NASHVILLE, TN — Before Steven Stamkos joined the Nashville Predators, he spent 16 seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning and won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021.
Tampa Bay eliminated them in the Eastern Conference Final in consecutive seasons.
Those Lightning teams featured two familiar faces: Islanders forward Ondrej Palat and general manager Mathieu Darche, who served as Tampa Bay’s assistant general manager then.
When Nashville visited Long Island last season, The Elmonters caught up with Stamkos to discuss his relationship with Palat and what made Darche successful behind the scenes.
On Tuesday, ahead of the Islanders’ matchup against the Predators, I caught up with Stamkos again to discuss Palat’s resurgence, the work ethic that earned him the nickname “The Warrior” in Tampa Bay, and why he believes Darche was ready to become an NHL general manager.
Stamkos also shared what makes Matthew Schaefer such a difficult player to face, even at just 19.
Here’s our exclusive Q&A