Stamkos, Hedman reflect on Lecavalier's legacy as No. 4 is retired

The Tampa Bay Lightning will retire Vincent Lecavalier's No. 4 prior to Saturday's game against Los Angeles, adding his jersey alongside Martin St. Louis' No. 26 as the only two to hang from the rafters at Amalie Arena.

Lecavalier was drafted first overall by the Lightning in 1998, served as captain from 2008-2013, helped the franchise win its first and only Stanley Cup in 2004, and greatly impacted key members of the current team.

Current captain Steven Stamkos was also drafted first overall by the Lightning (2008), and discussed the legacy that Lecavalier left in Tampa both on and off the ice.

"Vinny has always been a superstar in this area," Stamkos said on the team's website. "He was the face of the franchise for a long time and similar to me, came here at 18 and played and had a great career, was part of that Stanley Cup-winning team, had some unbelievable individual successes, and was definitely a role model of mine when I came to this organization. Very deserving of this honor.

"And for what he did away from the rink I think is just as or even more impressive as his career, the involvement in the community for him and what he did with the Children's Cancer Center. It was just a pleasure to watch him do that and a lot of guys really looked up to him for that as well. It's going to be a huge honor for him obviously and looking forward to being a part of that."

Star defenseman Victor Hedman arrived in 2009, and similarly sung Lecavalier's praises leading up to the number retirement.

"Coming here as an 18-year-old and having the leadership he brought to this team and the kind of person he is, he made it very easy for me to acclimate to this team," Hedman said. "What he's done for this organization, this community is something you really look up to."

Hedman also referenced Lecavalier's foundation and the Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorders Center that the latter helped set up with a $3-million donation.

"Everyone around town knows who Vinny Lecavalier is," Hedman continued. "Kids grew up idolizing him for the work he did in this community. Really something that rubs off on his teammates as well. It was an eye-opener for me coming from Sweden. I didn't know a whole lot about the charity work he did over here, so it was a real eye opener to me to see the kind of work he's done. Really inspirational for us as players and to be around and see that firsthand."

Lecavalier ranks first in Lightning history in games played, goals scored, and shots fired, but clearly the numbers don't tell the whole story. Thankfully, there are those still around to tell it.