There was a lot to celebrate last night, as the Tampa Bay Lightning captured their second Stanley Cup in as many seasons and third in franchise history. Nobody was enjoying the festivities more than Nikita Kucherov. While many Lightning players and coaches were basically speechless when meeting with the press following the monumental win, Kucherov had A LOT to say:

Nikita Kucherov not holding back in his post-game. Legendary press conference. pic.twitter.com/6hA9KvpgPE

— Brady Trettenero (@BradyTrett) July 8, 2021

The reaction to this mini press conference was swift. Many were amused. Many others were offended. A quick scan of Twitter will show you the Lightning forward being called nearly every possible name in the book, all because he had the nerve to show a bit of personality after such a historic moment.

Here’s the deal: Hockey, and the National Hockey League in particular, is an entertainment business. It’s supposed to entertain. Fans often lament the lack of personality players show in their post-game interviews. People often remark that the league does a bad job of marketing its stars. And now, finally we get a player riffing freely with the whole sport watching. You’d think people would respond with relief or a sense of enjoyment… but, no.

The hard truth is that Kucherov’s post-game comments were entertaining. He didn’t take cheap personal shots. He wasn’t unnecessarily harsh or offensive. All he did was make a funny poke or two. If that’s enough to send you into a fit of outrage, you need to re-evaluate next time you ask a player to show more personality.

Nikita Kucherov is one of the best players in the National Hockey League. He lights up the ice with his game-breaking skill and creativity. We learned last year during the Stanley Cup celebration, and again last night during his meeting with the media, that his personality can light up the hockey world as well. That’s a good thing for the sport. It hits highlight shows. It gets people talking. It expands the audience in a fun and harmless way. At the end of the day, the NHL needs more of it.

Don't just take my word for it, either. "Number One Bull$*#@" merchandise is already flying off the internet's shelves.

As always, thanks for reading.

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