Today marks one full year since NHL star and one of the most prolific pure scorers in the game Steven Stamkos suffered a devastating injury, a broken right tibia, against the Boston Bruins. As a result, he had to undergo surgery, which the club said was successful.
The injury caused him to miss the 2014 Sochi Olympics and Team Canada’s gold-medal victory, and the majority of the regular season, too. Remarkably, he did eventually come back, finishing with 25 goals and helping the Tampa Bay Lightning to the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
The 24-year-old Stamkos seems to be in fine form this season, too. Ten goals in 15 games, including four goals in his last five games, and the Lightning, in the midst of a six-game winning streak, sit atop the Eastern Conference.
Yet, according to a report in the Tampa Tribune, he is still dealing with the lingering impacts of that injury.
“That’s kind of the million dollar question, is it ever going to feel the same way as before,’’ Stamkos told the Tampa Tribune recently. “It may never and I’m hoping one day I’ll wake up and it just feels like a regular leg. But I don’t know if that’s going to happen.
“Your body has a new norm now, and that’s been an adjustment. But mentally, it’s been night and day compared to where I ended the season off last year to where I am at this point the season.’’