TAMPA – Over the years, as key members of some of the Lightning’s most memorable teams left Amalie Arena and returned to Amalie Arena in different uniforms, the organization has done a great job of paying tribute to them with emotional highlight videos.

When Ryan McDonagh returned for the first time, he watched from a suite – unable to play due to injury – and fought back tears. When Alex Killorn returned as a member of the Ducks last season, he received one of the loudest ovations for accommodating Amalie by taking a lap around the ice and thanking the crowd.

From Ondrej Palat to Ross Colton, Yanni Gourde to Tyler Johnson, Blake Coleman, Barclay Goodrow, Zach Bogosian and Luke Schenn, they have all received exceptional welcomes from a fan base grateful for the memories they have of what will likely go down will have conveyed as the golden era of Lightning Hockey.

But with all due respect to each of these players, nothing will compare to Monday night when Steven Stamkos returned to Amalie Arena as an opposing player for the first time.

Bring your greetings and Kleenex. It’s expected to be one of the most emotional – and therapeutic – evenings in Lightning history. Fans realize in today’s NHL that they can’t have their favorite players on their favorite teams forever. But Stamkos was the one player they didn’t think they’d have to say goodbye to; In many ways, it is as much a part of the Lightning identity as the Bolt logo.

“He’s a legend here and I know the fans love him,” center Nick Paul said. “The city loves him. His return will be a big night. He will get a nice tribute and a lot of people will be screaming for him. Stammer is still a good buddy; He’s just a great guy.”

Nearly four months after he signed with the Predators, it’s still strange to see Stamkos walking in a different uniform. And it will be strange not to see him come out of the home tunnel at Amalie Arena.

Stamkos carried an unparalleled legacy while wearing the Lightning uniform, starting with the “Seen Stamkos” billboards that popped up all over Tampa before the organization drafted him No. 1 overall in 2008. He came to Tampa as a fresh-faced kid from Markham, Ontario, and the hope of a franchise was placed on his shoulders.

Lightning fans have been with him every step of the way, through his early tremendous successes on the ice – two Rocket Richard Trophies, a 60-goal season – as well as the strange injuries that sidelined him. Little by little, the Lightning built a Cup contender around themselves, and his two-minute, 47-second return to the 2020 bubble in Game 3 of the Cup Final was the most memorable moment of an incredible championship series. A year later, Stamkos carried the Cup across home ice and shared that moment with Tampa Bay.

Stamkos entrenched himself in the community. He worked with the Ronald McDonald House for years and made hospital visits. He fell in love with life in Tampa and his fondness for the area grew as he married and started a family. As captain of the team, he was the pillar of developing a family culture in the locker room.

“It’s going to be strange (Monday) for the fans and the entire community to see Stammer sitting there in a Preds jersey,” said defenseman Victor Hedman, Stamkos’ teammate of 15 years as well as his best friend and his successor Lightning captain.

“All the things we accomplished…of course a lot of ups and downs in the beginning, and then four finals, two wins, a lot of conference finals eliminations,” Hedman added. “We got to the top of the mountain twice and probably felt like we could have maybe done it again. But for us it speaks for itself. We made history here and it will live on forever.”

The Lightning made no attempt to extend Stamkos before the final season of his contract. But even though there was no discussion throughout the season, there was no reason to think it wouldn’t work out. But months later, people are still puzzling over the fact that keeping Stamkos here didn’t work out.

The fans never got the chance to say goodbye. Stamkos wrote a farewell to The Players’ Tribune, but it still came at a distance. Monday will be a day both sides have been waiting for for months.

“I think it will be good for Stammer,” Paul said. “I think it will be very emotional for him because of how long he has been here, what he has done with this team and the successes he has achieved.”

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