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By JACOB LUDIN
© St. Petersburg Times
published December 16, 2002
Editor's note: Dave Andreychuk recently suffered a broken toe and has been sidelined since Dec. 5. Coach John Tortorella said, "It hurts more for his influence in the situation we're in right now than on the ice. We'll miss him."
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The Tampa Bay Lightning is on the rise thanks to captain Dave Andreychuk, who leads by example.
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The crowd is restless. The fans want to see a goal NOW. Suddenly, big No. 25 with the "C" on his jersey charges toward the opponent's net. His teammate across the ice notices the move and rapidly passes the puck to where his captain is headed. The puck and player meet at just the right place and time. He shoots at the stunned goalie and scores.
Tampa Bay Lightning fans have been waiting years for this kind of thrilling play. Now they have it. It used to be that most of the fans left Lightning games long before they were over. Now, the fans don't want to leave.
[Times photo (2002): Dirk Shadd]
Tampa Bay Lightning players, from left, Jassen Cullimore, Dave Andreychuk and Martin St. Louis celebrate after St. Louis scored a third-period goal against the Atlanta Thrashers in October.
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What's the difference? Maybe it is partly the Lightning's captain, left wing Dave Andreychuk. Andreychuk, known as "Andy" by his teammates, is 39 years old and in his 21st season in the National Hockey League. One of his teammates, Alexander Svitov, was born two months into Andreychuk's first season in the NHL. Four of his teammates were 2 years old in his rookie season.
One of those four is Lightning star center Brad Richards. Richards says that Andreychuk is a great captain. "He has been in the league longer than any of us and is kind of like our big brother," Richards says. "He guides us through the tough times, and when things are going good, he helps us, also."
Andreychuk, who joined the team last season and has played with New Jersey, Toronto and Buffalo, made some important new rules for the Lightning. For example, in the locker room there is a huge Lightning team logo in the middle of the floor. He insists that no one step on the logo. If a player steps on the logo, he could get fined. If a member of the media steps on the logo, the team will get angry and ask the reporter to leave.
Another rule he instituted is that no player can throw his dirty jersey on the floor of the locker room. All jerseys must go into the laundry cart. These rules remind the players to respect their team.
Although Andreychuk began playing hockey when he was 8, he did not think he would become a professional. He played just for fun. At his home in Hamilton, Ontario, his dad made an ice rink in the back yard. "In Canada, the winters are pretty bad, so I got to skate a lot," he said.
[Times photo (2002): Dan McDuffie]
Dave Andreychuk and Lightning fans celebrate after Andreychuk scored a goal against Washington in October.
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Andreychuk's advice to kids who want to play hockey is "just have fun. Some kids put too much pressure on themselves to play well . . . but the main thing is just have fun."
Andreychuk is still having fun today playing for the Lightning.
Andreychuk's leadership seems to be making a difference. The Lightning's improved play has kept the team at or near the top of the Southeast Division this season. "I have been in the league for 20 years, and with that, I have a lot of stories to tell, things that can help the younger players," Andreychuk said.
As the captain, Andreychuk has responsibilities off the ice, too. He must set up the team parties and is often asked by the other players for flight information for away games.
Coach John Tortorella is very happy with Andreychuk. "He is an excellent captain of the team. He brings a lot of things that the younger players do not know right now," Tortorella said. "He knows what leadership is and brings this intangible into the locker room. He has taught our younger players what it is to compete and prepare."
Andreychuk's first coach in the NHL was the legendary Scotty Bowman. Bowman has more regular-season wins than any other coach in NHL history (1,244), and his teams won nine Stanley Cup championships.
Bowman, who retired this year after winning the Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings, came to the St. Pete Times Forum on Nov. 11 to watch the Lightning play the Phoenix Coyotes. Before the game, Bowman said, "As a young hockey player, Dave's ability to score was compared to Phil Esposito."
Esposito, an NHL Hall of Famer with 717 goals in his career, is a former Lightning general manager and now a Lightning radio analyst.
During the game, Andreychuk took a pass from Richards and shot it into the net to give the Lightning a 4-0 lead. It was a power-play goal, which tied Esposito's record for the most power-play goals by an NHL player (249). It also was his 598th career goal.
Since then, Andreychuk has set the record for power-play goals and now has more than 600 goals to his credit.
After the Nov. 11 game that the Lightning won 4-2, a modest Andreychuk said, "I don't compare myself to Phil Esposito. I have too much respect for the man."
- Jacob Ludin, 11, is a fifth-grader at Pinellas County Jewish Day School in Clearwater. Information from Times files was used in this report.
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