Five points in three games this season from a former undrafted college standout turned Tampa Bay Lightning fan favorite. That statement describes two incredibly important members of the Lightning’s 2013 squad – Martin St. Louis and Cory Conacher.

When watching Conacher play and listening to him speak about his career, it’s hard not to think back to Marty St. Louis’ early years. Thrown aside by the Calgary Flames, St. Louis came to Tampa as a guy who was not completely confident that he would ever get a legitimate shot in the National Hockey League.

Fast forward to the 2003-04 season and St. Louis was a league MVP and one of the most offensively dangerous figures in the game. Although he hurt so many teams on the score-sheet, he still managed to establish himself as one of the most liked and respected players around. He possesses a certain humble quality that endears him to so many.

Not unlike St. Louis, Cory Conacher has established himself as a dominant scoring threat and as someone who is more than likable. Last season in the AHL, as Bolts Nation knows, he won the league’s MVP award and rookie of the year award. In addition to all the adversity he has faced being an undersized player, Conacher has been dealing with type-1 diabetes since the age of eight. Simply put – he has overcome a lot to get to where he is today.

Listening to Conacher’s post-game remarks and other comments, it’s abundantly clear that he is a level-headed guy who isn’t taking anything for granted. This is a player who is going to give the Lightning every ounce of effort in his being night in and night out. He did so while he was playing at Canisius College, he did so in the American League with the Admirals and Crunch, and through three games he is doing so with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Despite starting the season on the second line with Vincent Lecavalier and Teddy Purcell, Conacher has worked himself into a semi-regular position on the top line with Martin St. Louis and Steven Stamkos. If there’s one thing that this experiment has shown Guy Boucher and Bolts Nation, it’s that the Lightning have a player in the line-up that will one day be able to take over for Martin St. Louis. The vision Conacher has shown through his first three NHL games has been absolutely phenomenal. He has made St. Louis-like passes, made St. Louis-like rushes and played a St. Louis-like game. Few players in Lightning history have the ability to do those things.

Like St. Louis, Conacher’s unique energy inspires those around him. Whenever he’s out on the ice, the Bolts play an up-tempo, exciting style of hockey. They win puck battles, they create chances and they score goals; it’s no coincidence. Through three games, Conacher is showing the Lightning a lot of the same qualities that St. Louis showed them so many years ago.

Based on everything we know about Conacher, it seems like he is cut from the same cloth as Martin St. Louis. Both are leaders, both are great players and both bring fans to their feet. The fact that the timing worked out so that the Bolts could have both in the line-up at the same time is only icing on the cake.

Enjoy this, Bolts Nation. It’s pretty special.

As always, thanks for reading.


I'll be back tonight with a preview for Friday's tilt against the Ottawa Senators.

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