Vincent Lecavalier Vincent Lecavalier ( born April 21 , 1980 ) is a Canadian professional hockey centre for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League ( NHL ) . Lecavalier previously spent his first 14 NHL seasons with the Tampa Bay Lightning before being bought out following the 2012 – 13 season and signing with the Flyers for $ 22 . 5 million over 5 years . He was chosen first overall by the Lightning in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft and won a Stanley Cup with the team in 2004 . He won the Maurice " Rocket " Richard Trophy in 2007 as the NHL ' s leading goal scorer . Playing career . Rimouski Océanic . Lecavalier played two years of junior hockey for the Rimouski Océanic of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League ( QMJHL ) . During his tenure , he quickly established himself as one of the NHL ' s top prospects . In his first season with the Océanic , he won the Michel Bergeron Trophy as the QMJHL ' s top rookie forward . Tampa Bay Lightning . Lecavalier was drafted first overall by Tampa Bay in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft , during which new Lightning owner Art Williams proclaimed that Lecavalier would be " the Michael Jordan of hockey " . . On March 1 , 2000 , following his sophomore season , he was named captain , becoming the youngest captain in NHL history at 19 years and 314 days ( since surpassed by Sidney Crosby ) . Previously , Steve Yzerman had held that honour , having been named captain of the Detroit Red Wings at 21 years , 5 months . Lecavalier however never fulfilled expectations and was later stripped of the captaincy before the 2001 – 02 NHL season when Lightning management decided he was too young even as a high calibre player . Around that time , he clashed frequently with head coach John Tortorella . Tortorella demanded more accountability from his players , and showed this by stripping Lecavalier of the team captaincy after he missed the start of 2001 – 02 because of contract negotiations . Tortorella has since noted that Lecavalier has matured and become a less selfish player since losing the team captaincy . During the 2003 – 04 NHL season , while Martin St . Louis led in regular season scoring and Brad Richards led in the playoffs , Lecavalier played a key role in the team ' s Stanley Cup victory , assisting on the Cup - clinching goal . He was named MVP of the Canadian National Team in the 2004 World Cup of Hockey , which Canada won . During the lockout which canceled the 2004 – 05 NHL season , Lecavalier , along with Lightning teammates Nikolai Khabibulin and Brad Richards , played for Ak Bars Kazan in the Russian Superleague . Lecavalier scored 16 points as Kazan finished 4th in the league and lost in the first round of the playoffs . Lecavalier was selected to play for Team Canada at the 2006 Olympics , but returned to Tampa without a medal . Lecavalier broke the all - time Tampa Bay Lightning record for most points in a season by scoring his 95th point on March 16 , 2007 against the Buffalo Sabres . The record was previously held by Martin St . Louis , who had 94 points during the 2003 – 04 NHL season . On March 30 , 2007 , in a game against the Carolina Hurricanes , Lecavalier became the first Lightning player to record 50 goals in a season . He finished the season with 52 goals , edging Ottawa ' s Dany Heatley , who scored 50 goals , to earn the Maurice ' Rocket ' Richard Trophy as the NHL ' s top goal scorer for the 2006 – 07 season . During the 2007 – 08 NHL season , Lecavalier recorded 8 straight multipoint games , being the first to do so since Jaromír Jágr in 1996 . The scoring streak put him first in the NHL scoring race , until he was surpassed by Ottawa Senators ' captain , Daniel Alfredsson , who scored 7 points in the final game before the All - Star break . He was named captain of the Eastern Conference at the 2008 NHL All Star Game . In the 2007 – 08 offseason , Lecavalier underwent shoulder surgery to repair a fracture from taking a hit against Matt Cooke of the Washington Capitals . He underwent another surgery on his left wrist later in the summer . On July 12 , 2008 , Lecavalier agreed to an eleven - year , $ 85 million contract extension with the Lightning . His new contract begins after the 2008 – 09 season , and runs through the 2019 – 20 season , which could see the All - Star forward end his career with the Lightning . Before the start of the 2008 – 09 NHL season , he was re - named captain of the Tampa Bay Lightning on September 18 , 2008 . In mid January 2009 , rumors were swirling around a possible trade which would send Lecavalier to the Montreal Canadiens , his hometown , but Brian Lawton later stated that Lecavalier would rather stay in Tampa Bay for the rest of his career . Lecavalier confirmed in his own words his preference of playing in Tampa Bay over his native Montreal . On January 24 , at the NHL ' s superskills competition , Lecavalier received a standing ovation from the Montreal crowd that lasted for 30 seconds when he was being introduced . Lecavalier underwent season - ending wrist surgery on April 3 , 2009 . On January 21 , 2013 , Lecavalier played in his 1000th NHL game , all with the Tampa Bay Lightning , becoming the 280th NHL player to reach that milestone . The team honored him on January 25 , their next home game , with several gifts including an engraved silver stick . In June 2013 , the New York Post reported that the Lightning and Toronto Maple Leafs had discussed a trade which would have sent Lecavalier to Toronto ; the Maple Leafs would receive an asset in exchange for buying out Lecavalier ' s contract and he would then be free to re - sign with Tampa as an unrestricted free agent at a lower salary cap hit . Though the Maple Leafs denied the report , NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly promptly sent out a memo to all 30 league teams , warning them to avoid transactions deemed a circumvention of the collective bargaining agreement . The CBA prevents teams from re - signing players they ' ve bought out for a minimum of one year . One day later , the Lightning announced that it was buying out Lecavalier ' s contract , allowing their longest serving player to become an unrestricted free agent . The buyout will pay Lecavalier a total of $ 32 . 67 million and rid the Lightning of his $ 7 . 727 million salary cap hit . Philadelphia Flyers . On July 2 , 2013 , Lecavalier signed a five - year , $ 22 . 5 millon contract with the Philadelphia Flyers , less than a week after being bought out by the Lightning . [ 12 ] Lecavalier will not be able to wear his usual number 4 in Philadelphia , since the uniform number is already retired in honor of Barry Ashbee . Instead , he will wear number 40 . Personal life . Attended Thorndale Elementary in Pierrefonds and then he went to John Rennie High School in Pointe - Claire , Quebec for two years ( 1992 – 1993 ) before transferring to Athol Murray College of Notre Dame in Wilcox , Saskatchewan , Canada . Has been best friends with ex - Lightning center Brad Richards , who won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2004 as Most Valuable Player of the NHL Playoffs , since the age of 14 , when they met at Notre Dame , where they were roommates and became best friends . Since then they have gone on to being teammates with the Rimouski Océanic and also with the Tampa Bay Lightning . Lecavalier currently resides in Tampa ' s Davis Island . Lecavalier has been dating Caroline Portelance since 2001 . On May 3 , 2010 , at 1 : 20 pm Portelance gave birth to their first child , a girl , whom they named Victoria . He is featured in " The Rocket : The Maurice Richard Story " . Lecavalier portrayed legendary Montréal Canadiens center , Jean Béliveau . He wears number 4 to honour Béliveau and legendary Boston Bruins defenseman Bobby Orr . During the release of the video game " NHL 06 " , EA Sports featured Lecavalier as the cover athlete for the game . In October 2007 , Lecavalier pledged $ 3 million to a new All Children ' s Hospital facility under construction in St . Petersburg , Florida . The facility will be named the Vincent Lecavalier Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorders Center in his honor . International play . Lecavalier has played for Canada in :