Steven Stamkos of the Tampa Bay Lightning celebrates scoring his 60th goal of the 2011-2012 campaign in April against the Winnipeg Jets. (Reuters)
Fifty goals in 50 games is not unrealistic for Rocket Richard trophy winner Steven Stamkos.
Whether he gets 50 or less chances to attempt it in 2013 weighs heavy on the mind of the Tampa Bay Lightning star as the NHL lockout nears the critical phase of losing the entire season.
“I thought we could have worked something out by now,” Stamkos said Monday in Toronto, where he will be an honorary captain for this week’s Players Association-RBC Play Hockey Charity Challenge. “But that’s the nature of the beast.”
“It’s frustrating. For the guys who’ve been through this before (Lightning teammates Vinny Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis and his trainer Gary Roberts) they told me it’s a long process. Sometimes it looks like it will happen in the near future and then something (derails it). This is obviously my first one. I just stay informed and try to learn from it.”
