Tampa, Florida					Saturday, September 04, 2010

The Great Lightning Talent Show
Friday, May 28, 2004
TAMPA—Daren Puppa explains this Tampa Bay Lightning success that has carried into the dramatic Stanley Cup finals simply: One word, he said, ``TALENT!’’ Puppa knows. Puppa has played with it—never this much—with little of it, and with a bit more than a little of it. Daren Puppa is the former standout Lightning goal tender, who was a leader that took a previous Tampa Bay team into the NHL playoffs, after working in the toughest of circumstances—with largely expansion talent. He saw all of this from inside the goaltender mask looking out at fury before him, flying down the ice and onto him from the third season for seven in all, and now he is seeing it from outside rink as a distinguished Lightning alumnus as a booster and fan. Today he is an analyst for you and me, who quickly declared, when asked to sum up the success this grand season said: ``TALENT.’’ He’d add in explanation of it, and the application of it. Puppa and scorer Brian Bradley surely are the two best known of the former Lightning players. Surely. And both, with families, chose to stay in Tampa, in their Cheval homes, and become a part of the present Lightning support group. An ailment stemming from injuries caused their early retirement frrm the ice. Puppa, a giant of man in that little net opening, suffered from chronic back problems. The man, surely 6-5, was so formidable in that net. Awesome. Agile as well and he surely wished he could have played more, but simply could not so he and Meg and family live that Cheval/Lightning enclave north about 15-plus miles of the Lightning home at the St. Pete Times Forum in Downtown Tampa, and by the way, love it. ``Talent,’’ he said one more time. Then he explained. ``They have more scorers than any team in hockey. They have at least six who can score, three, no, four, no five, or more, on a regular basis. ``And they have a solid goal keeper in Nikolai Khabibulan, and they have those who can contribute on offense. Plus a defense overall that is solid all around. They are good. Add to that, they have some tough guys, always needed,’’ without mentioning the obvious, Chris Dingman, Andre Roy, Brad Lukowich. That breakout win of the Lightning 4-1 after being ahead a nervous 1-0, over Calgary at the exploding Tampa arena bursting with a record 22,222 fans counted, was a splendid example of Puppa’s points—dynamic and deep offense, tight defense that allowed a slick-skating and passing team like the Flames to only 19 shots on goal overall, plus powerful and physical checks, as well as the big win itself after a loss in the previous finals. Puppa had added, ``this Lightning team showed another strength, the ability to come back hard after a tough loss the game before.’’ Of course, part of that was the coaching of John Tortorella and his staff, and the on-ice leadership of the oldest man on the ice, and perhaps the wiliest, Dave Andreychuk and Tim Taylor,	plus the wonderful support of the crowd visiting writers have chosen to declare not worthy of the success of this team. That, of course, is flat silly. Check the losing season endured by many of these fans, critics. But, overall in the summation, Puppa, noted, “find another team with so much talent at scoring. Find one. Can ‘t. ``Start with Vincent Lecavalier. He did not score a goal in that last win against Calgary, but he was the most active, top player on the ice. He has been the best on the ice since the Montreal series. Yes, I saw the play we call the ``Gretzky Play,’’ and so did the man himself, from the box suite of Budweiser’s Tom Pepin. Lecavalier with the puck behind the next, knocked the puck off the net base in the back, whirled, came back and picked up the puck and fled with it the other direction to start a move that led to a score. It startled many, that splendid maneuver. Puppa mentioned as those top scorers in such numbers as Lecavalier, Brad Richards, Martin St. Louis, plus Cory Stillman, Ruslan Fedotenko, Fredrik Modin and Dan Boyle, who scored the third and putaway goal for a 3-1 lead over Calgary Thursday night. ``Richards,’’ began Puppa, ``what a streak that young man is on. Why, get this: The Lightning is 28-0-2 when he scores in a game and he has a half dozen winning goals,’’ including the second for the 2-1 lead Thursday. Modin, ``well, he is playing the best in years and a contributor in every way,’’ said Puppa, ``and then there is the great little player, Martin St. Louis. He is so quick. And he is creating and getting a lot of shooting chances.’’ Scorers Thursday in the game won 4-1 that tied matters up at 1-1 in the Cup Final, were, in order, Fedotenko, Richards, Boyle and St. Louis. The last three goals came in no time in the third period. Fedoentko got the first and that was a good sign for his scoring first often fortells victory ahead, just as did the hustle of the Lightning from the start. ``Fedotenko just scores goals. He puts the puck in the net, if not on the first, on the rebound or third try in the same drive. He’s persistent. He’s versatile. ``Khabibulin is solid, physical and I could not believe Jassen Cullimore came off a long layout with an injury to play well immediately,’’ Puppa added. The, the goal tending, ``Khabibulin is solid. You know what to expect from him and he gives you just that.’’ Puppa loves the booster role he now shares with wife Meg, with the Bradleys and his regulars at the games, Susan and Tom Welsh. But more than that, he said, he’s happy to be around with those people in the stands who are getting their rewards and appreciating it, no matter what the skeptics who do not know better say. If I had tried, I am sure I could have gotten a Go Lightning out of the tall quiet man, known a Poops to his friends and teammates, but, nah, that would be asking too much. A fist pump? Why sure. ##
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