The presence of Cory Stillman should benefit the 'Canes both on and off the ice.

Stillman keen to "light it up" against Tampa Bay
By John McGourty | NHL.com
Sept. 6, 2005

Cory Stillman, the seventh-leading scorer in the NHL in 2003-04, is as smooth and stylish off the ice as on. Well-spoken and optimistic, Stillman is an asset for his new team, the Carolina Hurricanes, not just on the ice, but in the areas of media and community relations. Simply put, to meet him is to like him.

But underneath the friendly demeanor is a fire within, a fire that makes him a winner and one of the leading offensive forces in the NHL.

And that fire has been stoked, folks.

While Stillman is glad to be with the Hurricanes because they want him, he has a bone to pick with the team that released him, the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Stillman was the Lightning's second-leading scorer en route to their first-ever Stanley Cup championship in 2004. He had 25 goals during the 2003-04 season along with career highs of 55 assists and 80 points. He added two goals and five assists during the Lightning's Playoff run. But the Bolts opted not to re-sign him.

It can't be all good for Tampa Bay to have lost one of their most important point producers to a Southeast Division rival. There's a similar situation in the Atlantic Division where the Pittsburgh Penguins have signed the first- and third-leading scorers, Mark Recchi and John LeClair, from the Philadelphia Flyers in 2003-04.

Stillman doesn't mince words.

"I'll be looking forward to those eight games we play against Tampa Bay this year. That's for sure," Stillman said. "Starting with opening night, Oct. 5, in Tampa, I'll be looking to beat them every chance we can. I don't know much about their thinking. They had different plans. Whether it was to free up money to sign other guys or what, I don't know the whole scenario, but I'm gone.

"But what really motivates me is that I'm with a team that has been trying to trade for me since I was in Calgary. So I look at this as a great opportunity to come here. It's a chance to be with a young team that is striving to get back into the playoffs. They're giving me a bigger role to play."

Stillman has been playing a big role in the NHL for a long time. After a tremendous junior career with the Windsor Spitfires and his hometown Peterborough Petes, Stillman was the sixth overall pick in the 1992 Entry Draft, a powerhouse year that saw Roman Hamrlik, Alexei Yashin, Mike Rathje, Todd Warriner and Darius Kasparaitis chosen before him. Sergei Gonchar, Marty Straka and Jason Smith were other top performers picked that year.

He played seven years with the Calgary Flames, three with the St. Louis Blues and one year with Tampa Bay. In 645 NHL games, Stillman has 184 goals and 250 assists and 326 penalty minutes. He has scored 20 or more goals in six of the past seven seasons, with a high of 27 twice for Calgary.

Stillman incorporates himself completely into his team goals and has taken each separation hard. He was on a line with Jarome Iginla and Marc Savard in Calgary. It was one of the NHL's best lines and Stillman reacted like a truck had hit him when he was traded for Craig Conroy and a draft pick at the 2001 trading deadline. He didn't like it when St. Louis shipped him to Tampa Bay for a second-rounder at the 2003 Entry Draft. So, his feelings about leaving the Stanley Cup champions aren't surprising.

"I was traded to St. Louis and they were making a push to win the Stanley Cup," Stillman said. "We made a good run, beating San Jose and Dallas before losing the Western Conference Finals to Colorado in five games, the last three all in overtime. I played another full season in St. Louis and part of another before I got traded again. I don't know if St. Louis traded me because my contract was up. I'd had a good year and they were worried about arbitration, so I got traded for a draft pick.

"I thought things went well in Tampa Bay. I finished seventh in scoring and helped them win the Cup. I was an unrestricted free agent and had a chance to go to another team, so here I am in Carolina."

Stillman suspects there will be this kind of off-season movement for several years to come.

"It's definitely been a shuffle that happened this year," he said. "Some people think it will happen every year from now on. Others say it will keep teams together. I don't know which is true. We'll have to see what happens in that regard. But you rarely see teams in the NFL, which has a cap, stay together for long. Sure, the Patriots and Eagles have been tough for several years in a row, but most teams go up and down in the NFL. Hockey is such a team game, you need everybody healthy and everything going right to win. One big injury can destroy a team in the playoffs. You won't see any more Henri Richards, winning 11 Stanley Cups. It would have been nice to be part of a team like that."

Stillman was in the NHL for 10 seasons before winning a Stanley Cup. It's a crowning achievement for his career, but he wants more.

"I'm not complacent, that's for sure," Stillman said. "I want to win it again and as soon as possible. Calgary made the playoffs my rookie season. We lost to Chicago in four games, but I was a young kid and I thought it would be great to be in the playoffs every year. Then, we didn't make the playoffs in the next five seasons. Now, that I've seen what it takes and how much excitement there is in playing for and winning the Stanley Cup, I can't wait for the season to begin. Once you win, you want to win even more. I won't have to worry about getting up for games."

Stillman hopes to bring his knack for big goals to the Hurricanes. He paid dividends for the Blues when he scored in double overtime in 2001 to send the Stars reeling and he turned the momentum in the Eastern Conference Finals last season with a goal that beat Philly's Robert Esche. In his first game for Tampa Bay, he scored twice to help beat Boston.

"I'm hoping to do that here," he said. "I want to come out with a bang and there would be nothing better than scoring and beating Tampa Bay Oct. 5. That goal against Dallas, well, it's always exciting being a hero. Bryce Salvador just missed scoring for us in the first overtime. Then, I took a drop pass from Scott Mellanby and put it between Ed Belfour's legs. To score the winner in overtime, double overtime, is an even bigger feeling.

"I don't know if that goal went over or under Esche's glove, but it took him by surprise," Stillman added. "That was a tough series so it was a case of doing anything to help out. It might not have been pretty, but sometimes you can catch a goalie flat-footed. The assist on the Stanley Cup winning goal is something I'll never forget. Maybe Rusty Fedotenko will have even greater memories, but to make an assist and to set the pick that helped Vinnie Lecavalier make the pass to Fedotenko, that's something I'll remember forever."

Stillman sees some similarities in Carolina to the Tampa Bay team he joined. That gives him a lot of optimism.

"Like Tampa Bay a couple years ago, we have no big names, but a lot of young players getting better and people are talking about them. Our guys are excited to get going and have some fun doing it. We may not have a 50-goal scorer but I think we have six or seven guys who can score 20 or more.

"I played with Ray Whitney on a World Championship team. He's a skilled guy who moves the puck well. You'll see a lot of that with our team. There's lot of opportunity for guys on this team. I'm the type of player who likes to move the puck, get it back and set up guys to receive it or one-time it."

Stillman has another reason for wanting to win the Stanley Cup. He has to get back at Scott Stevens, his summer neighbor in Peterborough. Stillman and Stevens have done off-season training for several years. After winning the Stanley Cup in 2003, Stevens brought the Cup to Stillman's house to make him jealous. Stillman returned the favor a year ago, but Stevens wasn't home.

"Yeah, Scott's kids are getting older so he's tied up with their summer athletic seasons and didn't get up to Peterborough as much the last couple of years," Stillman said, laughing that outsiders knew about their teasing. "I'll get him the next time. There will be a next time."