Tampa Bay Lightning bring outdoor street hockey rink to Lakewood Ranch

Vincent Lecavalier stood on the concrete pavement with a hockey stick in hand.

The former Stanley Cup champion and Tampa Bay Lightning captain’s attention wasn’t fixated on scoring a goal Wednesday in the street hockey setup at Lakewood Ranch’s Premier Sports Campus.

Rather, Lecavalier was in a teaching role with Robert E. Willis Elementary students playing a street hockey game.

Lecavalier helped one student hold the hockey stick properly, and it’s something he’s done with his son, Gabriel, in the past year.

“Every time I see someone holding a stick the wrong way, I feel like it’s my duty to go and show them how to hold it properly,” Lecavalier said. “It’s the fundamentals. It’s the first year I coached my son. At a young age, 6 years old, you’ve got to teach them how to skate the right way, how to hold the stick the right way. Because you get bad habits. You just want to make it easier for them, especially at that age.”

Lecavalier was one of three former Lightning players – the others were Brian Bradley and the team’s first captain, Paul Ysebaert – on hand for Wednesday’s two-fold announcement that saw the extension of the Lightning’s partnership with Schroeder-Manatee Ranch Inc. for three years, and the next step in the Lightning’s community-driven Build the Thunder program: building the first of 10 outdoor street hockey rinks in the five-county area surrounding Amalie Arena in downtown Tampa.

“Maybe they’ll start skating the next time they can,” Lecavalier said. “Just maybe go watch a Lightning game. I know they’ll enjoy it. Maybe there’s going to be passion for it so it’s nice that they’ll get that opportunity.”

Lightning chief executive officer Steve Griggs and SMR president and CEO Rex Jensen spoke during Wednesday’s news conference, expressing just how vital the outdoor hockey rink will be for the youth around Manatee County.

“The best part about Build the Thunder is listening to the kids playing road hockey over there and making a lot of noise, and that’s what it’s all about,” Griggs said.

Added Jensen: “Communities have two choices. They can hear that kind of noise over there, which is the noise of joy, the noise of engagement, the noise of something to do with your free time. Or it can hear the noise of a camera going click with a mug shot. It can hear the slamming of a jail door, it can hear a gun going off, it can hear a family in tears. That’s the choice. It’s great to be with an organization like the Lightning that recognizes that choice.”

Griggs said the Lightning will supply coaches, training, teams and leagues for the 10 outdoor hockey rinks planned in Manatee, Pinellas, Pasco, Polk and Hillsborough counties.

This story was originally published October 25, 2017 at 1:06 PM with the headline "Tampa Bay Lightning bring outdoor street hockey rink to Lakewood Ranch."