Vincent Lecavalier

Vincent Lecavalier (* April 21, 1980 in L' Ile- Bizard, Quebec ) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is since July 2013 when the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League contract.

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• 4.1 International

Career

Rimouski Océanic

After Lecavalier had played two years at Notre Dame College in a very successful Hockey, he returned to his homeland in 1996 and began his professional career with the Rimouski Océanic. In his first season he reached a points total of 103 points and was therefore awarded by the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with the Trophée Michel Bergeron as the best rookie striker and with the Coupe RDS as the best rookie in the league. In addition, he was selected by the CHL (Canadian Hockey League), the umbrella organization of three Canadian prime youth hockey leagues in the All- Rookie Team and honored as the best rookie of the season 1996/97. In his second season in the QMJHL Lecavalier was able to improve its performance further and scored 44 goals in 58 games and prepared 71 more hits before. In the playoffs with his team reached the league final, but which was lost against Val- d'Or Foreurs. Lecavalier himself came to a points haul of 41 points in 18 games. After the end of the season he was both the QMJHL, and from the CHL, was elected to the respective First All -Star Team, as well as the QMJHL awarded him on even with the Trophée Michael Bossy as the future top pick in the league. Due to its performance in the last season he was with David Legwand as the greatest talent for the NHL Entry Draft in 1998. Though Legwand has been advised of the Scouts of the NHL at # 1, chose the Tampa Bay Lightning Lecavalier as a total first.

Tampa Bay Lightning

After he was drafted, joined Lecavalier 1998 Tampa Bay Lightning. His NHL debut, he celebrated on 9 October 1998 against the Florida Panthers. His first goal came a few games later, on October 25 against the Vancouver Canucks. In February, he was named rookie of the month. In his first season he played all 82 games of the regular season, but he scored only 28 points. From the yield points, which were selected as the first overall after him, cut only a year after it selected Patrik Štefan even worse.

On March 11, 2000 during his second NHL season, he was at the age of 19 years and 11 months to the captain of his team and thus became the youngest captain in the NHL history, but he had this role, after differences with the coach of the Lightning, John Tortorella, and stalled contract negotiations with the management of the team, give back before the 2001/ 02 season. Sidney Crosby 2007 took him from the record as the youngest team captain. He finished his second season in the NHL with 67 points.

2002/ 03 is increased further Lecavalier and played his best season so far (78 points) and could qualify for the first time in his career with his team for the playoffs. He also was able to describe for the first time as the winner of a division. In his first playoff series Lecavalier scored three goals and three assists in eleven games. In November 2002, Lecavalier scored in a 4-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins his first hat trick in the NHL. Other personal highlights for him were his 100th goal in the NHL on January 18, 2003 against the Philadelphia Flyers, his second four - point game ( 3 goals, 1 assist ) against the Phoenix Coyotes and the first participation at the NHL All-Star game.

The 2003/04 season was the most successful season of his career. He won the most important addition to the Olympic Winter Games team trophies in hockey, the Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning and the World Cup of Hockey in 2004 with the Team Canada. In the playoffs, he was next to goalkeeper Nikolai Chabibulin and his teammates Brad Richards and Martin St. Louis of the key players of his team. At the World Cup, he scored in the semi-final in the fourth minute of overtime the game winning goal decisive 4:3 over the Czech Republic. In total, Lecavalier 7 points and was ranked 2, the top scorer of the tournament, behind Sweden and former NHL teammate Fredrik Modin. At the end of the Cup he was voted into the All-Star team and awarded as MVP.

After the 2004/05 season failed due to a lockout in the NHL, Lecavalier played together with his teammates Nikolai Chabibulin and Brad Richards for Ak Bars Kazan in the Russian Superleague. The team finished fourth and took part in the playoffs, Lecavalier contributed to 16 points at.

In the year after the lockout Lecavalier did not match the sometimes great achievements of the last two seasons with his team. Although he scored 75 points, which until then, second best result of his career was based on, and the gates (35 ) even the best season of his career so far, but was able to qualify with his team only just for the playoffs. There Lecavalier the Ottawa Senators were beaten with the Lightning in the first round. During this season he experienced in the jersey of maple leaves a mixed Olympic tournament, which took a disappointing end in the quarter- final against Russia. Lecavalier himself was able to record 3 assists.

2006/ 07 Lecavalier closed the regular season with 52 goals from and was honored as the NHL 's top scorer with the Maurice Richard Trophy, a total he reached with 56 assists another 108 points, the best points haul of his career. He was elected team because of his power along with his teammate Martin St. Louis in the Second All-Star, he was also nominated for the Lester B. Pearson Award as the best player in the regular season, but what Sidney Crosby won. Both the 52 goals, as well as the 108 points have always been a franchise record. Lecavalier was the first player from Tampa Bay who scored more than 50 goals in a season. Same succeeded so far only Steven Stamkos in the 2009/10 season with 51 goals.

In the season 2007/ 08 reached Lecavalier 92 points, the second-best in his career. He also made ​​it in eight consecutive games at least two points per game (so-called multipoint Games) to achieve. He is the first player who has managed this by Jaromir Jagr (1996). In his fourth overall participation in the All-Star Game, he was captain of the Eastern Conference for the first time. Ever since that season Lecavalier belongs to the group of the best players in the NHL.

In July 2008, Lecavalier extended his contract with Tampa Bay Lightning at 11 years, which will earn him a total of 85 million dollars.

The seasons 2008/ 09 and 2009/10 ran both Lecavalier, and his team, less successful. The Lightning missed the playoffs in each case clearly and Lecavalier could not reach the points total of the previous two years, which was partly due to injuries. So he had to, for example, an operation in preparation for the 2008/ 09 season under pull on the shoulder after he had injured at this with a check from Washington's Matt Cooke. In mid-January 2009, there were also rumors that Lecavalier would go to his Canadian homeland to Montréal to the Canadiens. Lecavalier has denied these rumors and declared that he would stay in Tampa Bay.

From the 2008/ 09 season he was again captain of his team, after the place had become vacant following the resignation of Tim Taylor.

Before the season 2010/11 had to undergo another operation Lecavalier, this time a smaller intervention on the knee. After he started rather weak in the season Lecavalier to the right hand broke on November 11 at a check against Washington's Karl Alzner. After his comeback to Lecavaliers improved performance and he scored 45 points in 51 missions. He finished the regular season third in the team-internal scorers list behind Steven Stamkos and Martin St. Louis. He also reached with the Lightning for the first time the playoffs since he was captain of the franchise again.

In June 2013 his contract was of the Lightning, however, paid early (buy out).

Currently holds Lecavalier various franchise records for the Tampa Bay Lightning, including most games, goals and points, or score the most points in a season.

Philadelphia Flyers

After the Tampa Bay Lightning had a few days earlier paid his contract, Lecavalier was briefly as unrestricted free agent available and was entitled in all respects with NHL franchises to negotiate a contract. Finally, the Canadians decided on July 2, 2013, a commitment to the Philadelphia Flyers, who had previously paid the contracts of goalie Ilya Brysgalow and striker Daniel Brière. Lecavalier signed a five-year contract worth a total of 22.5 million U.S. dollars at the Philadelphia Flyers. The average annual salary therefore amounts to 4.5 million U.S. dollars.

Private

Lecavalier attended from 1992 to 1993, the John Rennie High School in Pointe -Claire, Quebec. He then moved to the Athol Murray College of Notre Dame in Wilcox ( Saskatchewan, Canada). There he met already on his longtime teammates at the Tampa Bay Lightning, Brad Richards. Coincidentally, Richards and Lecavalier were even neighbors. Both later played together for Rimouski and were in the same year (1998) drafted by Tampa Bay. The Lightning both played together for years until Richards was transferred in February 2008 to Dallas.

Lecavalier supports various charitable projects such as the Vinny Lecavalier Foundation to support families and young people or the Vincent Lecavalier Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida.

For his dedication off the ice, he was awarded the King Clancy Memorial Trophy NHL Foundation Player Award and in 2008.

Lecavalier has lived since 2001, together with Caroline Portelance. They have a daughter, Victoria, who was born 2010.

Awards and achievements

• 2004 Stanley Cup win with the Tampa Bay Lightning
• 2007 NHL All Star Game
• 2007 Mark Messier Leadership Award of the Month February
• 2007 Maurice Rocket ' Richard Trophy
• 2007 NHL Second All-Star Team
• 2008 NHL All Star Game
• 2008 NHL Foundation Player Award (shared with Trevor Linden )
• 2008 King Clancy Memorial Trophy
• 2009 NHL All Star Game

Internationally

• 2004 Gold Medal at the World Cup of Hockey
• 2004 All- Star Team of the World Cup of Hockey
• 2004 Most Valuable Player of the World Cup of Hockey

Career Stats

Internationally

Represented Canada at:

• U20 Junior World Cup 1998
• World Cup 2001
• World Cup of Hockey 2004
• 2006 Winter Olympics

( Key to Career statistics: Sp or GP = Games Played, T or G = goals scored, V or A = achieved assists; Pts or Pts = scored points scorer, SM or PIM = received penalty minutes, / - = Plus / Minus balance sheet; PP = scored majority gates; SH = scored shorthanded goals, GW = achieved victory gates; Play-downs/Relegation 1 )

Others

In the film Maurice Richard in 2005 Vincent Lecavalier played the Hockey Size Jean Béliveau.

For EA Sports video game NHL 06, he was the cover athlete.