TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper stared up at the jumbotron as an emotional tribute video highlighted Steven Stamkos ‘s 16 years with the franchise.
Near the opposing bench stood Stamkos, now a member of the Nashville Predators , returning to Tampa for the first time in another uniform.
“I was thinking about how soft I’ve gone in my elder years. I just start welling up,” Cooper said Monday night after his team’s 3-2 overtime win. “How do you fit 16 years into a two-minute video? It almost doesn’t feel right. It was extremely well done. But in the end, it doesn’t matter how well you do it. You’ll never do it justice.”…