Vincent Lecavalier 566338 225619552 2008-07-14T16:16:31Z Big T Foot 6237531 Added contract length {{Infobox Ice Hockey Player | image = Vinny Lecavalier 2007.jpg | image_size = 225px | position = [[Centre (ice hockey)|Centre]] | shoots = Left | height_ft = 6 | height_in = 4 | weight_lb = 219 | team = [[Tampa Bay Lightning]] | league = [[National Hockey League|NHL]] | nationality = Canada | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1980|04|21}} | birth_place = [[Ile Bizard, Quebec|Ile Bizard]], [[Quebec|QC]], [[Canada|CAN]] | career_start = 1998 | draft = 1st overall | draft_year = 1998 | draft_team = [[Tampa Bay Lightning]] | nickname = Vinny, St. Vincent }} '''Vincent Lecavalier''' (born [[April 21]], [[1980]] [[Ile Bizard, Quebec|Ile Bizard]], [[Quebec]]) is a [[French Canadian]] [[professional]] [[ice hockey|hockey]] player who currently plays for the [[Tampa Bay Lightning]] of the [[National Hockey League]]. ==Playing career== Vincent Lecavalier was drafted first overall by Tampa Bay in the [[1998 NHL Entry Draft]], during which new Lightning owner Art Williams proclaimed that Lecavalier would be "the [[Michael Jordan]] of hockey".<ref>{{Citation | last = Hodges | first = Jim | title =Bonus Baby - hockey player Vincent Lecavalier - Brief Article | url = http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1208/is_1998_Nov_9/ai_53224198 | publisher = ''[[The Sporting News]]'' | date = 1998-11-09 | accessdate = 2007-08-04}}</ref> On [[March 11]], [[2000]], following his sophomore season, he was named captain, becoming the youngest captain in NHL history at 19 years and 11 months (since surpassed by [[Sidney Crosby]]). Previously, [[Steve Yzerman]] had held that honour, having been named captain of the [[Detroit Red Wings]] at 21 years, 5 months.<ref>[[Brian Bellows]] was named interim-captain at age 19 years, 4 months while [[Craig Hartsburg]] was out of the lineup with an injury.</ref> Lecavalier was later stripped of the captaincy before the 2001-02 NHL season when Lightning management decided he was too young even as a high calibre player. Around that time, he clashed frequently with head coach [[John Tortorella]]. Tortorella demanded more accountability from his players, and showed this by stripping Lecavalier of the team captaincy after he missed the start of [[2001-02 NHL season|2001-02]] because of contract negotiations. After winning the [[Stanley Cup]] with the Lightning in [[2003-04 NHL season|2004]], he was named [[Most Valuable Player]] of the Canadian National Team in the [[2004 World Cup of Hockey]], which [[Canada]] won. Lecavalier was selected to play for Team Canada at the [[2006 Olympics]], but returned to Tampa without a medal. Lecavalier broke the all-time Tampa Bay Lightning record for most points in a season by scoring his 95th point on [[March 16]], [[2007]] against the [[Buffalo Sabres]]. The record was previously held by [[Martin St. Louis]], who had 94 points during the [[2003-04 NHL season]]. On [[March 30]], [[2007]], in a game against the [[Carolina Hurricanes]], Lecavalier became the first Lightning player to record 50 goals in a season. He finished the season with 52 goals, edging [[Ottawa Senators|Ottawa]]'s [[Dany Heatley]], who scored 50 goals, to earn the [[Maurice 'Rocket' Richard Trophy]] as the NHL's top goal scorer for the [[2006-07 NHL season|2006-07 season]]. During the [[2007-08 NHL season]], Lecavalier recorded 8 straight multipoint games, being the first to do so since [[Jaromír Jágr|Jaromir Jagr]] in 1996. The scoring streak put him first in the NHL scoring race, until in February he was overtaken by the [[Washington Capitals]]' [[Alexander Ovechkin]]. He was named captain of the [[Eastern Conference]] at the [[2008 NHL All Star Game]]. In the 2007-2008 offseason, Lecavalier underwent shoulder surgery to repair an infraction from taking a hit against [[Matt Cooke]] of the [[Washington Capitals]]. He is scheduled to undergo another surgery on his left wrist later in the summer. On [[July 12]], [[2008]], Lecavalier agreed to an eleven-year, $85 million contract extension with the Lightning. His new contract begins after the 2008-2009 season, and runs through the 2019-2020 season, which hopefully will see the All-Star forward end his career with the Lightning. <ref>{{citeweb|title=Lecavalier's 'lifetime' deal with Lightning|url=http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=243275|publisher=[[The Sports Network|TSN]]|accessdate=2008-07-12|date=2008-07-12}}</ref> ==Personal life== Attended Thorndale Elementary in Pierrefonds and then he went to John Rennie High School in Pointe-Claire, Quebec for two years ('92-'93) before transferring to Athol Murray College of Notre Dame in Saskatchewan. Has been best friends with ex-Lightning center [[Brad Richards]], who won the [[Conn Smythe Trophy]] in [[2003-04 NHL season|2004]] as [[Most Valuable Player]] of the NHL Playoffs, since the age of 14, when they met at Athol Murray College of Notre Dame in [[Saskatchewan]], [[Canada]]. They were roommates and became good friends. Since then they have gone on to being teammates with the [[Rimouski Océanic]] and also with the [[Tampa Bay Lightning]]. Lecavalier currently resides in Tampa's Davis Islands. He is featured in [[Maurice Richard (film)|''The Rocket: The Maurice Richard Story'']]. Lecavalier wears number 4 to honour [[Jean Béliveau]]. During the release of the video game [[NHL 06]], [[EA Sports]] featured Lecavalier as the cover boy for the game. He proceeded as the cover boy by [[Vancouver Canucks]] captain [[Markus Näslund|Markus Naslund]] while Capitals' Alexander Ovechkin succeeded him for the role. In October 2007, Lecavalier pledged $3 million to a new All Children's Hospital facility under construction in St. Petersburg, Florida. The facility will be named the Vincent Lecavalier Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorders Center in his honor. ==Career statistics== {| BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="0" width="75%" style="text-align:center" |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" bgcolor="#ffffff" | &nbsp; ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" | &nbsp; ! colspan="5" | Regular&nbsp;Season ! rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" | &nbsp; ! colspan="5" | Playoffs |- bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! Season ! Team ! League ! GP ! [[Goal (ice hockey)|G]] ! [[Assist (ice hockey)|A]] ! [[Point (ice hockey)|Pts]] ! [[Penalty (ice hockey)|PIM]] ! GP ! G ! A ! Pts ! PIM |- ALIGN="center" | [[1996-97 NHL season|1996-97]] | [[Rimouski Océanic]] | [[Quebec Major Junior Hockey League|QMJHL]] | 64 | 42 | 61 | 103 | 38 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 2 |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | [[1997-98 NHL season|1997-98]] | Rimouski Océanic | QMJHL | 58 | 44 | 71 | 115 | 117 | 18 | 15 | 26 | 41 | 46 |- ALIGN="center" | [[1998-99 NHL season|1998-99]] | [[Tampa Bay Lightning]] | [[National Hockey League|NHL]] | 82 | 13 | 15 | 28 | 23 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | [[1999-00 NHL season|1999-00]] | Tampa Bay Lightning | NHL | 80 | 25 | 42 | 67 | 43 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |- ALIGN="center" | [[2000-01 NHL season|2000-01]] | Tampa Bay Lightning | NHL | 68 | 23 | 28 | 51 | 66 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | [[2001-02 NHL season|2001-02]] | Tampa Bay Lightning | NHL | 76 | 20 | 17 | 37 | 61 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |- ALIGN="center" | [[2002-03 NHL season|2002-03]] | Tampa Bay Lightning | NHL | 80 | 33 | 45 | 78 | 39 | 11 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 22 |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | [[2003-04 NHL season|2003-04]] | Tampa Bay Lightning | NHL | 81 | 32 | 34 | 66 | 52 | 23 | 9 | 7 | 16 | 25 |- ALIGN="center" | 2004-05 | [[Ak Bars Kazan]] | [[Russian Superleague|RSL]] | 30 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 78 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | [[2005-06 NHL season|2005-06]] | Tampa Bay Lightning | NHL | 80 | 35 | 40 | 75 | 90 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 7 |- ALIGN="center" | [[2006-07 NHL season|2006-07]] | Tampa Bay Lightning | NHL | 82 | 52 | 56 | 108 | 44 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 10 |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | [[2007-08 NHL season|2007-08]] | Tampa Bay Lightning | NHL | 81 | 40 | 52 | 92 | 89 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan="3" | NHL Totals ! 710 ! 273 ! 329 ! 602 ! 507 ! 45 ! 18 ! 15 ! 33 ! 64 |} ==International play== {{MedalTableTop|}} {{MedalCompetition|[[World Cup of Hockey|World Cup]]}} {{MedalGold | [[2004 World Cup of Hockey]] | Ice Hockey }} {{MedalBottom}} Lecavalier has played for [[Canadian national men's hockey team|Canada]] in: *1998 [[Ice Hockey World Championships|World Junior Championships]] *2001 [[Ice Hockey World Championships|World Championships]] *[[2004 World Cup of Hockey]] (gold medal) *[[Ice hockey at the 2006 Winter Olympics|2006 Winter Olympics]] ===International statistics=== {| BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="0" ID="Table3" width=35% |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#e0e0e0" !| Year !| Comp ! ALIGN="center" rowspan="99" bgcolor="#ffffff" | &nbsp; ! ALIGN="center" | GP ! ALIGN="center" | G ! ALIGN="center" | A ! ALIGN="center" | Pts ! ALIGN="center" | PIM |- ALIGN="center" | 1998 | [[Ice Hockey World Championships|WJC]] | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2001 | [[Ice Hockey World Championships|WC]] | 7 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 29 |- ALIGN="center" | ALIGN="center" | 2004 | ALIGN="center" | [[2004 World Cup of Hockey|WCH]] | ALIGN="center" | 6 | ALIGN="center" | 2 | ALIGN="center" | 5 | ALIGN="center" | 7 | ALIGN="center" | 8 |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | 2006 | [[2006 Winter Olympics|Oly]] | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 16 |- ALIGN="center" bgcolor="#e0e0e0" ! colspan=2| Senior Int'l Totals ! ALIGN="center" | 19 ! ALIGN="center" | 5 ! ALIGN="center" | 10 ! ALIGN="center" | 15 ! ALIGN="center" | 53 |} ==Awards== ===Minor leagues=== *'''1997-98''': [[Quebec Major Junior Hockey League|QMJHL]] First All-Star Team *'''1997-98''': QMJHL [[Mike Bossy Trophy]] (Top Draft Prospect) *'''1996-97''': QMJHL [[Michel Bergeron Trophy]] (Top Rookie Forward) *'''1996-97''': [[Canadian Hockey League|CHL]] Rookie of the Year *'''1997-98''': CHL First All-Star Team ===NHL=== *'''2002-03''': [[National Hockey League|NHL]] All-Star Game Participant *'''2003-04''': [[Stanley Cup]] *'''2006-07''': NHL All-Star Game Participant *'''2006-07''': [[Maurice 'Rocket' Richard Trophy]] *'''2007-08''': NHL All-Star Game Participant (East Captain) *'''2007-08''': [[King Clancy Trophy]] ===International=== *'''2004-05''': 2004 World Cup of Hockey [[Most Valuable Player|MVP]] ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== *{{nhlprofile|8467329}} *{{hockeydb|00026809}} *[http://www.tampabaylightning.com Tampa Bay Lightning Official Site] *[http://www.vincentlecavalier.com Vincent Lecavalier Official Site] {{Navboxes|list1= <span/> {{start box}} {{succession box | title=[[List of NHL first overall draft choices|1st Overall Pick in NHL Entry Draft]]| before=[[Joe Thornton]]| years=[[1998 NHL Entry Draft|1998]]| after=[[Patrik Štefan]]}} {{succession box | before = [[Chris Gratton]] | title = [[Tampa Bay Lightning#Team captains|Tampa Bay Lightning captains]] | years = [[1999-2000 NHL season|2000]]-[[2000-01 NHL season|01]] | after =[[Dave Andreychuk]]}} {{succession box | title=[[NHL Series|EA Sports NHL Cover Athlete]] | before=[[Markus Näslund]] | years=NHL '06 | after=[[Alexander Ovechkin]]}} {{succession box | before = [[Jonathan Cheechoo]] | title = Winner of the [[Rocket Richard Trophy]] | years = [[2006-07 NHL season|2007]] | after = ''incumbent''}} {{end box}} <center><small>''Note: Lecavalier was named [[Captain (hockey)|captain]] (after Gratton was traded), late in the 1999-2000 NHL season. Lecavalier was later stripped of the captaincy after the end of the 2000-01 NHL season. It was decided by Lightning management that he was too young and had had enough pressures even as a star player.''</small></center> {{LightningFirstPick}} {{NHL FirstOverallDraftPicks}} {{EA-NHL-series}} }} <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]] --> {{Persondata |NAME = Lecavalier, Vincent |ALTERNATIVE NAMES = |SHORT DESCRIPTION = [[Canada|Canadian]] [[ice hockey]] [[Centre (ice hockey)|centre]] |DATE OF BIRTH = [[April 21]], [[1980]] |PLACE OF BIRTH = [[L'Île-Bizard, Quebec]] |DATE OF DEATH = |PLACE OF DEATH = }} {{DEFAULTSORT:Lecavalier, Vincent}} [[Category:1980 births]] [[Category:Canadian ice hockey centres]] [[Category:French Quebecers]] [[Category:Ice hockey players at the 2006 Winter Olympics]] [[Category:Ice hockey personnel from Quebec]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:National Hockey League players with 50 goal seasons]] [[Category:National Hockey League players with 100 point seasons]] [[Category:National Hockey League All-Stars]] [[Category:National Hockey League first overall draft picks]] [[Category:National Hockey League first round draft picks]] [[Category:Olympic ice hockey players of Canada]] [[Category:Rimouski Oceanic alumni]] [[Category:Rocket Richard Trophy winners]] [[Category:Stanley Cup champions]] [[Category:Tampa Bay Lightning draft picks]] [[Category:Tampa Bay Lightning players]] [[cs:Vincent Lecavalier]] [[de:Vincent Lecavalier]] [[fr:Vincent Lecavalier]] [[lv:Vinsents Lekavaljē]] [[ru:Лекавалье, Венсан]] [[sk:Vincent Lecavalier]] [[fi:Vincent Lecavalier]] [[sv:Vincent Lecavalier]]