How Steven Stamkos can make Nashville Predators fans embrace him like Pekka Rinne

Steven Stamkos scored on his first shot against Nashville Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne.

A 19-year-old in his second year with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Stamkos doesn't remember much about his Nashville debut back on Dec. 15, 2009 — but he does remember Rinne.

Specifically, the Finnish goaltender's size and athletic ability.

"As someone who likes to score goals, he was tough to beat," Stamkos said. "An elite goalie, for sure."

Stamkos would score eight more goals on Rinne the next 12 years — a fair number for both players, considering Stamkos is a former Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy winner, and Rinne a former Vezina Trophy winner.

Stamkos also won two Stanley Cup championships in Tampa (2020, 2021); the closest Rinne came to the Cup was in 2017, when the Predators lost in six games to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Now Stamkos — who signed a four-year, $32 million deal with the Predators on July 1 — brings exceptional hockey success to Bridgestone Arena, where on the plaza stands an 11-foot-11 bronze statue of Rinne.

"In doing certain league-wide events, he's just one of the nicest guys I've ever had the opportunity to meet," Stamkos said. "Great player, an even better person."

It would take a Herculean effort for him to match Rinne's impact in Nashville — but winning a Stanley Cup certainly would do it.

Steven Stamkos' path to Nashville started in Markham, Ontario

Born 19 miles from Toronto, Stamkos grew up a Maple Leafs fan, like almost everyone else in his hometown of Markham.

"Everybody loves the Leafs up there," he said.

He dreamed of being drafted by the Maple Leafs, or at least putting on the blue jersey one day.

But some time after he was drafted by Tampa Bay in 2008, that allegiance faded.

"You move on pretty fast, actually," he said. "Eventually it becomes more fun to beat the Leafs than to want to play for them."

The way Stamkos' NHL career unfolded, playing for the Leafs was never a real possibility. The Lightning took him with the No. 1 overall selection and managed to hold on to him for 16 seasons. General manager Steve Yzerman signed him to two contract extensions in that time.

But Stamkos' run with Tampa ended this past summer when he and Julien BriseBois, who took over as general manager in 2018, could not agree to terms.

It was a bitter end to a sweet career in Tampa, but Stamkos has always held memories closer than grudges.

"Growing up in (Tampa) as an 18-year-old to where I am now," he said. "Having my family there, winning, the fans, the city . . . those are the things you remember."

Why family is everything to Steven Stamkos

To Stamkos, family and hockey have been entangled from birth.

When his mother, Lesley, was 3 years old, she emigrated with her parents from Scotland to Canada. Eventually she met Chris Stamkos, a former Canadian collegiate hockey player of Macedonian descent. Soon after they married, Steven was born.

His father introduced him to hockey, and both parents supported his obsession with the sport. Driving him to practice, enrolling him in lessons — everything needed to succeed in ultra-competitive youth hockey in Ontario.

"They both wanted to push me and help me get to my potential," Stamkos said. "But they weren't overly strict. They were able to find that line."

In 2006, the Sarnia Sting selected the 16-year-old first overall in the OHL draft, and he scored 100 goals in 124 games in two seasons. He did well in school, winning the Bobby Smith Trophy in 2007, an academic excellence award given to OHL players.

Around this time, he met Sandra Porzio. An instant match, they stayed together throughout Steven's junior and professional hockey career and in June 2017, they married. They now have three kids — Carter (5 years old), Chase (2) and Olivia (4 months) — with Sandra managing most of the parenting during Steven's hectic hockey life. The decades-long connection between the two laid a foundation for a stable, happy family — the picture-perfect NHL marriage.

But it has not been without tragedy.

In 2020, Sandra was pregnant during the Lightning's playoff run. Suddenly, Steven got word that something was wrong. He left the team during the first-round series against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Sandra lost the baby at 21 weeks.

"It was probably the lowest point in our lives,” Steven told the Tampa Bay Times . “It was just devastating for my family, and no one really knew about it. We just kind of kept it to ourselves.”

He now hopes he and his wife can back their children with the same passion his parents had for him.

"We have an amazing family," Stamkos said. "I just want to support them any way I can."

Stamkos excited about new chapter with Nashville Predators

Stamkos was a phenomenal playoff performer with Tampa Bay. During the Lightning's two championships, he scored 19 goals and 18 assists in 46 playoff games — a constant offensive force when it mattered most.

His legacy with the Lightning is cemented. A first overall draft pick, a starter from Day 1, a Rocket Richard winner, a Stanley Cup champion, and a no-doubt Hall of Famer.

With his story complete in Tampa, Stamkos sees another chapter to write in Nashville.

"Since it didn't work out the way you envision it (in Tampa), now let's try to find somewhere that has everything you want in the team, organization, city," he said.

Winning a Stanley Cup is a peak career accomplishment, the dream of hockey players. Winning two, as Stamkos has, is almost unthinkable.

So, winning a third? In a new city?

"That would be something truly special," he said. "A lot of things have to go right for it to happen, but it's in the back of your mind, for sure."

Stamkos isn't making a prediction here, but he's admitting it crossed his mind when he decided to come to Nashville.

"There's an excitement factor here," he said. "And, who knows? To go on a long run and win a Stanley Cup here, that would be amazing. It's something that, when it's all said and done, adds to a different part of your legacy."

Alex Daugherty is the Predators beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Alex at jdaugherty@gannett.com . Follow Alex on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @alexdaugherty1

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: How Steven Stamkos can make Nashville Predators fans embrace him like Pekka Rinne