Kukla's Korner Hockey
Entries with the tag: vinny+lecavalier
Teams Really Interested In Vinny
by Paul on 01/15/09 at 10:45 AM ET
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from Elliotte Friedman of Blogs and Colums at CBC,
Ask yourself the following questions:
1) How many teams in the NHL can actually afford Lecavalier’s 11-year, $85 million contract?
2) How many of those teams historically would be willing to have anyone on their roster making anywhere near that kind of cash?
3) How many of those teams have the kind of cap flexibility to add him?The last question is crucial, because this is not a situation where the Lightning want to take another team’s big contract in return. So, if, for argument’s sake, the Flyers were interested, it’s impossible to believe that Tampa would take Daniel Briere in exchange, because both deals are similarly front-loaded. (Please understand: I have no reason to believe this has been discussed. It’s just an example.)
So, how many teams are really in this race?
Filed in: NHL Teams, Tampa Bay Lightning | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Vinny+Lecavalier,
Bolts Should Be Thinking About Their Credibility
by Paul on 01/13/09 at 07:18 PM ET
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from Gary Shelton of the St. Petersburg Times,
How much for Vinny?
And come to think of it, how much for a franchise’s credibility?
This is what the front office cowboys of the Lightning need to realize: It is impossible to lose one without sacrificing the other. Think of it as a two-for-one deal. If the team trades away Vinny Lecavalier, it is also trading away one of the last reasons to believe in it.
It is as simple as this. Fans trust Vinny Lecavalier a great deal, and they don’t trust the new ownership at all.
Around here, Lecavalier is not only the face of a franchise, he is the faith. In the chaos of a season, he is the reason to keep watching. He is the reason to think things might eventually get good again.
I will be passing on the future Vinny stories that are sure to come, but will keep KK readers informed if any news actually comes out of all this talk.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Tampa Bay Lightning | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Vinny+Lecavalier,
Tampa Has Had No Conversation With Montreal
by Paul on 01/13/09 at 04:16 PM ET
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from Joe Henderson of the Tampa Tribune,
Montreal reporters have started following the Lightning closely because Lecavalier is akin to a hockey god there.
Funny thing about that, though.
“Zero people have called me from Montreal to ask about this,” Lawton said from the West Coast, where the Lightning are on a road trip. “I don’t mean one; I mean zero.”
Still, Lawton was quoted in another local media outlet Tuesday that no player is untouchable – including, presumably, Vinny. Lawton says that was taken out of context, so I asked him directly: In his opinion, will Vinny Lecavalier be a member of the Lightning at the end of this season?
“In my opinion, yes,” he said. “I don’t want to be coy and play games here, so I’ll just say yes.”
added 7:08pm, from Elliotte Friedman of CBC,
The Lightning are backtracking now, saying that if Lecavalier leaves, it will be his call. But agents don’t make special trips across the country because they want to see Tampa play the Kings. Clearly, Kent Hughes, who represents the captain, felt an immediate need for a face-to-face meeting. The Koules/Barrie era is one of almost total mismanagement, and alienating your franchise player isn’t exactly a great idea. Wherever this goes from here, a level of trust is gone.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Vinny+Lecavalier,
Just Say No Vinny
by Paul on 01/13/09 at 12:22 PM ET
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from Michael Farber of Sports Illustrated,
A memo to Vincent Lecavalier: Say no.
When Tampa Bay Lightning owners Oren Koules and Len Barrie or general manager Brian Lawton formally approach you about a trade to the Montreal Canadiens, tell them sorry, but forget about it.
If you want to go “home”—and really, you haven’t lived in Montreal since you left to play hockey in Saskatchewan as a teenager—you can drop by for a few weeks in the summer. Try the smoked meat and bagels.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Montreal Canadiens, Tampa Bay Lightning | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Vinny+Lecavalier,
Big Price Tag On Vinny
by Paul on 01/13/09 at 06:48 AM ET
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from The Good, The Bad And The Duthie,
Tampa wants the world in return for Lecavalier, of that there is little doubt. No one is completely sure of the package begin demanded, though you’ve probably heard the names being tossed around: Higgins, Plekanec, Komaserik, a top-flight prospect (P.K. Subban?), draft picks. Perhaps they’re not asking for all of them. Perhaps they are. Heck, perhaps they’re asking for more.
If it’s either one of the last two, it sounds like too much.
Lecavalier is a wonderful player, certainly among the top handful in the world. But in an age when depth in everything, giving up four (five? Six?) quality assets for one superstar is a massive risk. Especially when that superstar has a new contract that will pay him 85 million dollars over the next decade (the 11-year deal kicks in after next season, and will pay Lecavalier huge dollars until he is 41 years old). In Capland, the country the NHL now resides in, that kind of contract could handicap you for the next decade.
from Lightning Strikes,
In the meantime, the rumor mill will churn. Canada’s TSN already has a trade mapped out having to do with the Canadiens, though it does not include shut-down defenseman Mike Komisarek, who, logic says, would have to be included in any deal of this magnitude.
If Lecavalier thinks the rumors and speculation are bad now, wait till the Montreal native goes home for the Jan. 25 All-Star Game. As he said Monday, “I’m just glad we’re in California and not Canada. I haven’t even looked at the Internet.”
Filed in: NHL Teams, Montreal Canadiens, Tampa Bay Lightning | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Vinny+Lecavalier,
Afternoon Line
by Paul on 01/12/09 at 12:16 PM ET
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“I’ve been told by [Lightning GM] Brian Lawton that they are not actively shopping Vinny. They have received phone calls [from other teams] because people are hearing about the team maybe being in financial distress. But I was told they are not actively looking to move him.”
-Kent Hughes, player agent for Vincent Lecavalier. More on this topic from Pierre LeBrun of ESPN.
added 4:54pm, from Bob McKenzie of TSN,
At some point, the folks in Tampa are going to have to get on the same page for a trade to occur, but that becomes a lot easier and much more manageable if the following happens: Vinny Lecavalier tells them he would just as soon move on.
Sources say that is precisely the type of soul searching that is going on now for the Lightning captain.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Tampa Bay Lightning | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Vinny+Lecavalier,
The Lecavalier Talk
by Paul on 01/12/09 at 10:45 AM ET
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from Darren Dreger of TSN,
The big talk around the NHL’s water cooler right now is trade speculation surrounding Vincent Lecavalier.
There is a tug of war going on in the Lightning’s front office - some want the club to trade him and some don’t want him to be traded.
So general manager Brian Lawton’s job right now is to go out and collect information - collect the type of value you would expect in return for Lecavalier. And the Lightning’s expectations are extraordinarily high.
This is a player with an $85 million contract extension, so what does the team expect in return?
Filed in: NHL Teams, Tampa Bay Lightning | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Vinny+Lecavalier,
Stop Dreaming Of Vinny
by Paul on 01/09/09 at 09:40 PM ET
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from Bob McKenzie of TSN,
Amid growing speculation throughout the NHL community that the Tampa Bay Lightning may be preparing to trade captain Vinny Lecavalier, the player’s agent says he has been assured by Lightning ownership that big No. 4 will be a member of the Lightning for life.
“I’ve been hearing a lot of the (trade) talk out there, but I was assured by (Lightning owner) Oren Koules within the last hour that it’s nothing more than speculation and rumors and there’s absolutely nothing to it,” agent Kent Hughes said. “Vinny Lecavalier fully expects to be a Tampa Bay Lightning for life and no one from ownership or management in Tampa Bay has given us any reason to believe otherwise.”
Filed in: NHL Teams, Tampa Bay Lightning | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Vinny+Lecavalier,
Vinny & Tocchet Talk
by Paul on 12/16/08 at 07:41 PM ET
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from Lightning Strikes,
Lightning coach Rick Tocchet met with captain Vinny Lecavalier for about an hour after Tuesday’s practice at the St. Pete Times Forum.
Tocchet did not get into specifics about what they spoke, but said the meting was a good one. Broadly, the coach said the discussion was about how the locker room can better police itself, especially after Saturday’s dreadful 2-0 loss to the Senators in Ottawa.
“He cares. He’s a great kid,” Tocchet said. “He’s learning what it takes. It’s not only about him playing. It’s about what his team should be all about.”
Tocchet talked about cleaning up some sloppiness in how the Lightning is conducting itself on and off the ice.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Tampa Bay Lightning | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Rick+Tocchet, Vinny+Lecavalier,
Lecavalier Continues To Deny
by Paul on 11/20/08 at 08:42 AM ET
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from Lightning Strkes,
On Saturday, Hockey Night in Canada’s Al Strachan said in an unsourced report, “I heard Vinny Lecavalier went in to ownership and said, ‘I didn’t like it under (former coach John) Tortorella. This is worse under this guy and you’ve got to get rid of him’ “
“I didn’t do it. I don’t know what else to say,” Lecavalier said Wednesday. Later, he reiterated, “I’m telling you, I didn’t say anything. I don’t think any of the guys did. He’s just saying that.”
Asked if he worries his reputation can be tarnished by such accusations, even if they are not true, Lecavalier said, “To tell you the truth, I don’t. (Strachan) said what he had to say ... but there weren’t facts.”
Filed in: NHL Teams, Tampa Bay Lightning | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Vinny+Lecavalier,
Pick One Player - Vinny Or Iggy
by Paul on 10/29/08 at 09:13 AM ET
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from Adam Kimelman of NHL.com,
In the 2004 Stanley Cup Final, one of the most memorable exchanges occurred in Game 3, when the Lightning’s Vincent Lecavalier and the Flames’ Jarome Iginla, each team’s best player and biggest star, dropped the gloves.
The fight sparked both teams to a memorable seven-game series, eventually won by the Lightning.
Who won the fight that night in Calgary four years ago is pretty meaningless. What does matter, though, is who the better player is. That’s for the fans to decide.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Calgary Flames, Tampa Bay Lightning | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Jarome+Iginla, Vinny+Lecavalier,
Vinny Wants More Ice Time
by Paul on 10/28/08 at 07:26 PM ET
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from Lightning Strikes,
“It’s definitely a change,” Lecavalier said before the game with the Maple Leafs. “I would like to play more, and I like to play more. I want to get the 20 minutes in there, or 21 minutes. A lot of people say we played too much last year and I understand that. But 20, 21 minutes, I think, would be a good number.”
Filed in: NHL Teams, Tampa Bay Lightning | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Vinny+Lecavalier,
All Vinny
by Paul on 09/24/08 at 01:11 PM ET
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from Craig Custance of the Sporting News,
SN: Was there an element of redemption there after losing the captaincy and getting it back?
Lecavalier: Yeah. It feels great. When they told me, I was excited. It really motivates me to—you have a letter on the sweater; it’s extra motivation.
SN: So what are guys saying about Barry Melrose behind the bench so far?
Lecavalier: From what I hear, he’s very, very positive. You would think a guy after 15 years would make a few mistakes, but guys told me he was right on with the lines and he was very aware of what was going on on the ice. Guys are really happy. I’m excited to play for him.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Tampa Bay Lightning | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Vinny+Lecavalier,
Will Lecavalier Be Ready For The Opener
by Paul on 09/24/08 at 07:40 AM ET
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from Lightning Strikes,
Bear with me here, even though this is more speculation and reading between the lines than anything.
We read in Tuesday’s paper that hockey ops chief Brian Lawton said he would not hesitate to keep star Vinny Lecavalier and defenseman Paul Ranger out of at least the season opener Oct. 4 in Prague if their rehabbing right shoulders were not ready to go. He said he might even put them on injured reserve to help the team manage their numbers. That’s a big hint not to be taken seriously, especially after watching Jussi Jokinen star at center this preseason.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Tampa Bay Lightning | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Paul+Ranger, Vinny+Lecavalier,
We Can Make It Official Now
by Paul on 09/18/08 at 12:13 PM ET
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from the Tampa Bay Lightning,
The Tampa Bay Lightning have named center Vincent Lecavalier as team captain, executive vice president of hockey operations Brian Lawton announced. Lecavalier, in his 11th year with the Lightning, previously served as captain during the 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 seasons. Alternate captains will be announced prior to the start of the 2008-09 regular season.
“Vinny has displayed exemplary qualities on and off the ice through out his career,” Lawton said. “He is a natural leader in the locker room and sets a great example for others by the way he competes night in and night out. We are extremely proud to have him as captain of the Lightning!”
Filed in: NHL Teams, Tampa Bay Lightning | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Vinny+Lecavalier,
Morning Line
by Paul on 09/01/08 at 08:20 AM ET
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“I think about getting hit and that’s what we have to worry about,” he said of playing in the preseason. The shoulder “has to be 100 percent, it has to be as strong as the other one. I’ve been working out hard to get there.
“I would like to play at least two preseason games, but I can’t say that I’ll be able to. I just don’t know how it’s going to feel. I don’t know how it’s going to react. I’m confident I will play in the regular-season opener but I can’t predict the future, so we’ll have to see.”
-Vinny Lecavalier quoted by the Tampa Tribune where you can read more as Lecavalier recovers from shoulder surgery.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Tampa Bay Lightning | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Vinny+Lecavalier,
The New Lightning Captain
by Paul on 08/25/08 at 12:45 PM ET
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via Adam Proteau of the Hockey News,
It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, but the Tampa Bay Lightning will name Vincent Lecavalier their captain sometime in the coming weeks, a Bolts official told The Hockey News.
“You would not be in the wrong to expect that kind of announcement,” said the official, who requested anonymity. “There’s no doubt this is Vinny’s team and we’re going to recognize that officially.”
added 1:36pm, from Damian Cristodero at Lightning Strikes,
Caught up with Vinny Lecavalier the other day, and the Lightning’s superstar center, coming off arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder, said he is skating in his native Montreal and has no doubt he will be ready for training camp. As for being cleared for contact and being ready to start the regular season, he said, “I’m sure I’ll be ready to play.”
Filed in: NHL Teams, Tampa Bay Lightning | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Vinny+Lecavalier,
Lecavalier Contract Details
by Paul on 07/12/08 at 10:07 PM ET
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from TSN,
Vincent Lecavalier’s new deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning will carry him close to his 40th birthday.
The 28-year-old franchise centre signed an 11-year, $85-million contract extension with the Lightning that will kick in for the 2009-2010 season and run through the 2019-2020 campaign.
Lecavalier will earn $10-million per season in salary and bonuses for the first six seasons of the deal, before dropping to $8.5-million in 2016-2017, $4-million in 2017-2018, $1.5-million in 2018-2019 and $1-million and 2019-2020.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Tampa Bay Lightning | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Vinny+Lecavalier,
Lecavalier’s Value
by Paul on 06/22/08 at 08:26 AM ET
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from Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe,
Now, the tea leaves. Given that only a small percentage of players work beyond their late 30s, a man of Lecavalier’s age, and riches already banked, is probably looking at no more than an eight-year extension, bringing him to age 37. The league soon will announce that a max deal, based on leaguewide revenues and the salary-cap figure, will be pegged around $11 million a year.
Exposed in the free agent market next summer, Lecavalier likely would entice at least a couple of suitors (are you listening, Montreal?) to offer him a max deal. To remain in Tampa, where many of his extended family members have moved in recent years, he probably would lock in around eight years at $80 million.
more NHL talk…
Filed in: NHL Teams, Tampa Bay Lightning | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Vinny+Lecavalier,
Let Vinny Tell You How He Is Doing
by Paul on 04/29/08 at 04:28 PM ET
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The Bolts bring Vinny Lecavlier and his shoulder to you.
Thanks to Bolts Report for the pointer…
Watch the video below…
Filed in: NHL Teams, Tampa Bay Lightning | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Vinny+Lecavalier,
Lecavalier Update
by Paul on 04/15/08 at 09:41 PM ET
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from Bolts Report,
The Lightning just released this statement regarding Lecavalier’s surgery:
Tampa Bay Lightning center Vincent Lecavalier underwent successful surgery today to repair the Glenoid Labrum in his right shoulder. The surgery was performed by noted orthopedist Dr. James Andrews at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama.
Lecavalier dislocated the shoulder in the Lightning’s game on April 3 at Washington. A detailed rehabilitation protocol will be established by Dr. Andrews’ personal physical therapist and will be conducted under the supervision of the Lightning medical staff.
a little more...
Filed in: NHL Teams, Tampa Bay Lightning | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Vinny+Lecavalier,
Cheap Shot On Vinny
by Paul on 04/04/08 at 08:57 AM ET
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from Lightning Strikes,
Vinny Lecavalier will have an MRI on Friday on his injured right shoulder, hurt in Thursday’s game with the Capitals as he fell after a hit by Washington’s Matt Cooke.
Regardless of the outcome, coach John Tortorella said Lecavalier will not play in Saturday’s season finale against the Thrashers.
“It’s an absolute cheap shot,’’ coach John Tortorella said after the game. “It’s a guy in a vulnerable position. It’s interference. The puck isn’t anywhere near him and it isn’t called. It’s an absolute cheap shot.”
Filed in: NHL Teams, Tampa Bay Lightning | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Vinny+Lecavalier,
Lecavalier May Have Wrist Surgery
by Paul on 03/21/08 at 10:50 AM ET
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from Lightning Strikes,
Kent Hughes, agent for Lightning star Vinny Lecavalier, said Friday his client might needs surgery on his left wrist in the offseason and at the very least almost certainly will not play in this summer’s World Championships.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Tampa Bay Lightning | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Vinny+Lecavalier,
Lecavalier Talks About The Rumor He Wants To Leave
by Paul on 02/18/08 at 04:02 PM ET
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from Lightning Strikes,
Lightning star Vinny Lecavalier said he knows all about the rumor that came out of a Hockey Night in Canada broadcast that said he was tired of playing in a small market and would asked to be traded to perhaps New York, Los Angeles or, surprise, his hometown of Montreal.
Lecavalier said he was called by his agent, who asked Lecavalier if he wanted him to “do something about’’ the story. But Lecavalier said he would rather the rumor die of its own weight. Lecavalier reiterated he is not looking to be anywhere else.
“There was a time when I thought the grass was greener somewhere else,’’ Lecavalier has said of his trade request in 2001 amidst much rancor with coach John Tortorella that almost got him moved the the Maple Leafs, “but it’s not.’‘
Filed in: NHL Teams, Tampa Bay Lightning | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: Vinny+Lecavalier,
A Goal Worth Another Look
by Alanah McGinley on 01/07/08 at 03:35 PM ET
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From Erik Erlendsson at The Tampa Tribune,
Hockey Web site Kukla’s Korner had a video link to a highlight of the goal with the description of “a great between-the-legs move” by Lecavalier.
Whatever anybody else wants to call the play, Lecavalier just calls it a bit of instinct combined with plenty of luck.
“I don’t really think about it ... I just kind of do it,” Lecavalier said of the play. “I knew I wanted to fake goaltender Ray Emery out, but for me, the worse thing is that after it happened, if I had missed it I would have been pretty mad at myself and I would have thought that I should have just shot the puck.
more… about Lecavalier’s season, and go here to see the video.
*thanks to The Tampa Tribune for the KK mention!
Filed in: NHL Teams, Tampa Bay Lightning | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: tampa+bay+lightning, Vinny+Lecavalier,
Vinny or Sid?
by Alanah McGinley on 12/10/07 at 04:47 PM ET
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From Pierre LeBrun at Sportsnet.ca,
Crosby will definitely be “The Man” in the NHL for the next 15 years and deservedly so. But are people overlooking what Lecavalier is doing for the Tampa Bay Lightning right now?
“He is the best player in the league; I don’t think there’s any question about that,” Lightning GM Jay Feaster said on the phone to Sportsnet.ca from Tampa on Monday. “I thought he was the best player in the league last year. I think he’s the most complete two-way player in the game today.”
Filed in: NHL Teams, Tampa Bay Lightning | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: sidney+crosby, tampa+bay+lightning, Vinny+Lecavalier,
Brad Richards Off to Career Best Start
by Alanah McGinley on 11/19/07 at 03:50 PM ET
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From Erik Erlendsson at The Tampa Tribune,
Richards is off to his best start through 19 games and is on pace for a career high in goals and right on pace to match his career best in points. And while the point production is a big part of Richards’ game, it’s not the sole indicator of how he’s playing.
In watching Richards on the ice this season, he looks quicker, he looks stronger, he appears to have more confidence and seems more intense, noticeable in his fight Wednesday against Carolina’s Justin Williams that left him with a cut on his lip.
“I feel a lot better, I do,” Richards said. “Sometimes you can’t control the points and it would be nice to bury a few more chances, but overall I feel way better, way stronger so I feel a lot more confident going into this part of the season. Whether or not my start - and I think it’s been a good start and that’s obviously going to help - but I feel different and I feel a lot better than I did last year.”
*Also recently online at The Tampa Tribune, teammate Vinny Lecavalier’s exotic summer vacations, with a few photos
Filed in: NHL Teams, Tampa Bay Lightning | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: brad+richards, tampa+bay+lighting, vinny+lecavalier,
Lecavalier Delivers
by Paul on 10/16/07 at 04:13 PM ET
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from Bolts Report,
Lightning center Vinny Lecavalier and his philanthropic corporate partners have committed $3 million over the next eight years toward the construction of the new All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg. The money will be earmarked for a 26,500-sq. ft. pediatric cancer facility which will bear Lecavalier’s name.
thanks to a KK reader for the pointer…
Filed in: NHL Teams, Tampa Bay Lightning | KK Hockey | Permalink
Tags: tampa+bay+lightning, Vinny+Lecavalier,
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