Stamkos: Offseason speculation about his joining the Maple Leafs 'blown out of proportion'
Born in the Toronto area, Tampa Bay Lightning center Steven Stamkos is one of hockey's most feared, efficient goal scorers. The Lightning captain is 24, plays a premium position, has already hit 60 goals in a season, and seems destined for further greatness in the not-too-distant future.
So it's understandable that when Stamkos 'favorited' a couple of tweets implying that he might one day join the Toronto Maple Leafs as an unrestricted free agent, the Stanley Cup-starved denizens of the center of the hockey universe freaked out.
Stamkos, who is back in Florida skating with his teammates ahead of training camp, discussed the controversy with Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times on Thursday:
#tblightning @RealStamkos91 says talk about him, contract and Maple Leafs "blown out of proportion." "I want to win here," he said.
— Joe Smith (@TBTimes_JSmith) September 4, 2014
#tblightning @RealStamkos91 says he's "extremely excited" about the team's offseason moves. "The bar has definitely been raised."
— Joe Smith (@TBTimes_JSmith) September 4, 2014
A hockey story? Blown out of proportion? In Toronto? Shocking!