Devout Steven Stamkos fans cope with the loss of Lightning captain

His Lightning allegiance spans one ocean, a couple of decades and his entire upper right arm, from the deltoid to the elbow.

Emil Gummesson, a 30-year-old resident of Vaxjo, Sweden, has invested 30 hours in tattoo artist Eric Legion’s chair, getting an elaborate homage to his favorite team etched on that arm. At the very top, on the right shoulder, is an image of Steven Stamkos hoisting the Stanley Cup.

Gummesson never misses a game, despite a seven-hour time difference between Sweden and Tampa. Similarly, the tattoo doesn’t miss a detail. Stamkos’ likeness includes his playoff beard, in all its bushiness. Right below Stamkos is Victor Hedman, bearing a toothy smile. Near the elbow is an image of goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy in his No. 88 mask, lightning bolts strewn across the top.

Above Vasilevskiy is an image of Nikita Kucherov, appearing to let out a guttural roar.

“When all done, it will serve as an homage to the greatest era of Lightning hockey and the core that made it possible,” Gummesson, who assembles ventilation machines in a factory, said via direct message on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “So the motive consists in a Mount Rushmore of Vasilevskiy, Kucherov, Hedman and of course Stamkos.”

On Monday, that figurative Rushmore lost one of its rocks. Or, more specifically, its cornerstone. Unable to reach terms with Tampa Bay on a new deal, the Lightning captain dove into free agency and emerged with a four-year deal with the Predators for an average annual value of $8 million.

The repercussions could be felt a continent away.

“It’s hard to lose a great person and ambassador,” Gummesson said. “I think everyone was certain he would retire a Bolt. But at the end of the day, with this kind of money out there it didn’t really make sense, and you can only be happy on his regard to get a well-deserved payday.”

Closer to home, the impact stretched from the shoulder to the psyche as unabashed Stamkos supporters coped with the departure of arguably the franchise’s most beloved player.

“He exemplifies a lot of leadership traits that kind of inspire me,” said Gabe Moreta, a 30-year-old USF alumnus who frequently joined other fans in the player parking lot after Lightning games just to get a few moments with the captain.

“Back in 2008 when he was drafted, I was only in middle school and was still trying to find myself. And just watching him as an athlete and as a leader grow, even just seeing him, the first impression when he was drafted, it really connected with me.

“And the middle school version of me was like, ‘Yeah, I want to be like this guy, I’m going to watch him grow.’ I was already a fan of the Lightning, and things were a little bit weird at that time; we weren’t as competitive. But watching him grow and watching him grow into that leader was just super-inspiring to me.”

Such was how the Toronto native resonated with Tampa Bay over 16 seasons. For the better part of his career, Stamkos’ play was so proficient, his interaction with fans so genuine, his investment in the community so profound, Lightning fans hoped he’d retire in a Bolts sweater.

“I was really sad to see (him leave),” said Jordan Dejager, a 30-year-old nurse who resides in Orlando but embraced the Lighting as his team — and Stamkos as his favorite player — as a teen shortly after moving to Florida from Nova Scotia.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever have a favorite player quite the same. I don’t know if it grabs you the same when you’re older as when you’re a teenager. So I was really sad to see it. I really thought they’d work something out the last minute. I really thought he’d retire as a Bolt.”

Clearwater resident Steven Smith found himself explaining his dejection Monday to his 6-year-old son Jackson, who got a photo with Stamkos during a meet-and-greet on the day he turned 1-month old. Smith, a 32-year-old data specialist, said he has “a closet full” of Stamkos jerseys; Jackson has one with Stamkos’ signature.

“My son was like, ‘Why is it a tough day, daddy?’ I’m like, ‘Because my favorite player, he’s with a different hockey team now,’” Smith said.

“I’ve sort of grown up the same time he’s grown up, and I’ve watched him the entire time, through thick and thin, from when the Lightning were bad to when the Lightning were good,” Smith said

“I saw him go from a kid that was only a sharpshooter on the power play to an elite scorer. I held my bated breath when he got pushed from behind and ended up getting the broken leg (in 2013). ... I’ve sort of followed it the whole way, and as I’ve grown up myself and became an adult and started a family, he became an adult and started a family.”

In the end, family reasons likely played a paramount role in Stamkos’ decision to spurn what was reported as a modest Lightning offer for millions more in Nashville. He’s a married dad of two sons and a daughter; their future now is more fortified.

Most of his adoptive family, the ones with the Stamkos sweaters and signed photos, understands. Some don’t.

“I don’t think it made Tampa a better team,” Smith said. “And I think in a lot of ways it might have made us worse.”

Either way, the sting of this one-timer won’t subside any time soon.

“I think he made a difficult decision with all the best intentions in mind,” Moreta said. “But I know he didn’t want to leave.”

Contact Joey Knight at jknight@tampabay.com. Follow @TBTimes_Bulls

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