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Jon Cooper comments on Steven Stamkos returning to Tampa Bay: the soap opera of sports

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Tom Banks
October 28, 2024  (7:30 PM)
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Steven Stamkos left the Tampa Bay Lightning after a stellar career this past off-season, and now his highly anticipated return is finally upon us.

After a year full of rumours and speculation, Steven Stamkos officially parted ways with the Tampa Bay Lightning in the summer, and it was a move met with plenty of emotion from both sides. Stamkos' deal with the Nashville Predators came as a shock to many, and now, just a few weeks into the 2024/25 regular season, the veteran star will return home, as the Predators visit the Lightning on Monday night.

Unsurprisingly, it's expected to bring out the emotion in everyone from both sides, but when asked about Stamkos, Head Coach Jon Cooper had nothing but praise for his former captain.

"Let's be honest: Steven Stamkos and the Tampa Bay Lightning are going to be synonymous with each other until the end of time. He came here as an 18-year-old, with the weight of his everything on his shoulders, and in the end he delivered. He did everything we asked of him for many, many years," said Lightning coach Jon Cooper, who joined the team in 2013.

When the emotion of the night was brought up, Cooper hyped up the highly anticipated game, calling this one of the reasons why we watch sports, for the drama.

"Breakups are hard. It's the soap opera of sports," Cooper said. "It's why we watch it -- for moments like this, to see how the drama of life is going to unfold. I think everybody should enjoy today. I think it'll be an emotional night, more so probably for [Stamkos] than anybody else."

As for potential booing that we consistently see when a player leaves in free agency and returns, that's not expected this time, at least not from Victor Hedman, who was named captain after Stamkos' departure.

"I know it's going to be a roller coaster of emotions for him. [Stamkos] is going to get the reception that he deserves and I'm sure everyone is excited to see him," Hedman said Monday. "One thing that I've learned about him is his resiliency. I'm sure he is going to have a great game tonight. Hopefully not too good."

While Stamkos' departure from Tampa Bay never should have happened, it indeed did and is now in the past, so now we look forward to a highly emotional game in which Stamkos will play as a visitor for the first time in the place he called home for well over a decade.

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OCTOBRE 28   |   118 ANSWERS
Jon Cooper comments on Steven Stamkos returning to Tampa Bay: the soap opera of sports

Which of these two teams will go further during the 2024/25 NHL season?

Tampa Bay Lightning7765.3 %
Nashville Predators4134.7 %
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