Lightning to bring back boat parade for Stanley Cup celebration

The Tampa Bay Lightning will once again take the Stanley Cup from the frozen water of Amalie Arena to the fluid variety in Tampa's Hillsborough River.

For the second straight year, the Lightning will hold a boat parade as part of their championship celebration.

The event will take place Monday at 11 a.m. ET, and the team is encouraging fans to line the Tampa Riverwalk to watch the procession on land. No other boats will be permitted.

There will be a standard Cup celebration in Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park at 2 p.m. ET following the boat parade.

The Lightning held a boat parade for the first time after winning the title last season. They also held that portion of the 2020 event on the Hillsborough River, with fans gathering on the Riverwalk. The club hosted the second part of last year's festivities at Raymond James Stadium.

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Report: Maple Leafs among teams interested in Hall

Taylor Hall and the Boston Bruins are both open to extending his tenure with the team, but the Toronto Maple Leafs are among the clubs that could pursue him if he opts to sign elsewhere.

Hall and the Bruins are negotiating a contract extension, but there's "outside interest as well," reports TSN's Darren Dreger, who adds the Maple Leafs are included in that group.

On June 15, Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said both the club and player were amenable to him re-signing. Less than a week earlier, Hall said he saw a fit with Boston and wasn't looking to maximize his value in free agency.

Toronto holds about $9.3 million in cap space with nine pending unrestricted free agents, including goaltender Frederik Andersen and forward Zach Hyman, according to CapFriendly.

Hall, who's also a pending UFA, struggled with the Buffalo Sabres this season before they traded him to the Bruins in April. The 29-year-old winger then flourished with Boston, racking up eight goals and six assists over 16 regular-season games before adding three markers and two helpers in 11 playoff contests.

The Sabres inked Hall to a one-year, $8-million pact last offseason.

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Kucherov played Stanley Cup Final with fractured rib

Nikita Kucherov battled through a significant injury while helping the Tampa Bay Lightning go back-to-back.

The superstar forward played with a fractured rib throughout the Stanley Cup Final, his agent Dan Milstein confirmed, according to The Athletic's Joe Smith.

Kucherov reportedly needed multiple injections during the series and played the Lightning's final six games with the ailment, including Game 7 of the semifinal against the New York Islanders.

The 28-year-old winger left Game 6 of that series early in the contest and didn't return. The Lightning didn't disclose the nature of the injury at the time. Kucherov was a question mark for Game 7 but ultimately played, though he didn't appear to be 100% during that contest.

Kucherov led all skaters with 24 assists and 32 points in the 2021 playoffs. He notched three goals and two assists over the final six games of the postseason, including a two-goal, one-assist effort during a 5-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens in Game 1 of the final.

The seven-year veteran missed the entire regular season after undergoing hip surgery.

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Leafs re-sign Dermott to 2-year, $3M deal

The Toronto Maple Leafs re-signed defenseman Travis Dermott to a two-year contract with an average annual value of $1.5 million, the team announced Thursday.

Dermott, 24, recorded two goals and four assists through 51 games last season. He averaged 13:13 of ice time per contest.

Toronto selected the Newmarket, Ontario, native 34th overall in the 2015 NHL Draft. He's managed 11 goals and 36 assists during 208 career games over four campaigns.

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Tampa’s edge as repeat Cup winner? Being more than the sum of its parts

Of course it was Ross Colton.

With 6:33 remaining in the second period Wednesday, Colton - the Tampa Bay Lightning's most under-the-radar player - redirected a perfectly placed pass into the back of the Montreal Canadiens' net. It turned out to be the lone goal in the fifth and final game of the 2021 Stanley Cup Final, leading to the juggernaut Lightning's second championship in 282 days.

Colton, a 2016 fourth-rounder with 30 games of NHL experience coming into the postseason, was both the unlikely and likely hero. The Lightning have been built to overwhelm opponents with their star power. Yet endless depth is the club's true competitive advantage. The bottom-six forwards, Patrick Maroon, Barclay Goodrow, Blake Coleman, and Tyler Johnson, scored the five goals prior to Colton's memorable marker. In total, 16 of the 20 skaters who dressed for Tampa Bay in the 2021 playoffs scored at least once.

Mark LoMoglio / Getty Images

It's no fluke, either. The Lightning have boasted an enviable stable of role and bit players for at least three years now, long before superstar Nikita Kucherov's league-approved injury timeline became such a hot-button topic.

A core group of seven players has grown alongside head coach Jon Cooper since the organization's 2015 Cup Final appearance, with management tinkering with the periphery pieces each season. Prior to last year's trade deadline, for instance, the highly effective Goodrow and Coleman came aboard. This past deadline, Tampa Bay acquired veteran defenseman David Savard, who recorded the primary assist on Colton's clinching goal.

Through it all, the Lightning have developed an almost clinical way of operating, where a player like Colton can slide into the lineup seamlessly. They've also learned how to adapt on a dime. In 23 playoff games over four rounds this year, they flashed some version of a run-and-gun style versus the Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes, as well as a more methodical, counter-attacking approach against the New York Islanders and Canadiens.

This Cup-winning squad will be remembered as the fully evolved version of the Lightning, a team that could beat opponents in so many ways.

"In 2015, we were the new kids on the block, this team that was young and so fun to watch," Cooper said during his celebratory press conference. "Then, we were labeled as the team that couldn't get it done. And now, we're throwing around the word dynasty. It's a huge wave of emotions."

"You win the Stanley Cup two years in a row, you deserve to go down in history," forward Steven Stamkos said. "No matter what happens from here on, this group will be etched together forever. That's pretty effing special."

Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images

This Cup victory has a different feel for Tampa Bay players and coaches than last season's. They weren't confined to a bubble throughout the playoffs, and on Wednesday, most were able to celebrate the accomplishment with family. Additionally, Stamkos, the team captain, got to compete, pitching in eight goals and 10 assists after an injury limited him to only five shifts last year.

Stamkos, the longest-tenured Lightning player as the first overall pick in the 2009 NHL Draft, said he was especially proud of the way Tampa Bay responded to losses over the past two runs. Amazingly, the Lightning strung together a flawless 15-0 record in games following a defeat.

Despite similar end results, Tampa Bay's motivation wasn't quite the same year-to-year. In the 2020 playoffs, the Lightning were on a redemption tour after the previous season's 62-win team was embarrassed by a first-round sweep to the Columbus Blue Jackets. This year, to borrow Cooper's phrase, there were "last day of school" vibes around the cap-strapped club.

With Kucherov shelved for all 56 regular-season games, Tampa Bay finished behind the Hurricanes and Panthers in the Central Division standings. And with a different playoff format and formidable opponents in their way, nothing was guaranteed to the Lightning.

"Once the playoffs started, we kind of pushed the (go) button," said longtime Bolt Victor Hedman.

The last two months have been all about seizing the moment.

"We know going forward, with the salary-cap world, that this might be the last game that this particular group plays together. I can't (overstate) how much that motivated us," Stamkos said. "We talked about it midway through the playoffs, we talked about it going into Game 5 of the Islanders series: 'Let's take advantage of this opportunity.' It's not very often you get this chance to play with a talented team like we did, and we just believed."

The Lightning join the 2015-16 and 2016-17 Pittsburgh Penguins as the only teams to repeat as champs in the salary-cap era. The franchise, founded in 1992, now has three NHL titles. Since 2018-19, Tampa Bay has maintained a league-high .709 points percentage in regular-season action.

Icon Sportswire / Getty Images

Andrei Vasilevskiy, the Conn Smythe winner ahead of Kucherov (32 points) and Brayden Point (14 goals), is on top of the goaltending mountain. The 26-year-old Russian manned Tampa Bay's net every single minute of both Cup runs, posting save percentages of .927 and .937 in 25 and 23 contests, respectively.

"I can't believe how he shuts the door in the biggest games of his career," Cooper said of Vasilevskiy's five consecutive shutouts in series-clinching contests.

"If he played in a different market," Kucherov added about his countryman in a zany press conference, "he would win the Vezina every year."

Vasilevskiy was the ultimate safety valve for when things occasionally went awry this postseason, though you could say the same about Kucherov. Or Point. Or Hedman. Or Stamkos, or Ryan McDonagh, or Tyler Johnson. The list goes on and on, because not only do the Lightning have incredible depth at all positions, but their best players almost always rise to the occasion. On any given night, at least one impact player affects the game at a high level.

"I mean, it's just, it's stupid. You miss an entire season and you lead the playoffs by (nine points)," Coleman said of Kucherov's brilliance. "The guy is just a special, special player. Obviously, a big reason why we're here celebrating, a big part of this team. He's just on another level."

Mike Carlson / Getty Images

Years from now, when a handful of Lightning players, and probably Cooper, are enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame, we'll likely look back on this squad as the best collection of talent from the first 15 or so years of the cap era. Sure, there's a case to be made for the early 2010s Chicago Blackhawks and Los Angeles Kings, and the late 2010s Penguins, but no other team squeezed so much talent onto its payroll quite like Tampa Bay under the leadership of general manager Julien BriseBois and his predecessor, Steve Yzerman.

There are common threads among the vast majority of Lightning players, as well. They're intelligent, they're highly skilled, they skate well, and they're committed to taking care of the defensive side of the puck. This isn't a groundbreaking or unique approach, but there's no denying Tampa Bay drafts, develops, and acquires a specific kind of player. It's key to the club's culture, and the decision-makers rarely, if ever, stray from the plan. The Lightning's true edge, what really sets them apart, is being more than the sum of their parts.

Management has also done its best to keep the band together. It worked last offseason, in large part due to Kucherov's injury status. This time, it'll be borderline impossible to retain all 20 everyday skaters, though a three-peat isn't out of the question with the likes of Kucherov, Point, Hedman, Vasilevskiy, and a bunch of important role players all coming back.

For now, the achievement of back-to-back Cups is all that matters for these players - from a virtual unknown like Colton to the veteran captain.

"We won the Stanley Cup. We still have the Stanley Cup," Stamkos said.

"That's just amazing."

John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. You can follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) and contact him via email (john.matisz@thescore.com).

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Price: I didn’t play well enough at beginning of finals

Carey Price is shouldering the blame after his Montreal Canadiens lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup Final.

"At the end of the day, I just don't think I played well enough at the start of the series," Price said postgame Wednesday, per TVA Sports.

Captain Shea Weber, who was seated next to Price, dismissed his star goalie's comments and quickly interjected.

"I don't think that's the case at all, to be honest. I think that we weren't good enough in front of Carey," Weber said. "Give them credit, they're a heck of a team, they're here for a reason, and they were better than us in the end."

Price was outstanding for the first three rounds of the playoffs, helping guide the Canadiens to their first Stanley Cup Final since 1993. However, he and the team in front of him weren't as sharp in the opening games against the highly talented Lightning.

Through Game 3, Price allowed 13 goals on 79 shots for an .835 save percentage. The Canadiens were outscored 14-5 over that span, unable to generate much on either side of the ice.

Price seemed to regain his form after calling out his own play following Game 3, but it was ultimately too little too late. He made 32 saves in an overtime win in Game 4 and stopped 29 of 30 shots in the following contest.

The 33-year-old sees a bittersweetness in the defeat and the experience of his team's improbable run.

"It's incredibly disappointing," Price said, according to The Athletic's Arpon Basu. "But I'm only disappointed in the result."

Price finished the postseason with a .924 save percentage and 2.28 goals-against average.

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Lightning’s Killorn broke fibula in Game 1

Tampa Bay Lightning forward Alex Killorn revealed he was sidelined with a broken fibula after blocking a shot from Jeff Petry in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

Killorn underwent surgery last week to have a rod inserted in his calf and hoped to return if the series was extended, Friedman adds.

The Lightning ultimately needed just five games to take down the Montreal Canadiens and win back-to-back Cups. Though he didn't take part in the majority of the Final, Killorn played an integral role in getting Tampa Bay through the postseason.

Killorn, who grew up in the Montreal area, had eight goals and nine assists in 19 games during Tampa's run.

The 31-year-old wasn't prepared to let the injury stop him from hoisting the Stanley Cup in front of a full home crowd after winning it without fans in the stands in the bubble last season.

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Watch: Kucherov rips Canadiens fans, Vezina voters after Cup win

A second consecutive Stanley Cup victory didn't stop Nikita Kucherov from calling out numerous people afterward.

During a press conference in which he showed up shirtless and appeared noticeably inebriated, the Tampa Bay Lightning superstar took aim at Canadiens fans for the way they celebrated after Montreal won Game 4.

He also criticized Vezina Trophy voters for choosing Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury over Lightning netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy, who claimed the Conn Smythe Trophy on Wednesday night after Tampa Bay defeated the Canadiens 1-0 in Game 5 to capture the Stanley Cup again.

"Vasy was outstanding, MVP," Kucherov said. "I was telling him every day, 'Vasy, you're MVP. You're the best player.' And then they gave it to whatever the guy in Vegas, the Vezina. And then last year, they gave (the) Vezina to somebody else. No. 1 bullshit."

Winnipeg Jets puck-stopper Connor Hellebuyck won the Vezina Trophy last season. Vasilevskiy finished third in the voting that campaign behind Hellebuyck and Boston Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask.

"Vasy took both Cups," Kucherov continued. "He took MVP and I (kept) telling him he's MVP. He's the guy that f------, he's the best. He (stood) on his head today, and he kept us in the game. Another shutout by him, remarkable."

He then turned his attention to Canadiens supporters.

"I'm so happy we (won in Tampa Bay on Wednesday)," he said. "I didn't want to go back to Montreal, but they acted, the fans in Montreal, come on. They acted like they won the Stanley Cup last game. You kidding me? Their final was last series."

Canadiens fans piled into the city's streets to celebrate after Montreal won Game 4 in overtime 3-2 on Monday night.

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