Marty St. Louis has been honored with his number retired, who should also be considered?

by Erik Erlendsson | @Erik_Erlendsson | Like us on Facebook
January 19, 2017

TAMPA, Fla. – Resting in the rafters of Amalie Arena, the No. 26 sits among the other banners, proclaiming team successes of the past.

It only seems fitting that the jersey number belonging to Marty St. Louis rests among them. After all, he was right in the middle of all of those other banners – 2003 division crown, 2004 conference champions, 2004 Stanley Cup champions. St. Louis even had an indirect hand in the 2015 conference championship banner.

So, in revisiting the ceremony from Jan. 13 in which the No. 26 was officially retired and never to be worn again following a likely Hall of Fame career that goes beyond just the numbers, the question after witnessing such an emotional ceremony is, who goes up next?

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The Lightning don’t have a lot of history, relatively speaking to other franchises in the league. So any potential list at this point is not going to be all that long. Having a jersey number retired is an honor that should be bestowed only upon a select few that had an important impact on the organization in some manner.

So with that, here’s a look at potential candidates to have their number, or legacy, enshrined in the rafters of Amalie Arena

Vinny Lecavalier, No. 4 – The face of the franchise for more than a decade, Lecavalier meant so much to the Lightning during his time in Tampa not just on the ice, but off the ice as well. The top pick in the 1998 NHL Draft, who originally wore No. 8 as a rookie, will no doubt have his No. 4 raised to the rafters alongside that of St. Louis, whom he formed one of the top duos in the league during their time together.

With the 25-year anniversary of the inaugural game coming in October, and the celebration of the 25th year of the franchise, Lecavalier is almost assuredly the next in line to have his jersey retired and, if not by the end of the calendar year, then at some point during the 2017-18 season (perhaps when Columbus and John Tortorella come to town?). Though Lecavalier was drafted six years in to the franchise’s history, it almost feels as if you could say that Lecavalier was the “original’’ Bolt because when he was selected first overall, it felt like that moment was the rebirth of the franchise.

Lecavalier would put his name in the team record books as the first player to reach the 50-goal mark in a season, the first to win a Rocket Richard Trophy (52 goals in 2006-07), the first to reach the 100-point mark in a season and is the all-time franchise leader in goals scored (383). He is the only player to appear in 1,000 games with the franchise.

Off the ice, he was named the King Clancy Memorial Trophy winner in 2008 for his work in the community, where his name transcended the sport around the Tampa Bay area with his donation that started the Vincent Lecavalier Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorder wing at All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg.

Lecavalier will have his jersey retired, it’s just a matter of when.

Brad Richards, No. 19 – A member of the 1998 draft class for the Lightning, Richards and his No. 19 were one of the pillars of Tampa Bay’s success from 2003-2007 when Tampa Bay reached the postseason in four consecutive years, winning the 2004 Stanley Cup championship. Richards won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP with seven game-winning goals in the playoffs. He also won the Lady Byng Trophy that season.

Richards became the first ever Lightning player to be a named a finalist for the Calder Trophy as the Rookie of the Year after he finished the 2000-01 season with 21 goals and 62 points. In his six full seasons with Tampa Bay, Richards never scored fewer than 62 points and reached the 20-goal mark five times. He ranks in the top five in franchise history in games played, goals, assists, points, power play goals, shorthanded goals and shots on goal. He had a tremendous impact on the organization during his time here, including off the ice with his Richy’s Rascals program.

Does that warrant having a jersey retired? I believe Richards should be in the rafters, but in looking at his No. 19, it’s been worn by four players since Richards was traded to Dallas during the 2007-08 season (Stephane Veilleux, Dominic Moore, B.J. Crombeen and currently Cory Conacher) so you wonder if the franchise feels the same way.

Dave Andreychuk, No. 25 – The captain of the 2004 Stanley Cup championship team only spent three full seasons with the Lightning, but his impact was nearly immeasurable. While he was a 20-goal scorer in all three seasons and became the all-time league leader in power play goals while wearing a Lightning jersey (a record he still holds), it was his leadership role that had the biggest impact on the team. That’s why he was named captain to start the 2002-03 season.

When he had a chance to leave via trade during the 2001-02 season when the team offered to trade him to a playoff contender, he chose to stay, feeling there was something building with the young nucleus of players. And he was a big part of helping change the culture in the locker room during that time, helping things turn around to the point that a once doormat franchise became a league power.

That impact was immortalized by the franchise with a statue of Andreychuk raising the Cup over his head that greets fans on the plaza outside Amalie Arena.

I believe his No. 25 will also head to the rafters at some point, and judging by the fact only one player has worn that number since Andreychuk retired – Matt Carle, who reached out to Andreychuk to seek permission to wear the number from 2013-2016; nobody wore it from 2006-13.

Dan Boyle, No. 22 –A similar story to St. Louis, Boyle went undrafted and was viewed as too small to play in the league when he was acquired by the general manager Rick Dudley from the Florida Panthers on Jan. 7, 2002, for a fifth-round draft pick.

Boyle went on to become one of the top offensive defensemen in the game and when he was traded to San Jose following the regime change in the summer of 2008, Boyle was the all-time franchise leader in points by a defenseman with 253 despite appearing in just 394 games and is the only defenseman in franchise history to score 20 goals in a single season. It took eight seasons for Victor Hedman to surpass Boyle on the all-time franchise list in points and assist by a defenseman.

Boyle was a cornerstone on the Lightning championship team and the quarterback on the power play during his time here and his name should be in the conversation for a number retirement. But since his departure prior to the 2008 season, his No. 22 has been worn by four players – Marek Malik, J-P Cote, Ryan Shannon and currently Erik Condra.

Pavel Kubina, No. 13 –For a decade, Pavel Kubina was a mainstay on the Lightning blue line during two stints with the organization. During the 2003 and 2004 playoffs, Kubina took on a shutdown role and relished in it, taking on Jaromir Jagr in an opening round series victory against Washington.

Kubina remains the all-time franchise leader in goals by a defenseman with 72 and was named to the All-Star game when he was selected to participate in the 2004 game in Minnesota. While his name may not jump out with the others already mentioned, Kubina is worthy of consideration, though I’m not sure he’ll qualify for this special status.

Nikolai Khabibulin, No. 35 – Khabibulin was only with Tampa Bay for three full seasons, but his presence allowed the Lightning to grow in confidence and turn in to a champion. He was the missing piece the team acquired at the end of the 2000-01 season following a holdout from the Phoenix Coyotes.

He had an immediate impact, becoming an All-Star in his first season and was named the All-Star game starter the next season and was the backbone during the 2004 Stanley Cup championship season. Though he was only with Tampa Bay for three seasons, he left as the all-time franchise leader in wins, goals against average and save percentage (numbers that have now been surpassed by Ben Bishop).

His impact during his time here was tremendous, but does that make it worthy of have a number retired? Three players have worn No. 35 since Khabibulin’s departure – Riku Helenius, Dwayne Roloson and Sebastien Caron.

That’s my list of players who may be under consideration for eventually season their numbers lifted to the rafters at some point in the future. The list obviously does not include current players, such as Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman, who will likely be bestowed with the honor after their playing days are over. Perhaps Bishop lands on this list as well, depending on what his future holds.

You also have to take in to consideration non-players who might earn the honor, as well. That list would have to include John Tortorella, who turned the franchise in to a champion and won the Jack Adams Trophy as coach of the year in 2004. He was the first American-born coach to win a Stanley Cup and recently became the first American-born coach to win 500 career games and remains the franchise all-time leader in wins with 239. Tortorella would never want to have his name even under consideration for this, and if the team ever chose to do this, I’m not even sure he would show up for the celebration.

I would also include Jay Feaster, the general manager who guided the franchise through some rocky moments to lead them to a championship, and even Rick Dudley, who pulled off some of the impact trades and player moves that helped build the team in to a champion.

At some point, Steve Yzerman will have to be considered with how he has helped build up the franchise in to one of the deepest in the league, and guided the team to the 2015 Stanley Cup Final and the 2016 Eastern Conference finals. Provided the success the team has enjoyed since he took over – which also includes a trip to the 2011 Eastern Conference finals – his name might one day be among the honored members.

Those are my considerations, feel free to let me know if you have any others you think deserve to be on the list as well

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