Andreychuk To The Hall

By Tyler Santana

Former Lightning Captain and Bolts legend Dave Andreychuk was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame Wednesday after an 8-year wait. Many fans and analysts believe this induction is long overdue as Andreychuk was one of the highest scoring wingers in NHL history.

Andy joined the Lightning is 2001 in a shock to many, as the aging veteran could’ve gone to a contending team but decided to join the lowly Bolts and helped provide veteran leadership this young team didn’t have at the time. This move paid off in the end, as Andreychuk captained the Bolts to the first and only Cup in franchise history, providing offense and leadership to a team that tried to trade him at the deadline to a contending team, but Andreychuk refused to leave. After he was waived by the Lightning on January 10, 2006, he rejoined the Bolts as a community representative on October 1, 2006, and has been with the team ever since. Andreychuk was named the Vice President in charge of fans on February 4, 2011, and currently serves as the Lightning’s Vice President of Corporate and Community Affairs.

Here is a list of some of Andreychuk’s accomplishments:

* Dave Andreychuk owns the record for the most power play goals in NHL history with 274.
* He ranks 6^th all-time in NHL history in games played with 1639
* He is 14^th in goals in NHL history with 640 career goals
* Dave is tied with Denis Savard for 28^th in league history with 1,338 points
* Lead the league in power play goals twice
* He was selected to the All-Star game twice in his career
* A Stanley Cup championship in 2004
* Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2017

After such a long and well-played career, it is only fitting that Andreychuk’s name will forever be enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Andreychuk was a huge cog in the Tampa Bay Cup winning team and now plays a big role in the community. His impact in Tampa will be lived on by the statue of the Captain hoisting the cup outside Amalie Arena and from the lives he’s touched in his time working in fan outreach programs throughout the Tampa Community. Congratulations to Mr. Andreychuk for this long deserved Hall of Fame induction and thank you, Captain, for all you do in Tampa.

 

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June 27th, 2017