Thank You, Lightning.

 

Rejoice Lightning fans, your Tampa Bay Lightning are champions once again. Following many years of frustration and disappointment, the Lightning have reached the pinnacle for the second time in their history. This current Lightning team had dealt with comparisons with the 2004 team ever since they lost to the Chicago Blackhawks in 2015 Stanley Cup Finals. Last year’s shocking and humiliating sweep in the first round by the Columbus Blue Jackets was on the back of the minds of many Lighting fans when the puck dropped for the 2019-2020 NHL season. It was Stanley Cup or Bust for this team that were consistent in disappointing their fans for the last 6 years. Thankfully, the pain is over as fans and the team can celebrate being the champions.

 Lightning fans can celebrate the team’s second Stanley Cup as a coronation of their many years of great results. There was talk that perhaps this team seemed destined to never get over the hump. Yet, the Lightning are the 2019-2020 Stanley Cup Champions. Some have alluded that this title should come with an asterisk, and somewhat lessen the achievement because it was won in a bubble. I beg to differ and would counter that the Bolts winning the Stanley Cup in the bubble was the most difficult grueling way to win the Stanley Cup. They absolutely deserve the recognition they deserve as worthy champions.

Speaking of recognition, many deserve praise and thanks for bringing home the second Stanley Cup.

Thank you, Jeffrey Vinik for being a great owner. Mr. Vinik bought the team from the ownership group headed by Oren Koules, the producer of the Saw horror franchise, and Len Barrie, who truly were a horror show. Thankfully, Mr. Vinik came in and changed the culture by surrounding himself with the right people and has done a magnificent job in giving back to the community and honoring others through the team's Lightning Community Heroes.

Thank you, Julien BriseBois, the General Manager who made the right moves in the offseason and during the season. Blake Coleman, Barclay Goodrow, Kevin Shattenkirk, Patrick Maroon, and Zach Bogosian were new additions to the team via free agency and trades. All these acquisitions helped snap the team from the doldrums following last season’s shock exit in the playoffs.

Thank you, players for a great historic season. Alex Barre-Boulet, Anthony Cirelli, Tyler Johnson, Cedric Paquette, Brayden Point, Steven Stamkos, Blake Coleman, Yanni Gourde, Mathieu Joseph, Alex Killorn, Pat Maroon, Ondrej Palat, Gemel Smith, Alexander Volkov, Carter Verhaeghe, Barclay Goodrow, Nikita Kucherov, Mitchell Stephens, Luke Witkowski, Braydon Coburn, Cal Foote, Victor Hedman, Ryan McDonagh, Mikhail Sergachev, Zach Bogosian, Erik Cernak, Luke Schenn, Kevin Shattenkirk, Jan Rutta, Spencer Martin, Curtis McElhinney, Andrei Vasilevskiy, and Scott Wedgewood. They were hitting on all cylinders from January until the lockdown. Once the playoffs started, they were dominant and lost only four lost games in all four rounds. Special mention to Steven Stamkos whose only shift in the entire playoffs was one for the ages. The captain had been  struggling with his recovery from hernia surgery, but that one shift where he scored was inspirational to the team. It had to be difficult for the captain to not be able to be on the ice and deal with all the talk about his whereabouts, but the face of the franchise can now celebrate being a Stanley Cup champion.

Thank you, Jon Cooper for assembling a great staff of coaches and getting this team over the hump. An awesome coach who tolerated so much doubt from many, including from me, after so many disappointments these last few years. The comparisons with Tony Dungy are no more and he can celebrate joining Jon Gruden, and John Tortorella on the Mount Rushmore of Tampa Bay coaches. Anyone else notice a pattern regarding the coaches?

Thank you, Rick Peckham for being the voice of the Lightning on the TV since my arrival to this country in 1995, which coincidentally is when Peckham was hired by the Lightning. Lightning games will be different without Peckham's voice, and he missed by many. The Bolts winning the cup is the perfect sendoff for him and I wish him a happy retirement.

Thank you, Canada, for hosting these games. 

And finally, thank you, Steve Yzerman for building this. As I eluded to earlier, when Mr. Vinik bought the team, he surrounded himself with the right people, and one of those people was Yzerman, who as the General Manager until he stepped down during the offseason, played a significant part in the turning the team’s fortune around. He is responsible for a majority of the names that will be engraved on the Stanley Cup. Lightning fans owe him a huge debt of gratitude that will d never be forgotten.

In Frank We Trust?

The Frank de Boer era is underway. Ronald Koeman’s departure befuddled many and the choices to replace the now Barcelona boss were even more befuddling. Ultimately, the KNVB opted for Frank de Boer much to the chagrin of many. Was the hiring of de Boer the best option going forward?

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Frankly speaking, KNVB had their work cut out for them when Koeman suddenly resigned to become FC Barcelona’s manager. Dwight Lodeweges stepped in as the caretaker till the KNVB found someone on a permanent basis and the less said about how the Oranje played in those friendlies, the better. Their coaching search though left much to be desired when Frank Rijkaard’s name came out of nowhere as if we weren’t living in the Twilight Zone already. Surely, they can do better than Rijkaard who last managed in 2013. I am just glad we didn’t get a third go with either Dick Advocaat or Louis van Gaal as Oranje managers, especially the latter who went pragmatic in World Cup 2014 knock out stages and squandered a good chance at reaching the Final.

To be frank, de Boer’s availability made it an easy choice for the KNVB. It wasn’t the best option, but it was a safe option. There were no other options unless we want to give others a try as caretakers. Imagine Co Adriaanse being in charge for a couple of games. Marco van Basten can do it for a couple of games if he wants. But seriously, de Boer had success with Ajax and is familiar with some of the current Oranje players (Joël Veltman, Daley Blind Jasper Cillessen, and Ryan Babel). Just hope he doesn’t call up and try to shoehorn Davy Klaassen into the starting eleven with Kevin Strootman.  

Today’s dull 1-0 loss to Mexico was disappointing but it was a friendly to give some players their debut while Matthijs de Ligt is recovering from an injury and Luuk and Frenkie de Jong were on the bench. Premature to think of doom and gloom after one game and let’s wait till he has all the players at his full disposal. However, the Oranje hotseat could be warm for Ronald Koeman when he’s most likely to be out of a job in Barcelona before Euro 2020 kicks off. That’s when we will know if the KNVB truly trust Frank.