2007 Preview

Greatness incarnate

Combining size, strength, skills, creativity and mental toughness, the Lightning's Vinny Lecavalier has evolved into a complete hockey player.

By DAMIAN CRISTODERO, Times Staff Writer
Published October 4, 2007

Vinny Lecavalier: "If people expect something from me, I would like to achieve that."
	[Dirk Shadd | Times]

Vinny on video: Shootout goal against the Thrashers , Fight with Jarome Iginla , Top 10 plays.

Nobody is saying Vinny Lecavalier should score 60 goals this season like general manager Jay Feaster said last season he should score 50.

But given the way the Lightning center exploded into prominence in 2006-07 with a league-high 52 goals, earningthe Rocket Richard Trophy, nothing should be considered impossible.

"I thought he was the best player in the National Hockey League last year," his coach, John Tortorella, said. "I know in the way he carries himself on the ice, the way he prepares himself, he has the ability to keep going."

What makes the 27-year-old from Ile Bizard, Quebec, so good? A primer:

Creativity. Whether taking a pass through his legs at full speed or carrying the puck off the side boards, Lecavalier tries moves most players do not even think about - and makes them work. "Sometimes, Vinny reminds me of Mario (Lemieux)," Lightning founder Phil Esposito said. "He'll dictate whether he will go hard or not by the way the play is going. You can't teach that to anybody."

A muscular 6 feet 4, 219 pounds, Lecavalier fights off defenders and uses his body to protect the puck. Said Devils goaltender and three-time Vezina Trophy winner Martin Brodeur: "You don't get too many guys who are so mobile, who are so physical and want to be so good."

A hard and accurate shot. "He doesn't miss the net that much," Brodeur said. "When he shoots, he shoots to score."e_SClBLecavalier handles pressure and expectations as if he has known them all his life. Well, at least since he was 16, when he was Canada's top junior prospect. "Something I learned to respect in him that I didn't totally understand early on was his inner confidence," Tortorella said. "That's important because there are eyes on him." Said Lecavalier: "I put pressure on myself and don't let people dictate what the pressure is. It's only me who does that."

Ice in his veins? Not always. "You can feel the pressure sometimes," Lecavalier said. "If people expect something from me, I would like to achieve that. But deep down, it's what I want to accomplish and what we want to accomplish as a team that's the most important thing."

Lecavalier doesn't waste his talent. "He came into camp and worked his (butt) off because he knows he has to maintain," Lightning executive and Hall of Famer Bill Barber said. "That's a good sign."

[Last modified October 3, 2007, 20:04:50]