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An older, wiser Lightning

Tampa Bay adds veteran presence to mentor a young team.

By DAMIAN CRISTODERO

© St. Petersburg Times,
published September 13, 2001

BRANDON -- Kristian Kudroc said he thinks of fellow Lightning defenseman Grant Ledyard as a father figure or "a very older brother."

Not surprising, really, because as Kudroc said, "When he started playing in the NHL I was like 2 years old."

It is an interesting dynamic and one noticed by general manager Rick Dudley last season, when Ledyard spent 14 games with Tampa Bay and made the then-19-year-old Kudroc his special project before being traded to Dallas.

In fact, after realizing one of the Lightning's main problems last season was a lack of veteran leadership, Dudley brought the 39-year-old Ledyard back.

He also picked up 37-year-old Dave Andreychuk and 32-year-old center Tim Taylor.

Call it the graying of the Lightning -- and that is said with all due respect to the players and with apologies to the Grecian Formula people.

Ledyard is in his 18th season and, like Andreychuk, was signed as a free agent. Dudley called him "the most prepared athlete you will ever see."

Andreychuk is in his 20th season. His 572 goals are fourth all-time among left wings. He and Brett Hull are tied for second in power play goals with 236, 13 behind Phil Esposito.

Taylor, acquired from the Rangers for Nils Ekman and Kyle Freadrich, is in his ninth season. His 59.24 winning percentage last season was sixth among players who took at least 200 faceoffs.

Their responsibilities go beyond statistics.

"We're hoping it cures some problems in the locker room," coach John Tortorella said. "The team didn't have a true identity as far as leadership in the locker room before we went on the ice. ... It's a mental toughness. It has to be a lot stronger. We have to learn what it takes to play in the NHL."

Think of last season's Lightning locker room as a classroom without a teacher. Already the youngest team in the league, the situation became acute in December when then-34-year-old defenseman Petr Svoboda was lost for the season with a concussion.

That meant when things got tough, especially during games, there weren't a lot of experienced voices to get the team going.

Center Brad Richards said players who may have wanted to get involved stayed quiet.

"Some guys are shy," he said. "Some guys were worried what other people would think if they stepped up and tried to lead."

And that is no way to run a hockey team.

"What we have to do is police our (locker) room a little better," Ledyard said. "What I mean by that is we have to take care of our room. We need to talk to each other."

"We need players to step up," Taylor said, "and put some pressure on each other."

The veterans will apply different pressure points.

Ledyard said he will "lead by example on and off the ice." He will speak in the locker room during games, if necessary, but is more comfortable taking teammates aside during practice.

Andreychuk said he, too, is more comfortable in one-on-one situations.

"I'm a big believer that I can look a guy in the eye and talk to them," he said.

Taylor, who won a Stanley Cup championship with the 1996-97 Red Wings, is the rah-rah guy.

"I've done it in the past," he said. "As a team, we have to set an example that average play is unacceptable. I honestly believe this team can be a playoff team. But players have to push each other and take the right strides to go in a good direction."

Dudley's direction is generally youthful, and he was quick to squelch the idea this was a quick fix with aging veterans playing out the string.

"These guys have exactly the fiber we wanted in terms of the effect they can have on teammates," Dudley said. "Besides that, they're pretty good hockey players."

Their reputations precede them.

Rookie left wing Nikita Alexeev knows what he will think when Andreychuk looks him in the eye.

"It will be, "Man, like wow. He's counting on me. He's pushing me,' " Alexeev said. "These guys will push us the right way to teach us."

Andreychuk said the basic lesson is "team oriented. It's what we can do together so we're all pulling the same rope."

"That's very important for this team," Ledyard said. "There are still going to be tough times. How we react will tell us where we want to go."

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