VINCENT LECAVALIER

'Vincent Lecavalier' (born April 21, 1980 in Ile Bizard, Quebec) is a Canadian professional hockey player who currently plays for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League.

Contents

Playing career

International play

Personal life

Career statistics

NHL

International statistics

Awards

Minor leagues

NHL

International

Footnotes

External links

Playing career

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. 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 30th, 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 regular season.

International play

Lecavalier has played for Canada in:

★ 1998 World Junior Championships

★ 2001 World Championships

★ 2004 World Cup of Hockey (gold medal)

★ 2006 Winter Olympics

Personal life

Attended 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 fellow Bolts' 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. They are currently living in adjoining buildings in Tampa Bay.
He played the role of hall of famer and former Montreal Canadien Jean Béliveau in the movie ''The Rocket: The Maurice Richard Story''. In Tampa Bay, Lecavalier wears number 4 to honour Béliveau. He also made an appearance as an extra in the film Happy Gilmore at the age of 15.

Career statistics

NHL

				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
NHL Totals				629	233	277	510	418		45	18	15	33	64

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

Awards

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

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

International

★ '2004-05': 2004 World Cup of Hockey MVP

Footnotes

1.
2. Brian Bellows was named interim-captain at age 19 years, 4 months while Craig Hartsburg was out of the lineup with an injury.

External links

★

★

★ Tampa Bay Lightning Official Site

★ Vincent Lecavalier Official Site
''Note: Lecavalier was named captain (after Gratton was traded), late in the 1999-2000 NHL season. Lecavalier was later stripped of the captaincy after the end of the 2000-01 NHL season. It was decided by Lightning management that he was too young and had had enough pressures even as a star player.''