Grading Kucherov and greatest individual seasons in Tampa Bay history
TAMPA — Now that the arena has gone dark and the bleachers have been emptied, the time is right for one more ovation.
One more chance to shout his name and marvel at the breadth of his game. One more opportunity to acknowledge the uniqueness, and improbability, of what we just witnessed.
So tell me this:
Was Nikita Kucherov’s 144-point season the most remarkable individual achievement in the history of professional team sports in Tampa Bay?
We’re not just talking about a player leading the league in scoring or setting a franchise record, but also doing it in rare fashion. By now, you know Kucherov is one of only five players (Wayne Gretzky, Bobby Orr, Mario Lemieux, Connor McDavid) to record 100 assists in a season.
For a fan, that’s a tell-your-future-grandkids type of season. And while Tampa Bay has celebrated Stanley Cups (2004, 2020, 2021), Super Bowls (2002, 2020), American League pennants (2008, 2020) and an NASL title (1975), the individual accomplishments are less renowned.
After 48 years in the NFL, no Buccaneer has ever won the AP Most Valuable Player award. Ditto for the Rays after 26 seasons. Only Martin St. Louis (2004) and Kucherov (2019) have won MVPs in major professional sports in the bay area.
So how do you measure greatness? Is it all about the numbers or awards? Do you weigh a team’s success and the player’s impact? Or is the final measure more ethereal? Which player would you gladly open your wallet to watch again in his prime?
Here is a chronological look at the 10 greatest individual seasons in Tampa Bay, which doesn’t even include James Wilder’s 2,229 yards from scrimmage in 1984 or David Price’s Cy Young Award in 2012. Feel free to email me at jromano@tampabay.com with your own thoughts.
Lee Roy Selmon, 1979
Selmon is among the greatest success stories for expansion franchises in any sport. The first-ever selection by the Bucs in the 1976 draft, he went on to make a half-dozen Pro Bowls, the Pro Football Hall of Fame and was a runaway winner of the AP Defensive Player of the Year award in 1979. Voting may have been influenced by Tampa Bay’s rags-to-riches story, going from a 7-37 record in 1976-78 to the NFL’s No. 1-ranked scoring defense in 1979. Selmon was tied for 11th in the league with 11 sacks but was famously double-teamed, which allowed teammates to excel.
What they were saying: “Lee Roy doesn’t drink or smoke. He’s still a puppy dog. If he was mean consistently, they’d probably have to bar him.” — defensive line coach Abe Gibron
Warren Sapp, 1999
Twenty years after Selmon won Defensive Player of the Year, Sapp repeated the feat. And, like Selmon, his candidacy was aided by Tampa Bay’s ascension in the standings. Sapp was sixth in the NFL (although first among interior linemen) with 12½ sacks. The following season, he finished second in the league in sacks (16½) and tackles for loss (20) but finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting.
What they were saying: “You can’t say enough good things about Warren Sapp. He is, right now, playing as well as any player I’ve seen since I’ve been in the league at that position.” — then-Raiders coach Jon Gruden
Derrick Brooks, 2002
A dozen consecutive seasons of 100 or more tackles and 11 Pro Bowl appearances ensured Brooks’ legacy as one of the top inside linebackers in NFL history, but his 2002 season was something altogether different. Brooks had a career-high five interceptions, returned three for touchdowns and also returned a fumble for a touchdown. The four defensive scores were the most for a linebacker in NFL history. Along with his usual 100-plus tackles, he became the third Buc to win Defensive Player of the Year. And, to top it off, Brooks had a 44-yard interception return for a TD in the Super Bowl win against Oakland.
What they were saying: “No one knows how good he is. I think Derrick kind of likes it that way. He’s more like a chairman of the board. The rest of us aren’t that smart. Add up all our IQs, and it doesn’t come to 300. But Brooks is like Einstein. — Sapp
Martin St. Louis, 2003-04
New ownership in Calgary bought out St. Louis’ contract in the summer of 2000, which turned out to be one of the worst decisions in NHL history. Four years later, St. Louis won the Art Ross Trophy by leading the NHL in scoring, won the Hart Trophy as MVP, and led the Lightning to their first Stanley Cup title. St. Louis scored the game-winner in double overtime in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup final against — you got it, the Calgary Flames. St. Louis became the first player since Wayne Gretzky in 1987 to win the Hart, Ross and Stanley Cup in the same season.
What they were saying: “There are 29 teams kicking themselves that when they had a chance to sign him as an unrestricted free agent – to pay him peanuts – they didn’t recognize what he was.” — former Lightning GM Jay Feaster
Carlos Pena, 2007
In the previous five years, Pena had been traded twice, released twice and allowed to walk away from Boston as a free agent after 33 at-bats. No one was expecting a season for the ages in 2007, but that’s what Pena delivered in Tampa Bay. He set franchise records that still stand today for on-base percentage (.411), slugging (.627), OPS (1.037), home runs (46) and walks (103). Ben Zobrist and Evan Longoria may have had more valuable seasons due to their positions on defense, but no Ray has ever replicated Pena’s offensive production.
What they were saying: “He definitely has exceeded expectations. It was just a combination of being in the right place at the right time. It was like the perfect storm.” — then-baseball operations chief Andrew Friedman
Steven Stamkos, 2011-12
He’s a Tampa Bay icon now, but we tend to forget what a sensation Stamkos was as a young scorer. He was only 19 when the 2009-10 season began and he led the NHL in goals with 51. Two years later, he set a franchise record with 60 goals. Of the 23 players in NHL history to top the 60-goal mark, only Wayne Gretzky and Pavel Bure did it at a younger age.
What they were saying: “He’s an unselfish guy. He never cares about the numbers. That’s one of his great qualities.” — then-Lightning coach Guy Boucher
Blake Snell, 2018
When it comes to dominance, few seasons can match Snell’s first Cy Young Award effort. Using baseballreference.com’s ERA+ formula — which measures a pitcher’s ERA versus league average with ballpark trends factored in — Snell’s 1.89 ERA in 2018 was the sixth-most dominant performance by a starter since the expansion era began in 1961. Only Pedro Martinez, Bob Gibson, Dwight Gooden, Zack Greinke and Jacob deGrom have had better seasons. Snell went 14-2 with a 1.25 ERA in his final 16 starts.
What they were saying: “Was an absolute pleasure watchin u dominate every 5th day. (U)nlike any pitcher I’ve ever played behind.” — centerfielder Kevin Kiermaier, on Twitter
Nikita Kucherov, 2018-19
Kucherov was at the forefront of the most remarkable regular season in Tampa Bay history. The Lightning went 62-16-4 to match the 1996 Red Wings for the most wins in the modern NHL. (The 2023 Bruins since broke the record with 65 wins.) Kucherov won the Ross trophy for most points with 128 and won the Hart trophy as MVP. The fond memories were somewhat dissipated by a first-round sweep in the playoffs with Kucherov failing to score a goal against Columbus.
What they were saying: “You can’t really put into words the kind of season he’s had. It’s been incredible to be a part of.” — defenseman Ryan McDonagh
Tom Brady, 2020
He had better numbers in 2021. He was undefeated in the regular season with New England in 2007. And yet there is an argument to be made that Brady was never more impressive than in his Tampa Bay debut in 2020. Working with a franchise that had not won a playoff game in 18 years, Brady was third in the NFL in passing yards (4,633) and second in TDs (40). At age 43. And when the playoffs came around, he was even better. The Bucs won three consecutive road games before crushing Kansas City in the Super Bowl. Brady had 10 touchdowns and three interceptions in the postseason.
What they were saying: “The belief he gave to this organization that it could be done. It only took one man.” — then-Bucs coach Bruce Arians
Nikita Kucherov, 2023-24
Unlike his MVP season in 2019, when Tampa Bay was the class of the NHL in the regular season, Kucherov had to carry the Lightning for long portions of the 2023-24 season. With 144 points, Kucherov had a hand in exactly half of the Lightning’s 288 goals. In the last 25 years, only Connor McDavid’s 153-point season in 2022-23 tops Kucherov’s 144 points.
What they were saying: “He’s the smartest player in hockey.” — defenseman Victor Hedman
The final ranking
1. Brady, 2020
2. Snell, 2018
3. Kucherov, 2023-24
4. Brooks, 2002
5. St. Louis, 2003-04
6. Pena, 2007
7. Stamkos, 2011-12
8. Kucherov 2018-19
9. Sapp, 1999
10. Selmon, 1979
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