Steven Stamkos reflects on pas...

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — For nearly all Tampa Bay Lightning fans, bidding goodbye to their longtime captain and forward Steven Stamkos is a harsh and emotional reality.

Over the past 16 years, Tampa has leaned on Stamkos, who brought the city’s fond memories and Stanley Cups to the area, but in the same way, the hockey star leaned on the city and its people for support that was greater than attending games.

When NHL free agency began on July 1, Stamkos bid farewell to Tampa Bay in a social media post and a few hours later, news broke that he’d be joining the Nashville Predators on a four-year contract.

Fans and Stamkos were left heartbroken that a deal couldn’t be reached with the team he envisioned himself ending his career with. However, after a few weeks of mulling over the news, Stamkos penned an emotional goodbye letter, reminiscing on his 16-year tenure in Tampa.

Stamkos arrived in Tampa as a bright-eyed, 18-year-old, who’d just gone No. 1 overall in the 2008 NHL Draft. And so, his letter begins reflecting on his second Stanley Cup win and venturing back to his early days.

“…How do you say goodbye to a place like that? To a city that welcomed you as an 18-year-old kid, to the only NHL team you’ve ever known, to a fanbase that’s been family? I don’t really know, to be honest,” Stamkos wrote in The Players Tribune.

“I never thought I’d have to do one of these. It doesn’t quite feel real that I won’t be a Bolt this fall. But over the past few weeks, I’ve had this really deep sense of how lucky I was to be one for 16 years. So I just want to share some memories, and say some thanks to everyone who has been a part of this journey,” he added.

Stamkos reflected on his early years as a Bolt and gave a vulnerable testimony to how much the City of Tampa helped him and his family throughout his most recent years with the team.

He detailed becoming a captain in 2014, losing the Championship in 2015, the COVID-19 year, injuries, and the electric back-to-back titles with the team.

The 34-year-old said his first Stanley Cup victory wasn’t how he pictured it — there were no fans and players didn’t have all their family members with them since the finals were played in a bubble due to the pandemic.

But the next two years when the Bolts went back-to-back, were exactly how he’d pictured it.

“Less than a year later, it was exactly how I dreamt it. At home. Packed arena. Great playoff run. Lifting the Cup in front of everyone. Sharing it with you, Tampa. It was beyond words.”

“To win two cups in 282 days, that’s pretty cool,” Stamkos shared.

He wrote how amazing Tampa was during those years, with the Bucs winning, and the Rays playing great. “Champa Bay” was alive, he said.

Tampa had not only become a second home to Stamkos but to his parents as well. He also shared how much he’d miss the Bolts’ head coach Jon Cooper, thanking him and Lightning owner Jeffrey Vinik.

“These past few weeks have been bittersweet. I never thought this day would come. I did everything I felt I could do to make it work, but sometimes things just happen. It didn’t work. And I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t heartbreaking. But my family and I, we’re human, you know? Tampa is home. It’s where our three kids were born … it’s where our memories are. It’s always going to mean so much to us,” he said.

While Stamkos is no longer part of the Bolts’ roster, he’ll always be a part of their history.

He ended his letter with a bittersweet message to Bolts fans and the city:

“And when the time comes to play down in Tampa, it’ll be nice to be home again.”

Stamkos’ homecoming will be on Monday, Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. when the Lightning hosts the Predators.