Sport-scan daily brief

- Lecavalier after the Lightning edged the Flames 2-1 in Game 7 to win the Stanley Cup

"People were wrong. I'm here and I'm not going anyplace.''

- Lecavalier in September 2005

"We're not going to trade Vinny Lecavalier. I'm going to say 'never' so I don't have to deal with it.''

- Lightning GM Brian Lawton on Feb. 23, 2009

"If they deal Vinny, it'll be because of money. There's no other way to spin it.''

- Lightning founder Phil Esposito on June 23, 2009

"There was a lot of consideration and it's not something I enjoy, or we enjoy doing. It's an inevitable part of the business. But we recognize and were concerned that we have a player that was an original draft pick and a very popular player, so that makes it more difficult. Unfortunately, with the new CBA, the salary cap puts us in a position to have to look at that type of thing, to assess that in the long term for the organization."

- Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman on Thursday, after announcing the team would buy out Lecavalier's contract

"Today is a tough day. It's tough to explain, but it really is a tough day for us."

- Lecavalier on Thursday, after learning his tenure in Tampa Bay was over after 14 seasons

THE HIGHS

Lecavalier's first NHL goal came in his eighth pro game as he batted a puck past Garth Snow during a 3-2 victory against Vancouver on Oct. 25, 1998.

In Game 3 of a 2004 second-round playoff series against Montreal, Lecavalier tied the score with 16.5 seconds remaining in regulation by redirecting a puck past Jose Theodore with the blade of his stick between his legs. "I've never practiced that - not even on an outdoor pond," Lecavalier said after Tampa Bay won in overtime en route to a four-game sweep of his hometown Canadiens.

Lecavalier dropped the gloves against Calgary's Jarome Iginla at the 6:17 mark of Game 3 of the 2004 Stanley Cup finals. After Lecavalier held his own against one of the league's better fighters, Tortorella was seen applauding behind the Lightning bench. "As far as the fight was concerned, I thought that was good stuff by Vinny," Tortorella said. "If it happened again, I think it would be terrific."

In Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals against Calgary, Lecavalier assisted on Ruslan Fedotenko's winning goal.

Only three months after lifting the Stanley Cup trophy, Lecavalier's goal at 3:45 of overtime lifted Canada past the Czech Republic 4-3 and into the final of the World Cup of Hockey. "Scoring in OT for your country is going to be high on my list during my career," Lecavalier said in September 2004.

On March 30, 2007, Lecavalier became Tampa Bay's first 50-goal scorer as his backhander was deflected by Carolina D David Tanabe past Cam Ward in a 4-2 triumph. "It was obviously really fluky," Lecavalier said. "But it seems like it's always like that, something fluky."

In the 2006-07 season, Lecavalier turned in his most prolific scoring effort. He led the league with 52 goals and had 56 assists and 108 points - all career highs.

On Jan. 21, 2013, Lecavalier played in his 1,000th career game, at the New York Islanders. A few days later, his accomplishment was celebrated with a pregame ceremony in Tampa during which he was presented with the traditional silver stick by the league. "It's definitely a great honor to be a part of this organization for so long, and today to have family and friends and everybody here in Tampa, it's a great honor," Lecavalier said.

Lecavalier's last goal in a Lightning uniform was on April 18 at Montreal with 5:07 left in the third period.

THE LOWS

After ending his preseason holdout and reporting to the Lightning on Oct. 6, 2001, Lecavalier was stripped of his captaincy. "I know this hurts Vinny, but this is being done with his best interest in mind,'' said coach John Tortorella, who replaced Steve Ludzik behind the bench nine months earlier.

In November 2003, Tortorella benched Lecavalier for the final 15:42 of the second period in a 1-1 tie at Boston. "An awful call,'' Lecavalier said. "I'm just going to keep playing hard. If I get benched for it, that's fine.''

Lecavalier suffered a separated shoulder in April 2008 against Washington that required surgery and hampered him during the early stages of the 2008-09 season. He also had surgery that summer on his left wrist.

In April 2009, Lecavalier again had wrist surgery, ending his season.

HONORS AND AWARDS

* Stanley Cup championship in 2004

* Four-time NHL All-Star - 2003, 2007, 2008 (captain), 2009

* 2006-07 Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy as NHL's leading goal-scorer with 52

* 2008 King Clancy Memorial Trophy, given annually to the NHL player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and made a significant humanitarian contribution to his community

* 2009 NHL Foundation Player Award, awarded annually by the NHL to the player who applies the core values of hockey - commitment, perseverance and teamwork - to enrich the lives of people in his community.

* On cover of EA Sports' NHL 06 video game.

DIGITS

33 - Points in 45 Stanley Cup playoff games

27 - multi-goal games

23 - Average goals per season for first five seasons

22 - Average goals per season for last five seasons

16 - Points in 30 games for Russia's Ak Bars Kazan in 2004-05

4 - Jersey number Lecavalier wears to honor his idol, Canadiens Hall of Fame C Jean Beliveau

IN THE COMMUNITY

In 2005, the Vincent Lecavalier Foundation was launched to support local children's hospitals and charities. Two years later, Lecavalier donated $3 million to All-Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg for a facility to be named the Vincent Lecavalier Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorder Center.

CAREER STATISTICS

GP G A Pts. PIM +/- PP SH GW

1998-99 82 13 15 28 -19 23 2 0 2

1999-00 80 25 42 67 -25 43 6 0 3

2000-01 68 23 28 51 -26 66 7 0 3

2001-02 76 20 17 37 -18 61 5 0 3

2002-03 80 33 45 78 0 39 11 2 3

2003-04 81 32 34 66 23 52 5 2 6

2005-06 80 35 40 75 0 90 13 2 7

2006-07 82 52 56 108 2 44 16 5 7

2007-08 81 40 52 92 -17 89 10 1 7

2008-09 77 29 38 67 -9 54 10 1 6

2009-10 82 24 46 70 -16 63 5 0 3

2010-11 65 25 29 54 -5 43 12 0 5

2011-12 64 22 27 49 -2 50 5 0 5

2012-13 39 10 22 32 -5 29 5 0 0

Totals 1,037 383 491 874 -117 746 112 13 60

PLAYOFF STATISTICS

GP G A Pts. PIM +/- PP SH GW

2002-03 11 3 3 6 -2 22 1 0 1

2003-04 23 9 7 16 -2 25 2 0 0

2005-06 5 1 3 4 0 7 1 0 0

2006-07 6 5 2 7 4 10 1 0 1

2010-11 18 6 13 19 6 16 3 0 3

Totals 63 24 28 52 6 80 8 0 5

Tampa Tribune LOADED: 06.28.2013

682765 Tampa Bay Lightning

Vinny Lecavalier touches Tampa Bay in lasting way

Tom Jones, Times Sports Columnist

Thursday, June 27, 2013 6:47pm

The nightmare began a little after 3 in the morning on Dec. 10, 2010. That's when Bob and Jill Dewhurst of Brandon learned their son, Will, had leukemia.

Will was only 3 at the time, too young to realize the grueling road that lay ahead but old enough to sense something was upsetting Mommy and Daddy. The Dewhursts spent the rest of that horrible night inside a room at All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg sobbing and wondering how their world would ever be the same.

A few hours later, Vinny Lecavalier walked into the room. And into their lives.

"Will didn't know who he was,'' Jill said, "but here's this big man leaning over to put his arm around little Will, and Will immediately could tell he had a new friend. He got the biggest smile. And he suddenly forgot how upsetting everything was around him. That's how Vinny makes all these kids feel. Vinny is a blessing.''

That's what makes this all so hard. Thursday, you see, was an awful day in Tampa Bay. We lost our blessing. We lost Vincent Lecavalier.

The Tampa Bay Lightning bought out his contract, making him a free agent. Lecavalier is no longer a member of the Lightning.

Many of us will remember him as a mere 18-year-old, putting on a Tampa Bay sweater while a crazy kook of an owner called him the Michael Jordan of hockey. We can still see him hoisting the Stanley Cup over his head in 2004. We close our eyes and see him jumping into the boards, celebrating with fans after another spectacular goal. We'll always see that sweater with the No. 4 on the back and the big C, for captain, on the front.

But here are the Images we should remember, the Images we need to remember:

Lecavalier wearing a hospital gown with a mask and gloves while cradling the head of a baby ravaged with cancer. The somber moments comforting the parents of children stricken by that terrible disease. We should picture all the times he shaved his head or spoke at functions or used his only day off in weeks to raise money and awareness in the fight against pediatric cancer.

As a hockey player, Lecavalier was pretty good. Maybe not as good as he should have been for as long as he should have been, but pretty darn good.

But it's not his nifty goals or slick passes or even the occasional good ol' fashioned hockey fight we will miss most. It's everything else Lecavalier did.

He came here as a teenager in 1998, a gangly French-speaking kid from Ile Bizard, Quebec, just outside of Montreal. He was supposed to save a franchise. He now leaves as a grown man of 33, a father himself, doing everything he can to save a community, one sick child at a time.

Tampa Bay has had its share of admirable citizens who just happened to play sports for a living. But you could argue no athlete had more of an impact on Tampa Bay than Lecavalier. For proof, go to the seventh floor of All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg.

That's where you will find the Vincent Lecavalier Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorders Center. Will Dewhurst, now 6 and going through what his parents hope is the final year of chemotherapy, calls it "Vinny's Floor.'' How fitting.

Lecavalier has already raised millions and pledged to raise more, a promise he plans to keep no matter where his locker is next season.

"This city, this community accepted me, and I felt I should pay them back. I owed it to them,'' Lecavalier said Thursday, just hours after his contract was bought out. "I didn't know what. I didn't know how. But I knew I needed to do something. And then I learned more about kids with cancer, and I knew I needed to do something.''

When asked if he is more proud that his name is on the Stanley Cup or on the wall of a hospital floor, Lecavalier passes.

"It's not about having a name on a wall or having people say good things about you,'' Lecavalier said. "That's not why I do it. I do it because it needs to be done and because I can. It's about those kids; seeing what they go through, seeing how hard they fight. That's what it's about. It's not about me.''

For example, Jill Dewhurst says when Lecavalier found out Will loved golf, he dropped by to take Will golfing.

"No one knows about that,'' Jill said. "It was just two buddies going golfing. A lot of athletes have charities, but for Vinny, it's a commitment. This isn't just a charity. It's a part of his life.''

Heck, most kids over on Vinny's Floor don't even really know who Lecavalier is.

"A lot of them come up to me and say, 'Hey, you're the guy whose picture is on the wall over there,' " Lecavalier said with a laugh.

Even the Lightning realized how difficult it was to let go of a player who has meant so much to Tampa Bay.

"His contributions to the community are immeasurable," Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman said.

Yzerman found it necessary to send a letter to season-ticket holders explaining the decision. In it, Yzerman told fans Lecavalier will be honored as a Lightning Community Hero at his first game back in the Tampa Bay Times Forum with his new team, whoever and whenever that might be.

Was it the right move to part ways with the most recognizable player in franchise history? Probably. Lecavalier's contract had become too hefty and took up too much salary cap space. His productivity no longer equaled his salary. If the Lightning didn't make the move now, it would have a year from now.

In the end, there's no bad guy here. The Lightning was smart to sign him to the big contract when it did and smart to get out from under it now. Thursday was strictly business. Lecavalier handled the news with class, as you knew he would.

But it doesn't make it any easier.

"It's a hard thing,'' Lecavalier said. "Tampa Bay is like home to me.''

It's still hard to swallow. It's still hard to believe. Lecavalier is no longer a member of the Lightning.

But he will always be a part of Tampa Bay.

•"This is something we need to do," says general manager Steve Yzerrman. 1C

• Vinny Lecavalier's top five moments with the Lightning. 6C

Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 06.28.2013

682766 Tampa Bay Lightning

Lightning plans Lecavalier buyout

Damian Cristodero, Times Staff Writer

Thursday, June 27, 2013 9:28am

It was about 8:30 Thursday morning, and Lightning captain Vinny Lecavalier had just sat down with his family in their Montreal home to a breakfast of eggs and fruit.

Then his phone rang. It was general manager Steve Yzerrman, and Lecavalier pretty much lost his appetite.

Tampa Bay is buying out the final seven years of your contract, Yzerman told the player.

"Just the feeling inside," Lecavalier said of his reaction. "When you get that phone call and you're told you're not playing for the Lightning, it was pretty rough on everybody."

The move was not unexpected. With $45 million remaining on his contract and an annual $7.727 million salary cap hit, Lecavalier's deal was a much talked-about liability for a team needing cap relief. But that didn't make the buyout any less dramatic.

For one thing, the announcement came 15 years to the day in 1998 on which Tampa Bay drafted Lecavalier No. 1 overall. For another, Yzerman admitted the team, which has missed the playoffs the past two seasons, could be worse in the short term as it tries to overcome the loss of a productive No. 2 center.

"Ideally, we have the solution, we have a replacement. We don't have that player today," Yzerman said. "But if we're going to be serious about change, this is something we had to look at doing."

But change can be difficult.

Lecavalier, 33, is a Tampa Bay icon. He holds franchise records with 1,037 games, 383 goals, 60 winners and 112 on the power play. He was Tampa Bay's first 50-goal scorer.

His Game 3 fight with Jarome Iginla during the 2004 Stanley Cup final still is celebrated as is the $3 million commitment he made in 2007 through his charitable foundation to help establish the Vincent Lecavalier Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg.

That said, Tampa Bay had more than $60 million in salary cap commitments for next season and as many as five roster spots to fill. With the salary cap plunging to $64.3 million from last season's $70.2 million, Yzerman was desperate to create space.

He also wanted to be free of Lecavalier's 11-year, $85 million front-loaded deal that was fashioned by the team's previous ownership and management groups and would cost Tampa Bay significant salary cap penalties if the center retired before its 2020 expiration.

That is why Lecavalier said he understands Tampa Bay's use of one of the two compliance buyouts that are available to all teams under the new collective bargaining agreement and do not count against the salary cap.

"I'm not angry," Lecavalier said. "I understand the business side of it, how things change in the new CBA that can make teams have to make decisions."

He gets a nice payoff, too, $32.667 million, which is two-thirds of the $37 million in salary left on his contract ($24.667 million), plus $8 million he still is owed in signing bonuses.

That's a lot of money to pay someone not to play.

In addition, he becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 5, free to sign with any team except the Lightning.

"We don't make these decisions lightly," Yzerman said. "This is something we need to do in light of what we're trying to do with our players, future contracts, our ability to improve the club and get to where we need to go."

It might not be a quick process, despite the $54 million in cap space Lecavalier's buyout created over the next seven years. Even with about $10.1 million in cap space for next season, according to capgeek.com, Yzerman said there is no guarantee the team will improve, especially if can't adequately find a No. 2 center.

Yzerman said all search options are open — trades, free agency and drafting a center on Sunday — and speculation already started the Lightning might be interested in Brad Richards, if he is bought out by the Rangers, and potential free agent centers Tyler Bozak (Toronto) and Valterri Filppula (Detroit).

One thing Yzerman said he will not do this summer is use his second compliance buyout, which some expected might be used on left wing Ryan Malone.

"We'll see what happens next year," Yzerman said, "but for this year there's no plan of using that."

All of which leads to the question of why buy out Lecavalier this year, especially with compliance buyouts also available after next season and with Lecavalier, who had 10 goals, 32 points in 39 games and won 54.4 percent of his faceoffs, still a productive player?

In short, Tampa Bay did not want to risk a Lecavalier injury that would prevent it from executing a buyout.

"We feel it was inevitable moving forward," Yzerman said of buying out Lecavalier. "If we're going to take a step backwards, let's take a step backwards today, and now we can start the process of going forward and continue reorganizing and rebuilding this team."

As for selling the fans on a team that might be facing another difficult season, Yzerman said, "We finished 28th (in the league last season). We just can't continue going along with the same core. We don't have cap space to do anything to really improve the team. We had two choices, really. Create some space and give ourselves the flexibility to look at other options or just sit tight and just keep going along as we are."

"This is a huge financial commitment on his part," Yzerman said of owner Jeff Vinik. "I appreciate his willingness to agree to take this course of action."

Losing Lecavalier as a teammate is "definitely a weird feeling," said Marty St. Louis, who is the last remaining Lightning player from the 2004 Stanley Cup team. "It's just going to be weird picturing Vinny on another team."

Added Nate Thompson, who sat next to Lecavalier in the Tampa Bay Times Forum locker room: "To look to my right and not see Vinny Lecavalier it will be pretty strange. Just his presence in the locker room, on the ice, it's going to be an adjustment. Whoever gets him, they're going to get a great hockey player and even better guy."

Where will Lecavalier end up? It's too early to tell, though he said he is looking for a long-term deal, which would make an eventual return to Tampa Bay difficult.

"We're going to sit down and have conversations and start looking through the various teams, depth charts, possible needs, fits," said Kent Hughes, Lecavalier's agent. "He's got a young family. He has to go through what's first, hockey-wise, lifestyle-wise, and everything else and make a decision."

"Even the thought of wearing a different kind of jersey is weird in my head," Lecavalier said.

But the transition, aided Thursday by conversations with St. Louis, Lightning defenseman Eric Brewer and friend and former Canadiens player Patrice Brisebois, has started.

"You have to take the positives," Lecavalier said they told him. "You have no choice. You get to be in a different city. You get to experience more."

"I'm so motivated to go somewhere else and prove I can play at a high level," he added. "I believe in myself and what I bring to a team. I want to win."

Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 06.28.2013

682767 Tampa Bay Lightning

5 Vinny Lecavalier memories

Joe Smith, Times Staff Writer

Thursday, June 27, 2013 2:58pm

June 27, 1998 Savior Selected

The Lightning was the worst team in hockey and seeking a savior when it chose Lecavalier with the top pick in the 1998 draft. In doing so, it made the 18-year-old (with scout Don Murdock, left) the face of the franchise, and two years later, the captain. "He's going to be a Hall of Famer," then-owner Art Williams (right) said on draft day. "He's going to lead us to Stanley Cups. There's no doubt that in three or four years, he's going to be the world's greatest hockey player. He's going to be the Michael Jordan of hockey."

April 27, 2004 Magic in Montreal

Lecavalier always has had creativity and flair, and it looked like he waved a magic wand on the tying goal in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinal vs. Montreal. Dave Andreychuk sent a pass toward the crease. Lecavalier, tied up in front, appeared as if he had no chance to get a shot off. But he stuck his stick between his legs and deflected the puck past Jose Theodore with 16.5 seconds left to make it 3-3. Brad Richards scored 1:05 into OT, and the Lightning went on to sweep the series.

May 29, 2004 Fighting with the stars

One of the most indelible Images of Lecavalier's career is fighting Jarome Iginla during Game 3 of the Stanley Cup final against the Flames. Jaws dropped in Calgary as arguably the two best players on the ice dropped their gloves just more than six minutes in. Lecavalier got in a couple of good shots before Iginla rallied. But the message was sent: The Lightning wasn't going to get pushed around. Tampa Bay lost the game 3-0 but won the series in seven and its only Cup. "Our bench definitely rose up when Vinny did that," Dave Andreychuk said after the game. "Vinny has taken charge in a lot of games for us, and he's made the players around him better. That's what he did tonight."

June 7, 2004 Clinching the Cup

With a chance to win the Stanley Cup in front of a home crowd, Lecavalier (below right with Martin Cibak) helped seal the deal with a highlight-reel assist in Game 7. The Lightning was clinging to a 1-0 lead six minutes into the second period when Lecavalier took a pass down low, made a spin move around a defender and, before getting dropped to the ice, sent a pass through two Flames to Ruslan Fedotenko at the top of the left circle. Fedotenko's wrist shot went in, setting the stage for the highlight of Lecavalier's career, carrying the Cup around the ice. "It was the best part of the night," he said.

June 3, 2007 Rocket Man

Lecavalier has scored more goals than any player in team history, 383 over 14 seasons. His best season was 2006-07, when he scored a career-high 52 (his 56 assists gave him 108 points, third in the league). He won the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy as the league's top goal-scorer and received the award before Game 3 of the Stanley Cup final from Richard's brother and fellow Canadiens legend Henri. Said Lecavalier: "It's a great honor to be up here."

Tampa Bay Times LOADED: 06.28.2013

682768 Tampa Bay Lightning

Lightning will use compliance buyout on Vinny Lecavalier

Damian Cristodero, Times Staff Writer

Thursday, June 27, 2013 9:25am

The Lightning will use it's compliance buyout on captain Vinny Lecavalier, ending a relationship with the player who has been an iconic community figure since he was the No. 1 overall pick of the 1998 draft.

The buyout price is $32.667 million over 14 years, or $1.76 million per year. That breaks down to two-thirds of the $37 million Lecavalier is owed on the final seven years of his contract ($24.667 million) plus the $8 million he still has remaining in signing bonuses.