Burns: The Lightning's locker room leaders

Throughout the Tampa Bay Lightning's current playoff run, different players have been praised for the leadership they've provided in adverse situations.
Kevin Shattenkirk was the calming voice that reassured the team and allowed them to reset after a disastrous second period in a First Round clinching game versus Columbus.
Nikita Kucherov has been more vocal on the bench, preaching to his teammates to make the right play according to Jon Cooper.
Pat Maroon explained the ups and downs of a sustained playoff run after a Game 2 loss in the First Round because he lived it a year earlier in winning a Stanley Cup with his hometown St. Louis Blues.
So it got me thinking, who are considered the best locker room guys under Cooper? The ones that had the biggest impact on the group as a collective?
Would any of the aforementioned players make the list?

I made the cutoff at Cooper's tenure with the team because my time covering the Lightning roughly lines up Cooper's arrival as head coach, so those were the players I could observe in the locker room on a regular basis, see how their teammates reacted to them and see how they reacted to their teammates.
This is just one man's opinion and certainly not meant to be an official list.
But it makes for a for a good debate and a fun discussion.
My Top 5 Lightning Locker Room Leaders (in alphabetical order)
Brian Boyle
Brian Boyle is the classic guy you hate when he's on the other team but love when he's on your team.
Boyle knew how to draw the ire of opposing fan bases when he was with the Lightning for two-and-a-half seasons starting in 2014 before being dealt to Toronto at the 2017 trade deadline.
He scored an overtime goal in Game 3 of an Eastern Conference Semifinal against the Islanders in Brooklyn and had beer dumped on him while celebrating in the corner with his teammates.
Earlier in that 2015 Playoffs, he did the chicken dance toward Justin Abdelkader to mock the Red Wings forward for not wanting to fight at the end of Game 3 in Detroit.
Even as he's played for four different teams since being traded away, he remains beloved by the Bay Area. When he returned to Tampa for the 2018 All Star-Game as a member of the New Jersey Devils, he received multiple standing ovations.
His simmering feud with Mikhail Sergachev notwithstanding - the two had to be separated and got in an animated shouting match in the 2018 First Round and later fought in an exhibition game for the 2020 restart while Boyle was with Florida - Boyle would still be welcomed back to Tampa by the fan base with open arms.
Every trade deadline since he's been gone, I get asked on Twitter, "Any chance the Bolts bring Boyle back?"
As much as the fan base loved him, his teammates loved him more. He carried himself assuredly. He had swagger. Teammates just naturally gravitated toward him. He had a big personality. He was thoughtful. He was funny but knew when to be serious.
Guys loved playing with him because he always stuck up for them on the ice. And they loved hanging around him because he was the coolest guy in the room.

Ryan Callahan
Here's all you really need to know about Ryan Callahan.
In the 2015 playoffs, Callahan had an emergency appendectomy. That was on a Monday, a day before the Lightning moved past the Montreal Canadiens and into the Eastern Conference Final by winning Game 6.
Five days after surgery, Callahan was back in the lineup to start the ECF versus his former team the New York Rangers in Madison Square Garden.
Some guys lead by example.
Others are vocal in how they inspire guys.
Callahan provided both to the Lightning.
When words like 'warrior', 'heart and soul' and 'never quits' are routinely tagged to your name, you can be sure you're talking about a player who will do everything possible to help his team win, whether it's blocking shots, playing every inch of the ice or chasing guys relentlessly every single shift.
Inside the locker room, Callahan was well like and well respected. His voice commanded authority. He spoke passionately, much like he played the game.
He was a captain for three seasons with the Rangers before being traded to the Lightning for Martin St. Louis. The Lightning made it a priority to re-sign Callahan long-term, knowing how valuable his play on the ice and his leadership could be to a young team under a first-time head coach in Jon Cooper.
His first full season in Tampa Bay, Callahan helped guide the Lightning to the Stanley Cup Final. He had 24 goals and 54 points for the Bolts that year. But the way he put the team on his back and showed it how to play the game the right way, setting the example for everyone else to follow, might have been his biggest contribution to that squad.
Plus, he could make plays like this:
Callahan rips opening goal past Crawford's glove
Dan Girardi
There may not have been a funnier player to grace the Tampa Bay Lightning locker room than Dan Girardi.
Whether it was his goofy, old man skate on the ice or a funny one-liner delivered with impeccable timing in the locker room, Girardi knew how to have fun and make sure everyone else was having it too.
After scoring the overtime game-winning goal in Game 4 of a 2018 Second Round series at Boston by charging the net and stretching one-handed to get a stick on Alex Killorn's centering feed, he joked in the locker room after the game "just kind of set up in my office in front of the net there."
When he was hit in the back of the neck by a slap shot off the stick of Detroit's Martin Frk in a January 2018 regular season game - one of 1,954 shots he blocked over his career, second most all-time in the League history -- teammates knew he was back to his old self when they walked in the locker room after the game and saw Girardi eating a slice of pizza and drinking a Pepsi in his dress clothes having already come back from getting checked out at a local hospital.
"The trainers were joking with me saying that I got the Girardi hat trick: a goal, assist and a blocked shot. It's very similar to the Gordie Howe hat trick I hear," Girardi said.
Honest
Self-deprecating
He was undrafted yet played 927 games in the NHL, 139 of them in his final two seasons with the Lightning.
Girardi endeared himself quickly and lastingly to his teammates and Bolts nation in his two seasons with the Lightning.

Victor Hedman
Standing 6-foot-6 and even taller on skates, Victor Hedman is an imposing figure.
His eyes are intense, unforgiving on the ice.
His long locks, facial hair and stare can be intimidating, especially when it's all towering above you.
But this is the thing about Victor Hedman…
He's one of the nicest people you'll ever meet.
"I remember one of my first times up here my rookie year, he was one of the guys that really helped me out," Tyler Johnson said. "I remember going to his house and actually getting a TV from him just because he gave it to me. Just a nice guy. I don't know how else to put it."
As a reporter, Hedman makes the job easy. He's quick with a smile when you approach and patiently answers every question. He's not afraid to say what's on his mind whether it's positive or negative, but you know with Hedman, it's always coming from a good place.
He's a remarkable human being. He's arguably the best defenseman in the game today. The Lightning's fortunes are tied to him more than anybody else on the team not named Andrei Vasilevskiy.
Yet, he has no ego and is one of the most down to earth people you'll meet.
"He really is kind of the backbone of our team," Johnson continued. "He just kind of holds everything together…He's a great teammate and a guy that's always super positive about everything. He never really has a bad day around you. I love playing with the guy, and he makes everything on our team a lot easier."
Being one of the best in the world is enough to make teammates want to go to war with you.
Throwing the occasional TV their way doesn't hurt either.

Steven Stamkos
Steven Stamkos was named the 10th captain in Tampa Bay Lightning history on March 6, 2014, the same day he came back from a broken right leg suffered earlier in the season that forced him to miss 45 games.
He has been the Bolts captain ever since, over six seasons strong now.
Of course he's making this list.
Stamkos is everything a team wants from a captain. He takes ownership for his group. After every morning skate and game, win or lose, the media makes a beeline over to Stamkos' locker room stall first.
He doesn't shy away from those responsibilities. He answers questions diligently. He's become an expert in the art of saying something impactful but without showing your hand.
Even as the face of the franchise, he's one of the boys. If there's a card game on the team charter, Stamkos is playing. A joke in the locker room? Stamkos is in the middle of it. One time I walked into a Firehouse Subs before a road trip and sitting at a table was Stamkos with four other players. You always see him with different groups of guys too. The Lightning locker room doesn't have cliques, and Stamkos' inclusiveness is a big reason why.
Stamkos is a leader on the ice with his play. Since entering the NHL in 2008, the No. 1 pick in that year's draft has scored 422 goals over 803 games. Only Alex Ovechkin (543) has more goals in that span. He's been front and center for some of the Lightning's biggest achievements during his time leading the franchise.
Even when he's not able to contribute on the ice, like we've seen this postseason as he continues to deal with the after effects of a surgery to repair a core muscle injury in early March, Stamkos is a positive influence in the locker room and one who his teammates continue to look toward to navigate their way through adversity.
"You're never going to see him being lonely and having a bad mood around the guys," Hedman said. "I think that says a lot about the kind of guy he is to this team and the leader he is for us. It's always a team-first attitude and it doesn't matter if he's playing or not, he always brings that attitude to the locker room. I think that rubs off on guys and it makes us a better team even though he's not out there. It's awesome to see the mentality he brings to our group."

Honorable mentionThese guys just missed the cut for the top five but certainly deserve recognition for their contributions inside the room
Pat Maroon
Maroon is not afraid to tell it like it is.
Winning a Stanley Cup affords one that latitude.
The Lightning brought Maroon in this offseason as much for his championship pedigree as his ability to wear teams down with his below-the-circles, tough-to-move-off-the-puck, power-forward game. At times this season, Maroon hasn't been shy about being critical when it was needed. After receiving his Stanley Cup ring in a well-deserved homecoming in St. Louis mid-November, Maroon voiced his displeasure at the Bolts' performance in a 3-1 loss to the Blues.
"We've got to be better," he frustratingly told reporters in the Lightning locker room afterward. "I don't know what else to say anymore. This team's got to be better. We've got to figure out…how to play the right way, just manage the puck a little better, attention to detail."
When the Lightning struggled to score in a Game 2 loss in the First Round to Columbus, Maroon demanded better from his group of forwards.
"To be honest with you, I don't think our forwards are doing a good job of getting in (Joonas Korpisalo's) eyes," he said the following day about how the Lightning could increase the quality of their shots.
More than anything though, Maroon has been a popular sounding board for his teammates to understand how to deal with the grind of a long playoff run.
"He knows there's going to be these ups and downs," Blake Coleman said. "I think it's second nature for guys to want to get frustrated with a loss or not being able to score, things like that, but Patty's been great about just keeping us level, helping guys like me and other guys on the team understand that it's going to be a long series. You're not going to win 16 games in a row, but you've got to stay loose and still have some fun and that kind of thing's contagious and goes into your game."

Ryan McDonagh
Say what you want about the Broadway Blueshirts, but six of the nine players on this list played for the Rangers before coming to Tampa Bay.
Perhaps the bright lights of MSG and intense media scrutiny forces one to be commanding.
When McDonagh was dealt to the Lightning at the 2018 trade deadline, he was the captain of the Rangers (New York's last two full-time captains, in fact, are on this list). Yet he was hesitant to step on toes when coming into a Lightning locker room that already had a strong leadership group with Stamkos, Callahan, Hedman, Girardi etc. during that group's run to the Eastern Conference Final.
But after committing to the Lightning for another seven seasons during the ensuing offseason, McDonagh has become more of a leader the rest of the room looks up to for guidance and assuredness.
"I think he's kind of our calming factor on the back end," Shattenkirk said.
His steady, high-level play along with a willingness to do whatever is needed on the ice - block shots, kill penalties, defensive zone starts, subduing the opposition's top line - sets the tone for the rest of the team.
"That shows us that he's willing to do those hard details and those hard things in the game that we all have to step up and do," Shattenkirk said. "When we see him doing it, he certainly leads by example. He's a quieter guy, and when he speaks in the locker room, it kind of carries a lot of weight."

Kevin Shattenkirk
When the Lightning played their worst period of their playoffs - and maybe their worst period all season - in the second period of Game 5 vs Columbus, who was the player to settle them after in the locker room?
Shattenkirk
He reassured the group, reminded them why they had a 3-1 lead in the First Round and were in a position to close out the series.
The Lightning needed a reset, and Shattenkirk was the voice of reason.
"I have to give Shatty a lot of credit," Johnson said in his post-game comments. "We needed someone to step up and say something. He did. Kind of got the guys rallying."
Shattenkirk remained calm and encouraging on the bench when the Bolts fell further behind 4-2 with a little more than 10 minutes to go in regulation. And then he went out and ignited the comeback on the ice too, ripping a slap shot from the top of the right circle to get the Lightning within a goal with eight minutes left. Anthony Cirelli scored the tying goal late, Brayden Point backhanded the series-clincher 4:40 into overtime and the Lightning cleared a major obstacle.
"I wasn't in (the locker room during Shattenkirk's speech)," Cooper said. "I'm only in there for a few minutes in between periods, but there's a reason some of these guys were brought in. And there's a reason we've done some of the things we've done with guys that have kind of pushed our team and helped our team in experience and leadership-wise. And Shatty is definitely one of them. He's invaluable when it comes to being inside the room."

Anton Stralman
What is it about Swedish defensemen that makes them just so, well, likable?
Stralman is more of the quiet, stoic leader. His words carry a lot of weight because of the genuineness and intelligence behind them
He's a reporter's dream. When Stralman was with the Lightning from 2014-2019, he was my go-to guy whenever I needed an answer that went beyond the cliché. Stralman was a thinking-man's player. He processed the game so well, and he was always willing to share those thoughts, as much as he could, with those of us who asked.
Whenever he spoke, you always learned something.
When he signed with the Panthers before this past season, nearly unanimously, Lightning nation thought, "Good for Stralsy. Take care of him Florida." Nobody wanted to see him go, but you couldn't begrudge him for signing the hefty contract he got from the Panthers either.
That's how beloved he was among the fan base.
The respect for Stralman was mutually felt amongst his teammates in the locker room.
It's a shame Stralman's never been a finalist for the Lady Byng Trophy as a finer gentleman in the game you will not find.