Stanley Cup-winning team and served two stints as captain, for a grand total of six seasons with the “C” on his sweater.
He also left as the Lightning’s all-time leader in games played (1,037), goals (383), power play goals (112) and game-winning goals (60).
In another classy gesture, the Lightning named Lecavalier the 12th “Lightning Community Hero” of the year during the first period and awarded his foundation a $50,000 donation.