Long before Victor Hedman’s winning goal in overtime, before Nikita Kucherov’s two goals, before even the first of Andrei Vasilevskiy’s franchise-record 54 saves, Steven Stamkos made a young Lightning fan’s night.
Everything that came afterward was icing on the cake.
As Stamkos skated out for the pregame warmup Wednesday at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., the Lightning captain spotted a young girl in a black Lightning tee standing in the front row.
The girl, surrounded by signs supporting supporting the Lightning’s Kucherov (“Kuuuch”) and Tyler Johnson (“Hey No. 9. Can this Spokane girl get a puck for her 28th birthday?”) and a fan in a social media-inspired Brayden Point tee (“On Point”), banged on the glass as Stamkos approached.
He tossed a puck up and over the glass. It was caught by a man standing behind the girl, who handed her the puck.
The girl pulled the puck to her chest, grinning from ear to ear, then hugged the woman next to her before — overcome with emotion — burying her face in the woman’s shirt.
Oh, to have seen her reaction after Hedman’s game-winning goal.