Last Saturday night, the Tampa Bay Lightning retired former captain Vincent Lecavalier’s No. 4 prior to the Bolts win over Los Angeles Kings, the team Vinny finished off his 14-season career with.
While numerous friends and family members were in attendance, one person that wasn’t was Columbus Blue Jackets head coach John Tortorella, who coached Lecavalier and the Lightning to their first Stanley Cup in franchise history back in 2004.
Known for his fiery image and over the top candor, Torts definitely has a soft spot, whether it’s talking about his family foundation that protects abandoned animals, the U.S. Military, or in this case, a former player of his.
The Lightning released a special video of Tortorella talking about his former team leader, emphasizing Vincent Lecavalier the person, rather than the hockey player. The tribute footage was played during the jersey retirement, but we finally have it isolated.
See, he isn't always prickly!
You can tell Torts is sincere by the way he struggles, at times, to find the right words to describe Vinny’s persona in an emotional matter. Torts was especially thrilled with how Lecavalier conducted himself in the Tampa community, and how he played a pivotal role in transforming Tampa into a legitimate hockey market.
This is significant and cool to see because you may remember that Torts and Vinny didn’t always see eye-to-eye down in their time together, especially in the early years.
Numerous benchings, and lash outs in the media often indirectly towards Vinny were common during their tenure. Lecavalier was prematurely named team captain at 19-year-old, but was stripped out if by Torts after two seasons filled with confrontations and questions on Lecavalier’s defensive acumen and his conditioning habits. Factor in a contract dispute, and their differences, at times, became a distraction.
It's great for the Tampa community and Lightning fanbase to see Torts share his respects to Vinny given the tension from the past, even if it was just business.
Lecavalier is the second all-time points leader in franchise history, trailing only his good friend Martin St. Louis.
