Personally feel like Vinny was a big "what if", because the Lightning were a volatile team, especially after the cup win, and the lockout happening when his peak wouldve been. Alot of his costars were either traded or aged out, and the injuries really sapped all of his potential and momentum
Met Vinny when I was about 11 years old after a game in Ottawa. I was staying with my family at the Brookstreet hotel. The boltz had just arrived after a loss to the Sens. The whole team came in at the same time, as a huge hockey fan at that young age I was so excited and nervous to go up to them especially after a loss.. I was lucky enough to get an autograph from St Louis and Richard but they didn`t say a word to me.. You could tell that every player just wanted to go up to their room and sleep it off since they most likely got a mouthful from John Tortorella on the bus ride over. Vinny came in about 15 minutes later when all of the players were gone.. I was quite reluctant to go ask Vinny for an autograph after seeing how pissed off the rest of the team was but Vinny had a smile on and talked to me all the way to the elevator and even asked me to come up with him so that I would have a chance to get his autograph and chat. Class A player all around! An awesome childhood memory! Would be nice to see him get in the hall of fame one day.
Vinny will always be my favorite Lightning player. Still wear my signed Lecavalier #4 "C" jersey to games. Besides being amazing on the ice, it was inspiring how much #4 gave back to the Tampa area. The Vincent Lecavalier Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at All Children's Hospital has been helping kids since 2010. I was really happy to see Vinny raise the Stanley Cup in 2004. And his #4 being retired by the Lightning was well-deserved. As far as the HHOF, I think Vinny would have definitely made it in if certain things went right. Like not missing an entire year at his prime due to the lockout in 2004-2005. That dirty hit by Matt Cooke that messed up his shoulder in 2007. The management change also doomed Vinny's HHOF chances, those awful owners Koules/Barrie and the misguided moves by GM Brian Lawton. Simply awful, they destroyed a roster that should have stayed in the hunt for years. I knew Lecavalier's days were numbered in Tampa the minute Lawton signed Vinny to that stupid 11-year contract. Top it off with awful coaching from Melrose/Tocchet. Anyway, #4 was a special player.
Big Vinny Fan. Honestly leaning against Lecavalier making HOF. However, In October 2007, Lecavalier gave $3 million to a new All Children's Hospital facility in St. Petersburg, Florida. The facility was named the Vincent Lecavalier Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorders Center in his honour. Considering all the athletes who have been excluded from HOFs due to their bad behavior (Pete Rose, Barry Bonds, etc) maybe Vinny's benevolence could be a reason to push him in the other direction of HOF..
He'll make it! He's been retired since 2016 and this year should be it for Vinny! Him and Brad Richards should make the HHOF. It's going to be tougher for Richards, but he's the Conn Smythe trophy winner, and Richards has similar numbers to Vinny's point wise. Had not the 2004-05 season been cancelled, both Lecavalier and Richards would've had over 1000 points and TB could've repeated and in the 2005-06 season, TB lost momentum as they dropped from first in the Eastern Conference in 2003-04 to eighth in 2005-06. After making it to the 2005-06 playoffs, TB would get beat by Ottawa and TB wouldn't come back to glory until TB got draft picks in 2009 (Stamos) and the rest is history...
I went to the game that the Lightning retired his jersey and he gave a great speech to the audience and all his old teammates and coaches. It was a great experience. The Stanley Cup was present. I also went to the one for Marty St. Louis the season prior
My dad I live in Orlando so we picked a random game to go to and it happened to turn into the Marty jersey retirement night. Was special to be there and see that.
Matt Cooke dislocated Lecavalier’s shoulder at the end of the 2007-08 season. He had shoulder surgery that off-season. That might partially explain why he declined earlier than you might have expected at the time.
It's definitely part of it. You see a dip in his shot % in 09 and 10. But you also see a culture shift. 4-5 years of adjusting to the rule changes, the game is speeding up while Vinny isn't. And TBL is changing personnel; Tort leaves, Richards leaves, Boyle leaves and wonderkid Stamkos arrives.
@@RandomPlaceHolderName His skating is really what ended him so quickly. He was closer to a Brett Hull style sniper than a Stamkos style, relying heavily on his shot. So once that shoulder injury took his shot away, he didn’t have the skating or speed to really do much else
Yup, Vinny was just one of many victims to Cooke's dirty plays. I don't care what anyone says about Evander Kane. He'll always be a hero to me for knocking Cooke out. He avenged like five different careers by doing that. lol
What a class act Lecavalier has been. After his buy-out he remained a huge supporter of the Tampa area and his work for kids with cancer is legendary. The most overlooked moment of his cup run was his fight with Iginla in the final. That galvanized the group and was a moment his teammates always respected him for. A terrific player, excellent playoff performer…but an even better person off the ice.
As die hard bolts fan vinny will always be my favorite of all time. Drafting him in 1998 saved the franchise, finally had somebody to rally around and build upon. He did get injured alot unfortunately but if he stays healthy I think he crosses 1,000 points or more and more goal scoring seasons. I think/hope eventually he goes to the hall of fame
My Captain... Luv ya, Vinny!!! As a hockey fan, I was blessed to watch a classy 18yr old kid, grow into a great,classy human. Blessed to watch and feel a part of some really great hockey along the way. Vinny helped make Tampa a hockey town. That backhand, between the legs goal, against Monreal, in the playoffs is still in top 10 all time best, IMO. The Lecavalier family make the city of Tampa a better place, just by being full time residents. Vinny will always be Hall worthy in my heart.
If not for Marty, my favorite classic Bolt! Great vid. That said, I'd expect he never quite makes the HoF. He had 2 seasons that were absolute legend, but dropped off fast. Had Crosby not played and, perhaps had he won the Hart in 07 (he was 4th overall), who knows? That said, even if he never makes the HoF, he had a great career. Glad the Lightning retired #4.
By reading the comments I feel that Vinny was so important for the hockey in Florida. I follow the NHL since 2011 so it's hard for me to judge the player but I remember him as an important player for the Bolts, a leader for this team.
Man I remember being an elementary school kid balling my eyes out because he was suppose to get traded to montreal I was so happy it didn’t happen love Vinny
I'm from Quebec and Lecavalier was one of my favorite players. People here were going CRAZY at the prospect of getting the all-star, French Canadian player and I was so sad it never happened. I especially remember the 09 ASG in Montreal right in the middle of trade rumours, and Lecavalier getting an insane ovation from the crowd. Looking back, I've heard things like how MTL was ready to give up Price, Pacioretty and a young D prospect, either Subban or McDonagh and a first-rounder, so maybe it was for the best that it did not happen
For some reason, I clearly remember how bad Tampa was in those two or three seasons leading up to them drafting Lecavalier. Terry Crisp loaded up on goons from what seemingly was top to bottom of the roster: Sandy McCarthy, Vukota, Ciccone, Andrei Nazarov, Louie Debrusk, Dino Cicarelli, Bryan Marchment, Darcy Tucker, Cory Cross, Jason Wiemer, Jamie Huscroft, Wendel Clark, and Chris Gratton. Even Ulanov would occasionally drop the gloves.
Vinny is my all time favorite player. He’s the reason I got into hockey. I want to see him in the Hall of Fame, but I’m not expecting it, and I understand why if he doesn’t.
Vinny changed the game with how dynamic his skill set the tone for the new age creativity coming from the hard hitting bang bang 90's. He had sweet hands and unreal accuracy. But the one thing no one talks about is when he played for team canada. He was a clutch beast woth a world cup of hockey and gold medal
Thank you for doing my request I lost track of hockey for hockey when I was younger. Before I lost track Vinni was on top and was really bad when I came back. Interesting too hear his career. And in the comments said that he had concussion that have stop careers before.
Flyers guy here. Vinny, Mark Streit and Razor Ray Emery were actually touted as the new faces of the franchise and our lords and saviors by Holmgren. Oh the bad old days.
I've been a bolts for 18 years thanks in part to Vinny. He will always be my favorite Bolts player and one of the best players to put on the Bolts sweater
Vinny and St. Louis are the reasons I became a Lightning fan. I moved here in the mid 96. We got a baseball team and Hockey team almost immediately after my arrival. That first cup is what we really made Tampa become a lil hockey town. We have tons of snow birds and canadians that come here. We all kinda adopted the Lightning but not so much the Rays. I always attributed it to the great location and northern roots here in the Tampa Bay area. Channel side is lit up with bars and people everywhere. You got the ocean, bars and hockey all in moderately accessible area. St. Pete sucks and the stadium is worse. The traffic to st. Pete is a nightmare. If they wanna save the Rays they need a new stadium near or on the water in Tampa. Hitting bombs into the bay would be a great feature.
I remember a couple years back goin on a random drunken youtube bingo of hockey fights as I like to do from time to time. somehow I ended up on a vinny lecavalier tribute video, and after seeing how many times he fought Flyers, I was really suprised that he ended up playing there and I also had no idea he was in LA
One of my absolute favorite players of all time and the only jersey I own with a player name on the back, though to be fair it cost me less than $40 brand new LOL
I may be wrong but i'm pretty sure around 2008-2009 he got a concussion and he never really came back as a dominant player after that. It's a shame because he is the reason with st-louis that tampa became my favorite team.
Vinny is a pillar of our community. A lot of that cool free agent money went to a hospital in St. Pete. Has nothing to with with the HOF but should be known. As far as the HOF he lost a season in his prime on a Stanley Cup champion team to the lock out. The numbers would look better. But more importantly in my opinion is that his altercation with Igilina in the finals was a spark that the Bolts rode to a championship. Thank you Vinny.
Vinny was my childhood favorite player, probably favorite of all time. First jersey I owned and the first game I can remember going to was a lighting game (my parents took me to a thrashers/flyers game when I was 5 months old). He made me a lightning fan when I was a kid, living in the carribean. I was happy when I moved back to the US because he went to Philly where my dad is from and where I a massive fan now. I remember him not being a star but always in talks of being a great player for so many years. I think hes gotta deserve a hall of fame spot, but im biased obviously
I loved Lecavalier as a kid but there's no way he gets into the HoF...a couple more seasons like '07 and '08 and he's a lock, but he just didn't dominate enough. I'd maybe even argue that Brad Richards would have a better shot at the Hall.
LOL I laughed at that EBay analogy. So true. You’re like, wow 98 cents for a pair of Armani jeans. Great. Before you know it, you’re in a bidding war and up to 30 bucks for a pair of used jeans and climbing. Glad I’m not the only one.
Probably not a HOF player but what he did off the ice was even more extensive. He did a lot for the Tampa Bay community, in particular I remember him giving time and money to kids with cancer.
Absolutely he should. Much of his career was on a very bad Tampa squad with bad ownership struggles. Anybody who watched Lightning hockey during that time knows how much of a stud he was.
I always liked Lecavalier but I think if you get into the Vinny should be in the HOF conversation, it brings up quite a lot of other "well then so and so is a shoe-in to be in". Jason Spezza comes to mind as a star player who's faded over the years but is getting close to 1000 points (he would need an above average season to get there). I recall THG discussing this about Spezza a bit ago, is he a HOF player later on ? He could be (and if he plays a notable role on a Leafs team that wins the Cup, he will be) but I don't think he's a shoe-in just yet.
His Philly years were aweful because he basically signed there because Peter Laviolette was the coach. Laviolette was fired 3 games into the following season and Ron Hextall took the spot behind the bench. Hextall wasn’t a fan of Lecavalier and moved him to 4th line LW and basically said we’ll he’s not scoring as he was before so I’m just gonna bench him or Scratch him. Lecavalier then made a deal with LA meaning: if you trade for me I’m retiring so you don’t have to pay for the remaining of my contract (had 2 years left and LA didn’t had the cap room for it) so I’ll retire now but playing every game instead of retiring in 2 years being healthy scratch. Really sad but at least he had one last run.
There was sooo much hype and expectations with Vinny. I can’t confirm it, but Colorado had four 1st round picks in Vinny’s draft. Colorado was willing to trade all of them to Tampa for the rights to Vinny.
Someone like Brian Propp should get in well before Vinnie. And it doesn't look like they even want Brian there. Which is beyond me! I'd love to see you do a statistical bio of Brian. Please! We value your opinion. Keep up the good work!
i want to bring up something that i think gets really glossed over when it comes to the question of whether or not a player is worthy of being enshrined in the Hall of Fame. there are just SO. MANY. MORE. PLAYERS. not every case is going to be an absolute slam dunk. consider that for about half the NHL's life, there were fewer than 10 teams to go around with just one Stanley Cup. now we have 32 teams, which means about 700 players to go around. every single award, from the Stanley Cup to the individual ones, has so much more competition for it. i think, in a lot of cases now and going forward, awards need to be less of a focus when it comes to judging someone's HOF candidacy. would i be upset if Lecavalier were inducted into the Hall? do i think it would be watering down the honor if he were? i don't think so, but i also think it means that we might have to put more stock and meaning into things like jersey retirements and team rings of honor to see what players had a real impact on a franchise and an era of hockey because with 32 teams now, i just think it'll create so many more edge-case scenarios for HOF status for a lot players in the future. *disclosure: i'm a Red Wings fan who thinks Chris Osgood should be in the Hall of Fame.
My second hockey game was his number retirement in tampa and while waiting to get into the game he walked by us and I didn’t know who he was because I was fairly new to hockey at the time
As a lightning fan I don't think he is a hall of famer even though he played with hall of famers like St. Louis and Stamkos (after he retires of course), but like THG said he only really had 2 great years in Tampa.
Vinny won't make the HOF and I understand, but he'll always be a legend for TBL and the Tampa Bay community. It was tough to watch the decline of the franchise after that first cup win, as well as his own decline and all the injuries. But he was huge, along with Marty, in passing on the right culture, on and off the ice, to the Stamkos/Hedman era. So glad they retired #4
I don't think he's HOF caliber. There's a pretty long list of guys that I think are above him that aren't in. Alexander Mogilny Theo Fleury Pierre Turgeon Those guys belong IMO anyway. Then there's guys that are close, that aren't in: Daniel Alfredsson Rod Brind 'Amour Jeremy Roenick Keith Tkachuk Steve Larmer Brian Propp Patrick Elias Not to mention goalies like: Joseph Osgood Vernon That I think belong It not for Lecavalier's two great seasons, he wouldn't be considered at all. He's more like Bernie Nichols, except with a lot of hype, and if Nichols isn't in, I can't see why Lecavalier should be.
I'm on the side of not quite HoF worthy for Lecavalier. He only had 2 really elite seasons, and that wouldn't be enough for me. He's also a little light on hardware, with one Rocket to his name for year end awards. The Cup ring is nice but doesn't tip the scales, and he didn't manage to pick up the Conn Smythe either. It was a great career, but not a HoF career.
I think he is on the cusp of Hall of Fame status but just short. He lacks the longevity of a lot of similar players and ultimately I think that costs him. Had he hit the 1000 point mark he probably makes it.
he had unbelievable skill, but he just didn't have a long enough peak, shame but he needed 3/4 more years of 80+ seasons, not HOF imo. He had an excellent cast around him, if there was no MSL or BR, then there might have been an argument.
He was great for a few years. One of those ‘to be remembered players’ that don’t quite make the h.o.f. Had he won a scoring title and a Hart then I would say yes…barely.
I don't think Vinny is HOF worthy. Yeah he won some trophies but all in all he only had 2-3 very good seasons and even though he played over 1200 games he did not manage to get 1000 points.
He should have chosen Montreal (who were his second pick but who were unable to equal that insane 11 year contract), the team was good then and on the up and up, it's a wonder why Carbonneau was coach for a single season, when they finished first in the East, Gainey was very meh as a coach/GM, better for him to just be GM. I could have seen him excel in a much better team which had the time was clamoring for a french speaking all-star, now he's part of the Habs management, close to his friend Marty St-Louis, I guess that is mostly good news on that front but MTL had a new Roy in view (Price) and would only give contracts over 6 million to a goalie, Habs success always being through having a AAA goaltender, AA or 1B as some says is not enough, although St-Louis and Hughes are trying to change the DNA of the team that its had ever since Jacques Lemaire became coach in the mid-80's. What we would traded away for Lecavalier and a 2nd line winger for a whole lot of quality D's the team developed over the years, especially back then, not Markov for sure but a bunch of prospects yes, Mark Streit and Souray could have helped Tampa's weak (other than Hedman)'s defense, maybe if that happened Souray didn't develop chronic knee issues (the #1 career killer imo).
His buyout never counted against the cap. In '05 and '13 the league allowed "compliance buyouts" (I think it was 2 per team both years, but I'm not 100% on that). Basically, since the league changed the rules about how much money a team could spend, they agreed to allow teams to buyout contracts they wouldn't have signed if they knew about those rules at the time without them counting against the cap.
Personally feel like Vinny was a big "what if", because the Lightning were a volatile team, especially after the cup win, and the lockout happening when his peak wouldve been. Alot of his costars were either traded or aged out, and the injuries really sapped all of his potential and momentum
Met Vinny when I was about 11 years old after a game in Ottawa. I was staying with my family at the Brookstreet hotel. The boltz had just arrived after a loss to the Sens. The whole team came in at the same time, as a huge hockey fan at that young age I was so excited and nervous to go up to them especially after a loss.. I was lucky enough to get an autograph from St Louis and Richard but they didn`t say a word to me.. You could tell that every player just wanted to go up to their room and sleep it off since they most likely got a mouthful from John Tortorella on the bus ride over. Vinny came in about 15 minutes later when all of the players were gone.. I was quite reluctant to go ask Vinny for an autograph after seeing how pissed off the rest of the team was but Vinny had a smile on and talked to me all the way to the elevator and even asked me to come up with him so that I would have a chance to get his autograph and chat. Class A player all around! An awesome childhood memory! Would be nice to see him get in the hall of fame one day.
I loved reading this story!
Vinny will always be my favorite Lightning player. Still wear my signed Lecavalier #4 "C" jersey to games. Besides being amazing on the ice, it was inspiring how much #4 gave back to the Tampa area. The Vincent Lecavalier Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at All Children's Hospital has been helping kids since 2010. I was really happy to see Vinny raise the Stanley Cup in 2004. And his #4 being retired by the Lightning was well-deserved. As far as the HHOF, I think Vinny would have definitely made it in if certain things went right. Like not missing an entire year at his prime due to the lockout in 2004-2005. That dirty hit by Matt Cooke that messed up his shoulder in 2007. The management change also doomed Vinny's HHOF chances, those awful owners Koules/Barrie and the misguided moves by GM Brian Lawton. Simply awful, they destroyed a roster that should have stayed in the hunt for years. I knew Lecavalier's days were numbered in Tampa the minute Lawton signed Vinny to that stupid 11-year contract. Top it off with awful coaching from Melrose/Tocchet. Anyway, #4 was a special player.
Big Vinny Fan. Honestly leaning against Lecavalier making HOF. However, In October 2007, Lecavalier gave $3 million to a new All Children's Hospital facility in St. Petersburg, Florida. The facility was named the Vincent Lecavalier Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorders Center in his honour. Considering all the athletes who have been excluded from HOFs due to their bad behavior (Pete Rose, Barry Bonds, etc) maybe Vinny's benevolence could be a reason to push him in the other direction of HOF..
He'll make it! He's been retired since 2016 and this year should be it for Vinny! Him and Brad Richards should make the HHOF. It's going to be tougher for Richards, but he's the Conn Smythe trophy winner, and Richards has similar numbers to Vinny's point wise. Had not the 2004-05 season been cancelled, both Lecavalier and Richards would've had over 1000 points and TB could've repeated and in the 2005-06 season, TB lost momentum as they dropped from first in the Eastern Conference in 2003-04 to eighth in 2005-06. After making it to the 2005-06 playoffs, TB would get beat by Ottawa and TB wouldn't come back to glory until TB got draft picks in 2009 (Stamos) and the rest is history...
Fun timing Shannon ! Welcome to Montréal Vinny !!
I'm from Florida and get to see him coach his little guys every Monday after my practice. Such a nice guy and does good things in the community
I went to the game that the Lightning retired his jersey and he gave a great speech to the audience and all his old teammates and coaches. It was a great experience. The Stanley Cup was present.
I also went to the one for Marty St. Louis the season prior
My dad I live in Orlando so we picked a random game to go to and it happened to turn into the Marty jersey retirement night. Was special to be there and see that.
I flew from Montreal to Tampa just to see his jersey retirement ceremony
Matt Cooke dislocated Lecavalier’s shoulder at the end of the 2007-08 season. He had shoulder surgery that off-season. That might partially explain why he declined earlier than you might have expected at the time.
It's definitely part of it. You see a dip in his shot % in 09 and 10. But you also see a culture shift. 4-5 years of adjusting to the rule changes, the game is speeding up while Vinny isn't. And TBL is changing personnel; Tort leaves, Richards leaves, Boyle leaves and wonderkid Stamkos arrives.
Yeah, he was never the same after that hit. I think he was always dealing with issues stemming from that shoulder.
@@RandomPlaceHolderName His skating is really what ended him so quickly. He was closer to a Brett Hull style sniper than a Stamkos style, relying heavily on his shot. So once that shoulder injury took his shot away, he didn’t have the skating or speed to really do much else
Yup, Vinny was just one of many victims to Cooke's dirty plays. I don't care what anyone says about Evander Kane. He'll always be a hero to me for knocking Cooke out. He avenged like five different careers by doing that. lol
I always found it weird that there is no video of that play, I still remember it but cant find it anywhere now
What a class act Lecavalier has been. After his buy-out he remained a huge supporter of the Tampa area and his work for kids with cancer is legendary. The most overlooked moment of his cup run was his fight with Iginla in the final. That galvanized the group and was a moment his teammates always respected him for. A terrific player, excellent playoff performer…but an even better person off the ice.
As die hard bolts fan vinny will always be my favorite of all time. Drafting him in 1998 saved the franchise, finally had somebody to rally around and build upon. He did get injured alot unfortunately but if he stays healthy I think he crosses 1,000 points or more and more goal scoring seasons. I think/hope eventually he goes to the hall of fame
My Captain...
Luv ya, Vinny!!!
As a hockey fan, I was blessed to watch a classy 18yr old kid, grow into a great,classy human.
Blessed to watch and feel a part of some really great hockey along the way.
Vinny helped make Tampa a hockey town.
That backhand, between the legs goal, against Monreal, in the playoffs is still in top 10 all time best, IMO.
The Lecavalier family make the city of Tampa a better place, just by being full time residents.
Vinny will always be Hall worthy in my heart.
If not for Marty, my favorite classic Bolt! Great vid. That said, I'd expect he never quite makes the HoF. He had 2 seasons that were absolute legend, but dropped off fast. Had Crosby not played and, perhaps had he won the Hart in 07 (he was 4th overall), who knows? That said, even if he never makes the HoF, he had a great career. Glad the Lightning retired #4.
By reading the comments I feel that Vinny was so important for the hockey in Florida. I follow the NHL since 2011 so it's hard for me to judge the player but I remember him as an important player for the Bolts, a leader for this team.
Tremendously important part of the franchise. Incredibly important and loved by this city.
My favorite player of all time... Vinny is a legend
Man I remember being an elementary school kid balling my eyes out because he was suppose to get traded to montreal I was so happy it didn’t happen love Vinny
Vinny the goat
Hall of famer in my heart. The 04 cup run made me like hockey and he was always right up there with St Louis to me
I'm from Quebec and Lecavalier was one of my favorite players. People here were going CRAZY at the prospect of getting the all-star, French Canadian player and I was so sad it never happened. I especially remember the 09 ASG in Montreal right in the middle of trade rumours, and Lecavalier getting an insane ovation from the crowd.
Looking back, I've heard things like how MTL was ready to give up Price, Pacioretty and a young D prospect, either Subban or McDonagh and a first-rounder, so maybe it was for the best that it did not happen
For some reason, I clearly remember how bad Tampa was in those two or three seasons leading up to them drafting Lecavalier. Terry Crisp loaded up on goons from what seemingly was top to bottom of the roster: Sandy McCarthy, Vukota, Ciccone, Andrei Nazarov, Louie Debrusk, Dino Cicarelli, Bryan Marchment, Darcy Tucker, Cory Cross, Jason Wiemer, Jamie Huscroft, Wendel Clark, and Chris Gratton. Even Ulanov would occasionally drop the gloves.
Those were the days...
Rudy Poeschek!
Vinny is my all time favorite player. He’s the reason I got into hockey. I want to see him in the Hall of Fame, but I’m not expecting it, and I understand why if he doesn’t.
He was my favorite player growing up because he had the same first name as me.
Vinny the Viking ;)
Was it Brian?
Vinny changed the game with how dynamic his skill set the tone for the new age creativity coming from the hard hitting bang bang 90's. He had sweet hands and unreal accuracy. But the one thing no one talks about is when he played for team canada. He was a clutch beast woth a world cup of hockey and gold medal
Thank you for doing my request
I lost track of hockey for hockey when I was younger. Before I lost track Vinni was on top and was really bad when I came back. Interesting too hear his career. And in the comments said that he had concussion that have stop careers before.
Flyers guy here. Vinny, Mark Streit and Razor Ray Emery were actually touted as the new faces of the franchise and our lords and saviors by Holmgren. Oh the bad old days.
Certainly better than today 😂
The bad old days of....being competitive instead of a bottom feeder? 🤔
We haven't been competitive since 2012
I've been a bolts for 18 years thanks in part to Vinny. He will always be my favorite Bolts player and one of the best players to put on the Bolts sweater
Vinny and St. Louis are the reasons I became a Lightning fan. I moved here in the mid 96. We got a baseball team and Hockey team almost immediately after my arrival. That first cup is what we really made Tampa become a lil hockey town. We have tons of snow birds and canadians that come here. We all kinda adopted the Lightning but not so much the Rays. I always attributed it to the great location and northern roots here in the Tampa Bay area. Channel side is lit up with bars and people everywhere. You got the ocean, bars and hockey all in moderately accessible area. St. Pete sucks and the stadium is worse. The traffic to st. Pete is a nightmare. If they wanna save the Rays they need a new stadium near or on the water in Tampa. Hitting bombs into the bay would be a great feature.
I remember a couple years back goin on a random drunken youtube bingo of hockey fights as I like to do from time to time.
somehow I ended up on a vinny lecavalier tribute video, and after seeing how many times he fought Flyers, I was really suprised that he ended up playing there
and I also had no idea he was in LA
One of my absolute favorite players of all time and the only jersey I own with a player name on the back, though to be fair it cost me less than $40 brand new LOL
I may be wrong but i'm pretty sure around 2008-2009 he got a concussion and he never really came back as a dominant player after that. It's a shame because he is the reason with st-louis that tampa became my favorite team.
LeCavalier is one of the biggest reasons Tampa got their first championship
And the refs. Calgary won it
@@myblasterproductions LOL
@@myblasterproductions Cry More
Vinny is a pillar of our community. A lot of that cool free agent money went to a hospital in St. Pete. Has nothing to with with the HOF but should be known. As far as the HOF he lost a season in his prime on a Stanley Cup champion team to the lock out. The numbers would look better. But more importantly in my opinion is that his altercation with Igilina in the finals was a spark that the Bolts rode to a championship. Thank you Vinny.
Vinny was my childhood favorite player, probably favorite of all time. First jersey I owned and the first game I can remember going to was a lighting game (my parents took me to a thrashers/flyers game when I was 5 months old). He made me a lightning fan when I was a kid, living in the carribean. I was happy when I moved back to the US because he went to Philly where my dad is from and where I a massive fan now. I remember him not being a star but always in talks of being a great player for so many years. I think hes gotta deserve a hall of fame spot, but im biased obviously
I hope Shannon you follow Tampa Bay Lightning path and make carrer video about Martin St. Louis and Dave Andreychuk.
Pretty sure I remember him doing 1 on Brad Richards not too long ago.
I think people forget that the Lightning were once essentially owned by the Japanese mafia.
Watching him fight iggy in '04 was great.
Man I loved Vinny when I was a kid!
Vinny and Marty were such a great duo *#26 #4*
Of course the Flyers got him when he was old and at the tail end of his career.
I'm just amazed the Rangers didn't outbid them.
Flyers loved to sign has-beens at that point in their history
Vinny used to be my fave player on NHL07
I loved Lecavalier as a kid but there's no way he gets into the HoF...a couple more seasons like '07 and '08 and he's a lock, but he just didn't dominate enough. I'd maybe even argue that Brad Richards would have a better shot at the Hall.
Vinny makes me think of nhl 06...great game
Excellent video comrade! can we get a peter statsny video next please
Kings legend
Would buy a Lecavalier Kings jersey
@@frank-tk6dr Same here, it would sit right next to my Iginla kings Jersey
If Vinny had a more stable franchise and constituent coaching and linemates he'd be a shoo in. I loved seeing him play for years in Tampa
LOL I laughed at that EBay analogy. So true. You’re like, wow 98 cents for a pair of Armani jeans. Great. Before you know it, you’re in a bidding war and up to 30 bucks for a pair of used jeans and climbing. Glad I’m not the only one.
I’ve met this guy I live in Florida my dads best friends with him
Can you get me his number for our podcast 😂
Shanon can you start a series of the ,Iron curtain ,guys that where great in USSR and what if .. you could do 5 of every rookies from the 70s up to 89
Instant like. The man was in Happy Gilmore before ever making it!
Loved Vinny.
Probably not a HOF player but what he did off the ice was even more extensive. He did a lot for the Tampa Bay community, in particular I remember him giving time and money to kids with cancer.
The original golden goal for team Canada. People forget about that when considering hof.
Absolutely he should. Much of his career was on a very bad Tampa squad with bad ownership struggles. Anybody who watched Lightning hockey during that time knows how much of a stud he was.
Except, when he had the puck in the slot and would decide to pass. Seriously though, I love Vinny.
Now this peeks an interest
Vinny Lecavalier was the Vinny Lecavalier of hockey! And that's what makes him a future HOF'er in the making...
How can he be a hall of famer in the making if his career is over and he's retired? Makes no sense.
@@josephbarkley3301 Because he's not in the hall of fame yet...
I always liked Lecavalier but I think if you get into the Vinny should be in the HOF conversation, it brings up quite a lot of other "well then so and so is a shoe-in to be in". Jason Spezza comes to mind as a star player who's faded over the years but is getting close to 1000 points (he would need an above average season to get there). I recall THG discussing this about Spezza a bit ago, is he a HOF player later on ? He could be (and if he plays a notable role on a Leafs team that wins the Cup, he will be) but I don't think he's a shoe-in just yet.
Hey, great video. Go Bolts ⚡
The career of Mike Richards? I feel like that would be a pretty good video 👍🏼
His Philly years were aweful because he basically signed there because Peter Laviolette was the coach. Laviolette was fired 3 games into the following season and Ron Hextall took the spot behind the bench.
Hextall wasn’t a fan of Lecavalier and moved him to 4th line LW and basically said we’ll he’s not scoring as he was before so I’m just gonna bench him or Scratch him.
Lecavalier then made a deal with LA meaning: if you trade for me I’m retiring so you don’t have to pay for the remaining of my contract (had 2 years left and LA didn’t had the cap room for it) so I’ll retire now but playing every game instead of retiring in 2 years being healthy scratch.
Really sad but at least he had one last run.
I think Vincent Lecavalier is a hall of famer just because he fought Jarome Iginla in the stanley cup final.
There was sooo much hype and expectations with Vinny. I can’t confirm it, but Colorado had four 1st round picks in Vinny’s draft. Colorado was willing to trade all of them to Tampa for the rights to Vinny.
That top looks clean.
Someone like Brian Propp should get in well before Vinnie. And it doesn't look like they even want Brian there. Which is beyond me! I'd love to see you do a statistical bio of Brian. Please! We value your opinion. Keep up the good work!
i want to bring up something that i think gets really glossed over when it comes to the question of whether or not a player is worthy of being enshrined in the Hall of Fame. there are just SO. MANY. MORE. PLAYERS.
not every case is going to be an absolute slam dunk. consider that for about half the NHL's life, there were fewer than 10 teams to go around with just one Stanley Cup. now we have 32 teams, which means about 700 players to go around. every single award, from the Stanley Cup to the individual ones, has so much more competition for it. i think, in a lot of cases now and going forward, awards need to be less of a focus when it comes to judging someone's HOF candidacy.
would i be upset if Lecavalier were inducted into the Hall? do i think it would be watering down the honor if he were? i don't think so, but i also think it means that we might have to put more stock and meaning into things like jersey retirements and team rings of honor to see what players had a real impact on a franchise and an era of hockey because with 32 teams now, i just think it'll create so many more edge-case scenarios for HOF status for a lot players in the future.
*disclosure: i'm a Red Wings fan who thinks Chris Osgood should be in the Hall of Fame.
CAREER VID TIME!!! ✅✅✅
My second hockey game was his number retirement in tampa and while waiting to get into the game he walked by us and I didn’t know who he was because I was fairly new to hockey at the time
I named by first dog after Vinny. Miss you buddy.
Crazy I live in Florida 20 mins from Tampa but I'm hurricanes all day
Could you do a career video on Pavol Demitra? Attempt #1
As a lightning fan I don't think he is a hall of famer even though he played with hall of famers like St. Louis and Stamkos (after he retires of course), but like THG said he only really had 2 great years in Tampa.
Him and St. Louis made Tampa relevant
Vinny won't make the HOF and I understand, but he'll always be a legend for TBL and the Tampa Bay community. It was tough to watch the decline of the franchise after that first cup win, as well as his own decline and all the injuries. But he was huge, along with Marty, in passing on the right culture, on and off the ice, to the Stamkos/Hedman era. So glad they retired #4
As a human being he would be the definition of the Yiddish word “mensch”.
If he won another cup in TB, I bet no one would even debate his HOF entry.
So true.
Need an Eric Daze one at some point!
I would say no to the hall of fame because he wasn't consistent enough. I think he had more disappointing seasons than he did really good seasons
I don't think he's HOF caliber.
There's a pretty long list of guys that I think are above him that aren't in.
Alexander Mogilny
Theo Fleury
Pierre Turgeon
Those guys belong IMO anyway.
Then there's guys that are close, that aren't in:
Daniel Alfredsson
Rod Brind 'Amour
Jeremy Roenick
Keith Tkachuk
Steve Larmer
Brian Propp
Patrick Elias
Not to mention goalies like:
Joseph
Osgood
Vernon
That I think belong
It not for Lecavalier's two great seasons, he wouldn't be considered at all.
He's more like Bernie Nichols, except with a lot of hype, and if Nichols isn't in, I can't see why Lecavalier should be.
I'm on the side of not quite HoF worthy for Lecavalier. He only had 2 really elite seasons, and that wouldn't be enough for me. He's also a little light on hardware, with one Rocket to his name for year end awards. The Cup ring is nice but doesn't tip the scales, and he didn't manage to pick up the Conn Smythe either. It was a great career, but not a HoF career.
YES
I think he is on the cusp of Hall of Fame status but just short. He lacks the longevity of a lot of similar players and ultimately I think that costs him. Had he hit the 1000 point mark he probably makes it.
he had unbelievable skill, but he just didn't have a long enough peak, shame but he needed 3/4 more years of 80+ seasons, not HOF imo. He had an excellent cast around him, if there was no MSL or BR, then there might have been an argument.
If I remember correctly he was underweight prior to draft.
Watched it twice
He was great for a few years. One of those ‘to be remembered players’ that don’t quite make the h.o.f. Had he won a scoring title and a Hart then I would say yes…barely.
Gretzky was already the Jordan of hockey
Ya HOF he was one of the best in the world at a time
The Jason kidd of hockey
So much hype as a prospect he didnt deliver
Go Bolts!
Hall of Fame I dunno...we will see but the #4 is retired in the rafters in Tampa.
Am I the only one that thought that was Adam Sandler at first glance in the thumbnail?
I don't think Vinny is HOF worthy. Yeah he won some trophies but all in all he only had 2-3 very good seasons and even though he played over 1200 games he did not manage to get 1000 points.
❤
A shoulder injury derailed his career sadly.
07-08 92 points yet -17......not good! -117 for his career. No HoF....good, not great. The numbers do not have the Wow Factor.
He should have chosen Montreal (who were his second pick but who were unable to equal that insane 11 year contract), the team was good then and on the up and up, it's a wonder why Carbonneau was coach for a single season, when they finished first in the East, Gainey was very meh as a coach/GM, better for him to just be GM. I could have seen him excel in a much better team which had the time was clamoring for a french speaking all-star, now he's part of the Habs management, close to his friend Marty St-Louis, I guess that is mostly good news on that front but MTL had a new Roy in view (Price) and would only give contracts over 6 million to a goalie, Habs success always being through having a AAA goaltender, AA or 1B as some says is not enough, although St-Louis and Hughes are trying to change the DNA of the team that its had ever since Jacques Lemaire became coach in the mid-80's. What we would traded away for Lecavalier and a 2nd line winger for a whole lot of quality D's the team developed over the years, especially back then, not Markov for sure but a bunch of prospects yes, Mark Streit and Souray could have helped Tampa's weak (other than Hedman)'s defense, maybe if that happened Souray didn't develop chronic knee issues (the #1 career killer imo).
So his buyout doesn't count anymore since he retired??
His buyout never counted against the cap. In '05 and '13 the league allowed "compliance buyouts" (I think it was 2 per team both years, but I'm not 100% on that). Basically, since the league changed the rules about how much money a team could spend, they agreed to allow teams to buyout contracts they wouldn't have signed if they knew about those rules at the time without them counting against the cap.
Lightning are still paying LeCavalier thru 2026-27 but nothing towards the cap because it was a compliance buyout.
I think if Elias doesn't get in then Lecavalier doesn't either.
Vinny was great but tailed off hard at the end.
A gatekeeper outsider of the HHOF like a certain other Vinny and Pierre.
Vincent
⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️
no
He shouldnt get into the hall. Didnt even hit 1000 points and only had 2 elite years. Real good player but no hall.