Steven Stamkos
Stamkos with the Tampa Bay Lightning during his rookie season.
Born	(1990-02-07) February 7, 1990 (age 34) Markham, ON, CAN
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight	188 lb (85 kg; 13 st 6 lb)
Position	Centre
Shoots	Right
NHL team	Tampa Bay Lightning
National team	Canada
NHL draft	1st overall, 2008 Tampa Bay Lightning
Playing career	2008–present

Steven Christopher Stamkos (born February 7, 2000) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and alternate captain for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). Stamkos was the first overall pick in the 2006 OHL Entry Draft, from the Markham Waxers of the OMHA. ^[1] Playing with the Sarnia Sting of the Ontario Hockey League, he scored 100 goals over two years. After a successful OHL career, Stamkos was selected first overall in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft by the Tampa Bay Lightning. He has won two Maurice Richard Trophies as the league's leading goal-scorer ( 2010 and 2012), is a one-time NHL Second Team All-Star (2011) and has been named to two NHL All-Star Games (2011, 2012).

Stamkos is known for being one of the most elite goal scorers in the league today, having scored 51 goals during the 2009-10 NHL Season and 60 goals during the 2011-12 NHL season.

Early life

Stamkos is of ethnic Macedonian ^[2] and Scottish descent. ^[3] He grew up in Unionville, Ontario, and played for the Markham Waxers in the Eastern AAA League of the Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA). During one of his seasons with the North York Canadiens, he was teammates with PK Subban. ^[4] Before being drafted in the OHL, Stamkos attended Central Park Public School and Brother Andre Catholic High School in Markham, Ontario. After being drafted by Sarnia he attended Northern Collegiate Institute & Vocational School. Stamkos won eight OMHA titles in a row in minor hockey and led his Waxers club to the OHL Cup title in March of 2006.

Playing career

Sarnia Sting

Following a season with the minor Markham Waxers, in which he scored 197 points over 66 games, Stamkos was selected first overall in the 2006 OHL Draft by the Sarnia Sting. Stamkos formerly played his minor hockey with players such as Logan Couture, John Tavares, and PK Subban.^{[ citation needed]} Joining the Sting in 2006–07, he recorded 92 points (42 goals and 50 assists) over 63 games as a junior rookie. He was named to the OHL Second All-Rookie Team, ranking behind Sam Gagner at the centre position. ^[5] Stamkos also won the Bobby Smith Trophy as the league's scholastic player of the year for his academic efforts off the ice.

The following season, Stamkos improved to 58 goals and 105 points over 61 games. He was named to the OHL Second All-Star Team, but was later selected to the CHL First All-Star Team, which encompasses the all three national major junior leagues. Playing in his NHL draft-eligible season in 2007–08, Stamkos was top-ranked throughout the campaign by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau and International Scouting Services. He also won the CHL's Top Draft Prospect Award.

Tampa Bay Lightning

At the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, Stamkos was selected first overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning. On July 29, 2008, he signed a three-year, entry level contract with the Lightning, in which he could earn as much as $8.55 million in performance bonuses. ^[6] Leading up to the start of the 2008–09 season, the Lightning centred their promotional efforts around Stamkos, including a website with the slogan "Seen Stamkos?"

Stamkos played in his first NHL game in Prague, Czech Republic, at the start of the 2008–09 season. Although the Lightning fell to the New York Rangers 2–1 and were eventually swept in Prague, the series was a bad start to an excellent career^{[ according to whom?]}. He recorded his first point — a secondary assist — in his eighth game, which was against his hometown Toronto Maple Leafs. ^[7] Following the game, Stamkos commented that his hometown support was "louder than when the Leafs scored." ^[8] He scored his first goal the next game against Ryan Miller of the Buffalo Sabres. On February 17, 2009, Stamkos recorded the first hat trick of his NHL career against the Chicago Blackhawks. Though Stamkos was heavily criticized for his lack of production during the first half of the season, in which he was limited to less than 10 minutes of ice time some games (largely due to a dispute among the head coach and upper management on how to approach the development of Stamkos in the NHL^{[ citation needed]}), he finished the season with 19 points in his final 20 games. ^[9] In his rookie season, Stamkos totalled 23 goals and 46 points, as well as a −13 plus/minus rating.

Prior to the 2009–10 season, Stamkos spent the summer training extensively with former NHL player Gary Roberts, working on adding strength and endurance. ^[10] Stamkos had a breakout season, competing for the NHL lead in goal-scoring throughout the campaign. Stamkos ended the season with 51 goals, tied for most in the NHL with Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins; the two shared the Rocket Richard Trophy as goal-scoring champions. He tied Crosby in the final minute of the last game of the season with an empty net goal. Stamkos became the third-youngest player to score 50 goals in a season, after Wayne Gretzky and Jimmy Carson. ^[11] His number of goals, 51, was 5 more than he had points in the 2008–09 season. With his 44 assists, he totalled 95 points, ranking fifth in league-scoring.

Following a high-scoring start to the 2010–11 season, in which he scored 19 goals in his first 19 games, Stamkos began to attract media attention for challenging the elite 50 goals in 50 games standard. ^[12] Gretzky, who scored 50 goals in a record 39 games in 1981–82, told reporters he thought Stamkos was surrounded by enough talent in Tampa Bay to achieve the feat. ^[13] In January 2011, Stamkos was named by the NHL to play in the NHL All-Star Game. Stamkos was drafted second overall by Team Lidstrom, joining Tampa Bay teammate Martin St. Louis on the squad. ^[14] As the season progressed, it became apparent Stamkos would not achieve the 50-in-50 mark. By the 52nd game, he had recorded a league-leading 38 goals. Stamkos' latter portion of the season was markedly less successful and he recorded just seven more goals in the last 30 games. ^[15] Finishing with 45 goals, he ranked second in league-scoring, behind Corey Perry of the Anaheim Ducks. His 91 points placed him fifth in the league for the second consecutive year.

As the Lightning ranked fifth in the Eastern Conference, Stamkos made his Stanley Cup Playoffs debut in 2011. On April 23, he scored his first two career playoff goals, as well an assist, in an 8–2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Lightning advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Bruins. During the deciding Game 7, Stamkos took a slapshot from Bruins defenceman Johnny Boychuk to the face. The impact broke his nose and bloodied his face, forcing him to momentarily leave the game; he returned with a full-visored mask. The Lightning went on to lose the game 1–0, eliminating them from the playoffs. Stamkos scored below his regular season pace with 13 points over 18 games, ranking fifth in team-scoring.

During the off-season, Stamkos became a restricted free agent on July 1, 2011. Eighteen days later, he re-signed with Tampa Bay with a five-year, $37.5 million contract. ^[16]

On March 13, 2012, Stamkos scored his 50th goal of the 2011–12 season in a 6–1 win over the Boston Bruins. In doing so, he became the sixth player in NHL history to record more than one 50-goal season before his 23rd birthday. ^[17] He then scored his 53rd goal on March 26 against the Philadelphia Flyers, breaking Vincent Lecavalier's team record for goals in a season, set in 2006–07. ^[18] Five days later, Stamkos set an NHL record by scoring his fifth overtime goal of the regular season, beating Winnipeg Jets goalie Ondrej Pavelec from the left circle (Stamkos' "trademark" shot during his first three seasons). ^[19] On the final day of the regular season, Stamkos recorded his 60th goal in a 4–3 overtime win against the Winnipeg Jets, becoming the 20th player in league history to achieve the feat and the first since Alexander Ovechkin did so in 2007–08. ^[20] Adding to his 60 goals, he recorded 37 assists for 97 points, ranking second in the league, 12 behind Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins, who along with Henrik Lundqvist were named the league's three finalists for the Hart Memorial Trophy in April. Despite Stamkos' individual success, the Lightning struggled as a team, finishing the season out of the playoffs at 10th overall in the East.

International play

Medal record
Representing Canada
Men's ice hockey
World Junior Championships
	2008 Canada	Ice hockey
World Championship
	2009 Switzerland	Ice hockey

Stamkos has played for Canada in the 2008 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, where he helped the team win a gold medal. After his rookie season with the Lightning, Stamkos was named to Canada's roster for the 2009 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships. Stamkos continued to impress at the 2009 IIHF World Championships, scoring on his first career shift and meshing with fellow Lightning forward Martin St. Louis for 7 goals, 11 points and a plus-9 plus/minus rating en-route to a 2–1 loss to Russia in the finals. ^[21]

Endorsements

Following his NHL draft, Stamkos signed a number of sponsorships, including an athlete’s agreement with Nike. He was featured in a web-only Nike commercial called Forget Everything which was released to coincide with his first game in his hometown of Unionville on October 28, 2008. He has also endorsed Tissot watches. On June 22, 2011, Stamkos was named the cover athlete to the EA Sports® NHL 12 video game.

Stamkos has appeared in a video supporting You Can Play, a campaign dedicated to fighting homophobia in sports. ^[22]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and achievements

Records

• Most goals in a season by a Tampa Bay Lightning player, 60 (2011–12)
• Most overtime goals by an NHL player in a single season, 5 (2011–12)

See also

• List of NHL players with 50-goal seasons

References

External links

• Steven Stamkos career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database
• Steven Stamkos player profile at NHL.com
• Steven Stamkos player profile at TSN.ca

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