Tampa Bay Lightning to retire No. 4 in honor of former captain Vinny Lecavalier

by Erik Erlendsson | @Erik_Erlendsson | Like us on Facebook
September 25, 2017

TAMPA – The Lightning will add some company to the rafters.

Vinny Lecavalier is being immortalized.

Tampa Bay announced on Monday that the team will honor Lecavalier by holding a jersey retirement ceremony for the former team captain, raising his No. 4 to the rafters to join Marty St. Louis, who saw his No. 26 retired last season.

The ceremony will take place on Feb. 10, 2018, prior to the game against the Los Angeles Kings, the last team Lecavalier played for prior to retiring.

Lecavalier said he received a personal phone call from team owner Jeff Vinik, informing him of the team’s plan.

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”It’s a great honor,’’ Lecavalier said. “To see Marty last year, to see his jersey go up, it was pretty cool. It’s nice to see. And for myself, it’s honestly for my family. It is about me, I’m very proud of it, but for my parents to there and my kids to see it, to have these little moments and this might be my last kind of moment, so to have my kids there and to be on the ice, that makes it really, really special.’’

Lecavalier was the first true superstar in franchise history from the moment he was selected with the first overall pick in the 1998 NHL entry draft. He spent 13 years with the franchise, winning a Rocket Richard Trophy as the league’s leading goal scorer in 2007 to become the first player in franchise history to record a 50-goal season. He set up Ruslan Fedotenko’s game-winning goal in the Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final in 2004. When his contract was bought out in 2013, he left as the all-time franchise leader in goals with 383, power play goals (112) and games played with 1,037, marks he still holds. He is also second in points (874), assists (491) shorthanded goals (13) and shorthanded points (23) behind only St. Louis.

Since his retirement prior to last season, Lecavalier and his family have moved to the Tampa.

”I’ve definitely had the best time of my life here,’’ Lecavalier said. “It’s definitely a great honor. To have been here for 14 years, the fans here and how much hockey grew here to what it is now, it’s definitely special for sure.’’

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