Injured Captain Steven Stemcos, Lightning’s entire post was published at 2:47 of the game during the run, the game welcomed the off-ice defender after 4 goals.

The two men met, in a hockey gear, in a street suit. It was a moment of celebration, of joy, of a “well done” and “thank you” and understanding of the best plans doesn’t always work as intended.

For Shtenkirk, there was relief and redemption. For Steinerk, the championship was the culmination of years of hard work and sacrifice, one of the highest heights in hockey, just over a year after his lowest high art.

Because Steinkirk didn’t have to play or win the Stanley Cup with the Lightning. This was to happen to his hometown, the New York Rangers, who signed him on July 1, 2017, to a four-year contract worth 6.65 million annually.

Video: TBL @ DL, GM4: Steinerk wins Game 4 in Net PPG, OT

But on 1 August 2019, two seasons later, the Rangers bought his contract. His time in New York ended after 119 games.

“It was very painful to see him go through a process that was considered something fabulous and something I believe he always wanted and was always driving in the back of his head,” said Jordan Newman, a longtime agent at Shaw Tunkerk. “It was very painful for everyone who loved him and cared for him to not just watch him work,” said Jordan Newman, a longtime agent of Shattenkirk.

The New York experiment was seen to return to the home of Shatankirk who keeps the Rangers in the Stanley Cup controversy, rebuilding Shtankirk did not participate, will not participate. 2014 and the season after the Eastern Conference final. But after Steinerk’s arrival, the Rangers missed the playoffs in 2018 and 2019.

The W-17 team from Shington Capitals, Shatanker won the cup in 2016-17. St. Louis Blues, his team won in the year 2019 of 2010-17.

He did not know what the future held.

“[You] “I don’t really know which way it’s up or how the chips are falling at the moment,” said Tankirk. “It was hard to see my former teammates who won the Stanley Cup two years ago, with whom I was. And become together. It makes you wonder. It lets you think.”

His phone started ringing. Even though most of the teams had already shown commitment to most of their free agents, the teams formed for space to score Steinkark. He looked at the Lightning, and in the Tampa Bay defensive group he saw a strong core of left-handed shots, which would allow him to join. Victor Headman Or Ryan McDonagh Or Mikhail Sergachev, A dream for any right shot defenseman.

Four days after he was bought by the Rangers, he signed for one season and for 1.75 million.

“In my mind, when everything happened last summer, my goal was to prove myself and show that I could still be a player in this league,” Shttenkirk, determined to become an unrestricted free agent on October 9th. .

Video: DL @ TBL, GM2: Shatankerk Burial, by Traffic

The lightning was thrilled. They were further added Pat Maroon And defensemen Luke Shane, And believes the three giants will make a difference after the 2018-19 season when they finished with 128 points, the fourth in NHL history, but were turned into four games in the first round by the Columbus Blue Jackets. They had to make changes, including team culture, and Steinerk was a big part of it.

“Ultimately, when you’re trying to put all the pieces of the puzzle together, you’re accumulating talent,” said Julian Bryzbois, general manager of Lightning, “but you’re really building a team, and that was the key to helping.” This picture comes together for us this year. ”

This was his vision. This was Shtenkirk’s vision.

A little farther south from its purpose.

“The second part of two years was an eye-opener of how he wanted to play in the winning team, and how important it was to win,” Newman said. “Being in a place where he knew he could win, I think he was really impressed. I think he clearly felt he had something to prove, that what happened in New York was really that. Wasn’t as a player. And you put those two things together and I’m not surprised he’s had a great year. ”

Steinkirk scored 34 points (eight goals, 26 points) in 70 games this season and was a plus-22, and 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) in 25 postseason games. Always dangerous on the power play, he’s got a fit, as part of the whole, as part of a defense group that has players with big roles. Lightning let him be that player when he got home with the Blues.

Shattanker was efficient when Ken Hitchcock coached him in St. Louis for six asons. He didn’t push his offensive game. He moved the prank phantom journey well. He let the game come to him. That didn’t happen in New York.

There, nothing went according to plan. Rangers missed the playoffs in 2018. The season ended with 23 points (five goals, 18 assists) in 46 games, with the Tankerk Blues and Capitals scoring 56 (13 goals, 43 assists) in 80 games. It was minus-14. The following season he scored 28 points (two goals, 26 assists) in 73 games for New York and was 15-for.

Instead of being a part, Steinkerk feels the need to make the main piece. It was not he who sought to find her as a free agent. That alone did not make it successful. It wasn’t really who he was as a person. As Newman said, “As much as he’ll tell you he’s a great golfer, there’s no doubt when you spend time with Kevin that he was born to play a team game.”

He wasn’t playing in New York that way.

“You think, there’s a team here that recruited me, they wanted me, and I have to produce,” Hitchcock said. “So sometimes you’ll get stuck trying to generate instead of just fitting … and then all of a sudden the internal pressure really starts to mount, and that’s hard. It’s hard for players to sort that stuff.”

But there were lessons in New York. The decisive ones.

“I think it made him a better person, it made him a better hockey player.” “Did he work? No. But he’s also the first person to say he has no regrets because he wanted to see what he was going to play for his hometown team. And if he didn’t take the chance he wouldn’t have experienced it. Would have regretted it. So, yes, it didn’t work. But no regrets – you move on as a better person and a better player. ”

It turned out to be exactly what happened along Tampa Bay, back to its roots, on the ice and fitting perfectly into the dressing room, in which the electrifying leadership role was taken.

And he pushed the experience with the Rangers to push him forward.

“As I’ve said before, I’ll never forget what happened last summer,” Steinkirk said. “I’ve used it to fuel me and just not be comfortable.”

Game Friday, in some ways, was a microcosm of what Steinkirk has done in the past year-plus.

The goal is to build through the Stars Center J Pa Pavelski Steinker went off the knee with the remaining 8:25 in the third period. But Steinkirk was undent. With lightning on power play in overtime, he took a wrist shot from the right face-circle f circle.

He went inside. Once again he got rid of it.

His low humility made him as high as in his career.

“I think the whole hockey world is able to sit back now and … even eight or nine years ago we would all appreciate what we hope for two, three, four, how good a player we are.” “And I think with the road bumps in the last two years here, maybe he forgot a little bit.

“So if there’s a release, I think it’s spectacular.”