Vincent Lecavalier
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
|
| Position | Centre |
| Shoots | Left |
| Nickname(s) | Vinny, St. Vincent |
| Height Weight |
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 219 lb (99 kg/15 st 9 lb) |
| NHL Team | Tampa Bay Lightning |
| Nationality |  Canada |
| Born | April 21, 1980 , Ile Bizard, QC, CAN |
| NHL Draft | 1st overall, 1998 Tampa Bay Lightning |
| Pro career | 1998 – present |
Vincent Lecavalier (born April 21, 1980 Ile Bizard, Quebec) is a French Canadian professional hockey player who currently plays for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League.
Contents |
[edit] Playing career
Vincent Lecavalier was drafted first overall by Tampa Bay in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft, during which new Lightning owner Art Williams proclaimed that Lecavalier would be "the Michael Jordan of hockey".[1]
On March 11, 2000, following his sophomore season, he was named captain, becoming the youngest captain in NHL history at 19 years and 11 months (since surpassed by Sidney Crosby). Previously, Steve Yzerman had held that honour, having been named captain of the Detroit Red Wings at 21 years, 5 months.[2]
Lecavalier was later stripped of the captaincy before the 2001-02 NHL season when Lightning mangagement decided he was too young even as a high calibre player. Around that time, he clashed frequently with head coach John Tortorella. Tortorella demanded more accountability from his players, and showed this by stripping Lecavalier of the team captaincy after he missed the start of 2001-02 because of contract negotiations.
After winning the Stanley Cup with the Lightning in 2004, he was named Most Valuable Player of the Canadian National Team in the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, which Canada won. Lecavalier was selected to play for Team Canada at the 2006 Olympics, but returned to Tampa without a medal.
Lecavalier broke the all-time Tampa Bay Lightning record for most points in a season by scoring his 95th point on March 16, 2007 against the Buffalo Sabres. The record was previously held by Martin St. Louis, who had 94 points during the 2003-04 NHL season.
On March 30, 2007, in a game against the Carolina Hurricanes, Lecavalier became the first Lightning player to record 50 goals in a season. He finished the season with 52 goals, edging Ottawa's Dany Heatley, who scored 50 goals, to earn the Maurice 'Rocket' Richard Trophy as the NHL's top goal scorer for the 2006-07 season.
During the 2007-08 NHL season, Lecavalier recorded 8 straight multipoint games, being the first to do so since Jaromir Jagr in 1996. The scoring streak put him first in the NHL scoring race, until in February he was overtaken by the Washington Capitals' Alexander Ovechkin. He was named captain of the Eastern Conference at the 2008 NHL All Star Game.
In the 2007-2008 offseason, Lecavalier underwent shoulder surgery to repair an infraction from taking a hit against Matt Cooke of the Washington Capitals. He is scheduled to undergo another surgery on his left wrist later in the summer.
[edit] Personal life
Attended Thorndale Elementary in Pierrefonds and then he went to John Rennie High School in Pointe-Claire, Quebec for two years ('92-'93) before transferring to Athol Murray College of Notre Dame in Saskatchewan. Has been best friends with ex-Lightning center Brad Richards, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2004 as Most Valuable Player of the NHL Playoffs, since the age of 14, when they met at Athol Murray College of Notre Dame in Saskatchewan, Canada. They were roommates and became good friends. Since then they have gone on to being teammates with the Rimouski Océanic and also with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Lecavalier currently resides in Tampa's Davis Islands. He is featured in The Rocket: The Maurice Richard Story. Lecavalier wears number 4 to honour Jean Béliveau.
In October 2007, Lecavalier pledged $3 million to a new All Children's Hospital facility under construction in St. Petersburg, Florida. The facility will be named the Vincent Lecavalier Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorders Center in his honor.
[edit] Career statistics
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1996-97 | Rimouski Océanic | QMJHL | 64 | 42 | 61 | 103 | 38 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 2 | ||
| 1997-98 | Rimouski Océanic | QMJHL | 58 | 44 | 71 | 115 | 117 | 18 | 15 | 26 | 41 | 46 | ||
| 1998-99 | Tampa Bay Lightning | NHL | 82 | 13 | 15 | 28 | 23 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1999-00 | Tampa Bay Lightning | NHL | 80 | 25 | 42 | 67 | 43 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2000-01 | Tampa Bay Lightning | NHL | 68 | 23 | 28 | 51 | 66 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2001-02 | Tampa Bay Lightning | NHL | 76 | 20 | 17 | 37 | 61 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2002-03 | Tampa Bay Lightning | NHL | 80 | 33 | 45 | 78 | 39 | 11 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 22 | ||
| 2003-04 | Tampa Bay Lightning | NHL | 81 | 32 | 34 | 66 | 52 | 23 | 9 | 7 | 16 | 25 | ||
| 2004-05 | Ak Bars Kazan | RSL | 30 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 78 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 2005-06 | Tampa Bay Lightning | NHL | 80 | 35 | 40 | 75 | 90 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 7 | ||
| 2006-07 | Tampa Bay Lightning | NHL | 82 | 52 | 56 | 108 | 44 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 10 | ||
| 2007-08 | Tampa Bay Lightning | NHL | 81 | 40 | 52 | 92 | 89 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| NHL Totals | 710 | 273 | 329 | 602 | 507 | 45 | 18 | 15 | 33 | 64 | ||||
[edit] International play
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| World Cup | ||
| Gold | 2004 World Cup of Hockey | Ice Hockey |
Lecavalier has played for Canada in:
- 1998 World Junior Championships
- 2001 World Championships
- 2004 World Cup of Hockey (gold medal)
- 2006 Winter Olympics
[edit] International statistics
| Year | Comp | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | WJC | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | |
| 2001 | WC | 7 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 29 | |
| 2004 | WCH | 6 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 8 | |
| 2006 | Oly | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 16 | |
| Senior Int'l Totals | 19 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 53 | ||
[edit] Awards
[edit] Minor leagues
- 1997-98: QMJHL First All-Star Team
- 1997-98: QMJHL Mike Bossy Trophy (Top Draft Prospect)
- 1996-97: QMJHL Michel Bergeron Trophy (Top Rookie Forward)
- 1996-97: CHL Rookie of the Year
- 1997-98: CHL First All-Star Team
[edit] NHL
- 2002-03: NHL All-Star Game Participant
- 2003-04: Stanley Cup
- 2006-07: NHL All-Star Game Participant
- 2006-07: Maurice 'Rocket' Richard Trophy
- 2007-08: NHL All-Star Game Participant (East Captain)
[edit] International
- 2004-05: 2004 World Cup of Hockey MVP
[edit] References
- ^ Hodges, Jim (1998-11-09), Bonus Baby - hockey player Vincent Lecavalier - Brief Article, The Sporting News, <http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1208/is_1998_Nov_9/ai_53224198>. Retrieved on 4 August 2007
- ^ Brian Bellows was named interim-captain at age 19 years, 4 months while Craig Hartsburg was out of the lineup with an injury.
[edit] External links
- Vincent Lecavalier's NHL player profile
- Vincent Lecavalier's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
- Tampa Bay Lightning Official Site
- Vincent Lecavalier Official Site
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Lecavalier, Vincent |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Canadian ice hockey centre |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 21, 1980 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | L'Île-Bizard, Quebec |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
