Steven Stamkos joined an elite group tonight against the Philadelphia Flyers. He reached 1,000 Career NHL Points, with only 94 other players for the company, of which only eight are still active in the NHL. His 1,000th point came as an assist on Nick Paul’s 11th goal of the season in the second period. He has reached this incredible milestone in 944 games and is the first Tampa Bay Lightning player to do so in franchise history. Stamkos is also six goals away from reaching the 500 goals club, which should happen soon, given he’s had six goals in the last eight games. Let’s take a quick look at all these records Stamkos has set in his career thus far:
Career; Single season
- Most goals in a single month by a Tampa Bay Lightning player, 14 (2018–19)
- Most goals in a single season by a Tampa Bay Lightning player, 60 (2011–12)
- Most overtime goals in a single season by a Tampa Bay Lightning player, 6 (2011–12)
- Most power-play goals in a single season by a Tampa Bay Lightning player, 24 (2009–10)
- Most game-winning goals in a single season by a Tampa Bay Lightning player, 12 (2011–12)
- Most even-strength goals in a single season by a Tampa Bay Lightning player, 48 (2011–12)
Career; Regular Season
- Most career points by a Tampa Bay Lightning player, 972
- Most career goals by a Tampa Bay Lightning player, 481
- Most career hat-tricks by a Tampa Bay Lightning player, 10
- Most power-play goals by a Tampa Bay Lightning player, 181
- Most game-winning goals by a Tampa Bay Lightning player, 73
- Most even-strength goals by a Tampa Bay Lightning player, 295
- Most career regular-season games with 4+ points by a Tampa Bay Lightning player, 17
Stamkos is also a 6-time All-Star, having been selected to the NHL All-Star game in 2011, 2012, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, and 2022. He’s also a two-time Rocket Richard Trophy winner, having led the NHL in scoring early on in his career in 2010 and 2012. He’s also a back-to-back Stanley Cup Champion, having lifted Lord Stanley in 2020 and 2021.
It’s been a long journey to 1,000 points, and it’s been far from conventional. Nine years ago, on November 13th, 2013, against the Boston Bruins, Stamkos suffered a horrific injury where he fractured his tibia. 2 days later, he underwent surgery because the bone was also displaced. Stamkos missed 46 games.
That was not the only injury that made this journey remarkable, as he also had a blood clot that required surgery in 2016 and core muscle injuries that set back his season and kept him out of the Lightning’s Cup run in 2020 for all but one game, that fateful game on September 23rd, 2020.
When asked about it before Thursday’s game, Lightning Head Coach Jon Cooper had this to say “One-thousand points, anytime you’ve you start hitting those century marks and beyond, not only does it mean you’ve been around for a while, but you’re probably among the elite of your era, ..Five hundred goals is another one. Those are lofty numbers.
The next step is people talking about the Hockey Hall of Fame. The fact that Stammer is hitting both of those milestones in the same year is pretty remarkable, and his career is far from over. But I think it is time to reflect on everything he’s accomplished as a player. And you throw in two Stanley Cups, and it’s pretty impressive. It’s Hall of Fame stuff.”
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