TAMPA – Steven Stamkos has seen it all in a Lightning jersey, the ups and downs of the game on the ice and growth and perseverance off it. But he said Monday morning that he wasn’t sure what his emotions would be in his first game here as an opponent.

After 16 years as the face of the franchise, Stamkos walked into the visiting team’s locker room at Amalie Arena. He admits he had a hard time adjusting to his new organization, the Predators.

His departure is still met with displeasure from some fans who believe the Lightning should have done more to ensure he would spend his entire NHL career in Tampa. And Stamkos himself had to deal with a time he never imagined as a player: life after the Lightning.

“Let’s face it, Steven Stamkos and the Tampa Bay Lightning will forever be synonymous with each other,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “Breakups are hard. And it’s the soap opera of sports. That’s why we’re looking at it. This is why we are circling water coolers. It’s about moments like this, to see how the drama of life will unfold, and it happens in real time.

“There are no outtakes, it just happens. And I think that’s what makes it incredibly exciting to take part in games like this. And that’s why I think everyone should have fun today.”

One thing is certain: Stamkos will have an unforgettable reception tonight at Amalie Arena. Few professional athletes have been more revered by the Tampa Bay fan base than Stamkos.

Stamkos is an emotional player. The big ones often are. However, over the years he has managed well not to show this side publicly. But he’s seen plenty of former Lightning players before him return to rapturous ovations, so he can’t predict how he’ll feel in that moment.

“You have an idea of ​​what it is, but you can’t reproduce that feeling,” he said. “It’s like anything: the best feelings in your life, the worst feelings in your life, you don’t know how you’re going to react until you go through it. I certainly went through some of that over the summer with everything that happened. But I think this will be a little different. We’ll see how it turns out.

“Of course there is great excitement to be back in the city and in this building where there have been so many great memories for a long time. I’m sure emotions will run high as game time approaches and you get on the ice. It will definitely be special.”

Stamko said when he moved to a new team and a new city, he worried that his family might have trouble adjusting after making his home in Tampa for so long.

Stamkos joked that after the Predators mascot visited his kids on the family’s second day in Nashville, “they went crazy pretty quickly.” The hockey part was more difficult for Stamkos as he found the comfort level he had for so many years with the Lightning. The Predators have struggled to post a 3-5-0 record; Stamkos has just one goal and is minus-7.

“I was here for so long, you were the guy that everyone turned to with questions and concerns and you had all the answers, right?” he said. “And now I’m the guy asking the questions. … As much as you want it to happen overnight, there is a transition period, and that’s what I’m working on right now.”

This will be Stamkos’ night, and from the top of the organization down, everyone wants the night to be special for him. It’s also a night for Lightning fans, their chance to show Stamkos how much he means to them.

“He’s been here through thick and thin, from years when they weren’t that good, and built it into the great culture and great franchise that it is today, and obviously delivered as the first overall pick to get one here “To win the trophy, not just once, but twice,” said defender Ryan McDonagh. “It’s a great feeling to meet everything expected of you as a high-end pick and you commit to that forever.”

“He will tell you that the city will always be a part of him, this franchise will be. … All those memories are going to come back, so he’s going to be emotional, but he’s also a great professional and his job here is to help his team win.”

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