Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

The Tampa Bay Lightning On Media Day

06/02/2015 at 2:59pm EDT

from Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times,

The Lightning, basking in the glow of Media Day Tuesday afternoon at Amalie Arena, seemed like a team that wasn't fazed by the big stage, more so embracing it.

"You've got to enjoy the moment," captain Steven Stamkos said. "We've said all along we believe in ourselves and want to take advantage of this opportunity. You just never know how many chances you're going to get.

"I want this so bad."

Coach Jon Cooper talked about how much his team has grown throughout these playoffs. He recalled how when the Lightning was down 3-2 in the first round to the Red Wings, he thought, "Wow, is this going to happen again?" But the look in his team's eyes said, "We've got this."

"Everytime there's that little bit of adversity or we feel like we're down and out, they come back with a knockout punch," Cooper said.

Some other stuff from today's availability: Lightning GM Steve Yzerman talked about how patient he had to be in this rebuilding process, noting he inherited two great building blocks in Stamkos and D Victor Hedman, saying the only way you can do this is through homegrown talent.

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About Kukla's Korner Hockey

Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

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