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NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE MEDIA CONFERENCE

February 21, 2007

Vincent Lecavalier

DAVID KEON: Good afternoon, everyone. I'm David Keon of the National Hockey League's public relations department. I'd like to welcome Everone to today's call. Our guest is Tampa Bay Lightning's center Vincent Lecavalier. Thanks to Vincent for taking the time today to answer your questions. Thanks to Jay Preble of the Lightning public relations department for arranging the call.
Vince leads Tampa Bay and sits second in overall National Hockey League scoring with 81 points, trailing Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby who is first with 95. Vince's 39 goals place him first in the race for the Maurice Richard Trophy as the National Hockey League's top goal scorer this season.
Tampa's first overall pick in the '98 entry draft, he has played all eight of his NHL seasons with the Lightning and holds the franchise records for games played with 608, goals with 220, points with 483, power play goals with 63, and game-winning goals with 33.
Last night Vince was named as the recipient of the Mark Messier Leadership Award presented by ColdFX for his leadership skills on and off the ice. He has launched the Vincent Lecavalier Foundation known as VL4, which supports children and families in Tampa Bay and Rimouski where he played his junior hockey.
Tampa is currently tied with the Atlanta Thrashers for first place in the Southeast Division, each with 71 points. Thanks to Vince for joining us today.
Operator, we'll open it up for questions now.

Q. Congratulations on the award.
VINCENT LECAVALIER: No problem.

Q. I was looking at your stats earlier in the season, and you had a bit of a rough patch in November, but ever since then you've been red hot. Any reason for that?
VINCENT LECAVALIER: I don't know, I think I started playing with Marty St. Louis and Prospal, and just playing with Marty St. Louis, it just kind of makes things so much easier. I mean, he's such a determined player and he's very demanding of his line mates and his teammates, and I think I started getting a little more consistent. We've really been pushing each other, and it's been working very well.

Q. You have 39 goals right now, career-high. What do you think is the number it's going to take to lead the league in goal scoring this year?
VINCENT LECAVALIER: (Laughing) I don't know. I mean, there's some guys like Selanne, like Marty St. Louis, they're obviously scoring a lot of goals. There's still 20 games left, and I'm sure some guys will go on hot streaks.
But I just want to finish strong. We've got 21 games left and I want to finish strong. You know, if it happens, it happens. It would be great, but my main goal is obviously for Tampa to win and to be -- to win our division.

Q. What would you say is the biggest reason for the turnaround with your team? I mean, it seemed like in late December, early January you guys were kind of struggling to find your way, and then over that last -- that stretch now, 15, 3 and 1, obviously things have fallen into place nicely. What do you think was the turning point?
VINCENT LECAVALIER: I can't really pinpoint on the one particular game, but once you start rolling, you win a couple games, and then you build your confidence. Then after that it just snowballs and it just never stopped.
We're so confident, we felt that every game we played that we could win, and we're playing very well defensively. Our goalies were very solid and our offense was going very well. We kind of got everything together basically for the first time in the season, because the beginning of the season is kind of an up and down. Sometimes the goalies were hot and the scorers weren't going.
But it really seems like the last month and a half things have been going well as a team and everybody has been pushing together at the same time.

Q. Is this a similar feeling that you've had over the last bunch of games to the feeling that you guys had in the room in '03, '04 when you went on to win the Stanley Cup?
VINCENT LECAVALIER: We did go on the hot streak at the end of the year. I think we carried it over to the playoffs, and I think it's important. But like I said before, there's still like 20 games left. I think we've been struggling the last couple of games.
Even if we've won some, we kind of weren't playing our best but we still won. We know we can win. Now we've just got to finish strong and make sure that we get into that same mode that once we're in the playoffs we're confident and we know what we're doing.

Q. I'm just wondering, how would you characterize the level of fan support the Lightning has been getting this season in Tampa?
VINCENT LECAVALIER: It's been great. I mean, it's pretty much packed every game. I think we're -- really since we won the Stanley Cup it's really been unbelievable, just from -- just people recognizing us in the streets to -- Tampa obviously is a big market for football, but it seems like since we won the Cup people are just really into hockey. A lot of new fans are into hockey. But it's been phenomenal.

Q. Do you feel any -- I've been reading about potential salary cap ramifications linked to the length of a playoff run. Are there any pressures inside the dressing room other than the obvious goal of winning the Cup, to maybe try and advance at least past the first round in the playoffs?
VINCENT LECAVALIER: Well, definitely. I think our ownership and our coaching staff and ourselves, we all put pressure on ourselves to be better than last year. I think last year we had an up-and-down season. But this year we have to finish strong, a record season, and obviously we want to go far in the playoffs.
Just by making the playoffs, everybody has a chance, and in the past years of Calgary and Edmonton making it to the Stanley Cup finals. We just want to finish the season strong and go from there. We've got to take one step at a time.

Q. My question is maybe a little different. I noticed the foundations you have started. Would you explain why it was important for you to give something back to these various communities?
VINCENT LECAVALIER: Well, I've been in Tampa for eight, nine years now, and I love Tampa, and first of all I love kids. I've always wanted to work with the community, and by starting the foundation -- actually like we wanted to start it three or four years ago, and there's always something with the lockout. We couldn't launch and everything.
So it really turned out well last year coming back from the lockout. I really wanted to start getting involved with it, and we had a great launch, we had a great -- we had a poker night, but it's really important for me, and right now I'm really in the process of looking to where that money is going to go.
I know it's going to go to the kids, but now I'm checking for different hospitals just to make sure I make the right decisions. We're working hard to make sure that we're doing the right thing.
But it's tough because every time you go somewhere and see kids are sick and stuff like that, it's sad. But we're really working with my foundation also to bring kids to the game, the boxes and stuff like that, and just put a smile on their face.
You know, it's important for me. And basically because I love kids, I love Tampa. I love the people here and I want to give back to the community.

Q. What about Rimouski? I understand you're involved there. I know you played there. Is it important to give something back to that community, too.
VINCENT LECAVALIER: Yeah, same thing in Rimouski. We have a tournament once a year, and I wanted to give back. It's a different type of -- it's more for kids that want to play hockey but they can't because they don't have money, so we raise money for that. It's been going well.
I've had that for I think seven or eight years, and it's been going great. People are great to me in Rimouski. It's like a little NHL over there. People really like us, and I had a great time. For me to give back to kids that don't have enough money to play or to buy skates and for me to be involved with that, that's another thing that I really want to be a part of.

Q. And I know playing hockey is important to you, but does this help you sometimes maybe after a bad game or something when you can feel you've done something like this? Does it help put your mind away from the game itself sometimes?
VINCENT LECAVALIER: Well, definitely. I think you appreciate everything we have. Playing in the NHL, your work is something that you love to do, and we make a lot of money, so the least we can do -- I think hockey players are great for that, to give back to the communities, but it definitely does feel good.

Q. With things so tight in the East this year, can you just talk about the importance of winning the southeast division title?
VINCENT LECAVALIER: I think it's very important first of all for home advantage, and right now the way it's looking we're third. But let's say they go third, we go sixth and we get to play each other. We really want that top spot and make sure we get that home ice advantage.

Q. Speaking of Atlanta, before the new year you guys were 18-19-2 in your first 39 games. Since then you guys have gone on a run, I believe it's 15-5-1 over your last 21. Did you ever think you would catch Atlanta with the great start that they had?
VINCENT LECAVALIER: It's tough to say. In December we were struggling and a little bit behind them and we weren't as consistent as we are now. To be honest, my answer would be probably -- not probably not, but they're really far ahead of us so it's tough to say.
But once you start winning and maybe we started putting doubts in people's minds, in other teams' mind, that we're going to be there and we're going to finish strong.
You know, but right now we're right there and our goal is to finish first in our division.

Q. Can you talk about the play of the goal tender, please, and how well he's played for you this year?
VINCENT LECAVALIER: He's been unbelievable. I always say this, but Homer is one of the hardest working goalies I've seen in practice. Obviously everything he's done for the team. We can't forget also Marc Denis who played last night unbelievable again. We got a great victory.
I think we're in a great spot right now with our goalies. They're playing well and feeding off each other, and it's really going to help us in the long run.

Q. I wanted to go back into that Atlanta question a little bit. You play them tomorrow night. Are you surprised at the season they've had in Atlanta? A lot of people really didn't expect them to be this good.
VINCENT LECAVALIER: You know, I felt they were going to make the playoffs last year, and I think they show a lot of signs of that. But I'm not surprised with the talent they have over there and the goaltender they have. I think they've got a really good four line. I'm not surprised. That's why I think it's going to be a battle until the end of the year.
DAVID KEON: Thanks very much for your time today. Good luck.

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