CBC-Sports

Lecavalier wants to stay in Tampa Bay

January 13, 2009 06:33 PM | Posted by   Elliotte Friedman  

About a month before the start of the NHL season, Hockey Night in Canada did a sit-down with Vincent Lecavalier. Obviously, the major topic of conversation was his 11-year megadeal, paying him a little less than the Gross National Product of a small African nation.

And, how signing that deal broke the heart of Canadiens’ fans everywhere.

“I’m happy I signed for 11 years,” Lecavalier said at the time. “I’ve been with Tampa for 10 years and I consider it my home. Obviously, I’m from Montreal - I love Montreal - but when you live somewhere for 10 years …”

Well, you get the idea.

Had he ever thought about playing in Montreal?

“I always have,” he said. “How would it be (to play for) the Montreal Canadiens? It would be great. But, after the 10 years I spent in Tampa, in my mind, I want to stay here. My family’s there, my parents are there, my sister’s there with her three kids. I enjoy being there. I love the community. So, it’s tough to commit for that long, but at the same time, I knew I wanted to be here the remainder of my career.”

Lecavalier also explained off-camera how crazy it is for him to go back, even briefly in the summer. It’s impossible for him to go out anywhere. He tempered his comments when asked about it during the taped portion of the interview, but, suffice it to say, even a guy who was recently voted Tampa/St. Petersburg’s most popular athlete doesn’t have the same problem in Florida.

Bottom line: he doesn’t want to go. But he’s not going to come out and say it.

Anyone who’s spent time around Lecavalier during his career understands who he is: a friendly, polite, easygoing person who would love it if he never had to answer another question from a reporter. It’s not that he doesn’t like the media, it’s just that he doesn’t enjoy an inquisition. The longer an interview goes, the more clearly uncomfortable he gets. If you read his quotes in La Presse - along the lines of, “Sure, Montreal would be right up there if I had to go somewhere” - well, that’s vintage Vincent.

He would rather do anything than offend.

Deep down, however, he must feel betrayed. His no-trade kicks in July 1, and there appears to be some kind of verbal agreement that he wouldn’t be moved this year. I guess this is why they say you should get everything in writing, but we’ve learned, in the NHL, no-move/no-trade clauses can be as solid as Homer Simpson’s gut.

The Lightning are backtracking now, saying that if Lecavalier leaves, it will be his call. But agents don’t make special trips across the country because they want to see Tampa play the Kings. Clearly, Kent Hughes, who represents the captain, felt an immediate need for a face-to-face meeting. The Koules/Barrie era is one of almost total mismanagement, and alienating your franchise player isn’t exactly a great idea. Wherever this goes from here, a level of trust is gone.

Here’s what Lecavalier said about Oren Koules and Len Barrie during our HNIC interview:

“The good thing is they know the game. It’s not like they’re owners who just want to make changes to make changes. They’ve played the game and they know hockey. When they see a hockey player on the ice, they know if he’s good for them or not. That’s definitely a good advantage for the Tampa Bay Lightning.”

Wonder how he feels now.

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