The Mystique Of 17; How Dominic James Can Fit Himself Into Lightning Lore

Dominic James participates in his first NHL pregame warmup with his Lightning teammates Thursday night at Benchmark International Arena. Photo Credit: Alyssa Shimko | Thunderstruck Sports

I've always been told I'm a numbers guy. I've always preferred math over English (oh the irony of me writing an article), and a lot of that had to do with statistics in sports. From touchdown to interception ratios, to goals against averages, I've always enjoyed finding the devil in the details of sports stats.

This, coupled with Lightning fandom and a dash of superstition, had me feeling like the team was missing a piece this year. I couldn't put my finger on it exactly because year in and year out the Lightning have checked all the boxes. A solid core in their prime? Check. Elite goal scoring and playmaking? Check. Top five goaltender in the league? From Russia, With Love...Check (he will get there folks, relax!) Reliable defensemen and a bonafide number 1 D-man? Check.

So what was missing? 17. There was no number 17 on the roster! I've always said, if Tampa wins a Cup, a lot of times it has to do with 17. Whether it was Ruslan Fedotenko's two goal game in Game 7 of the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals, or Alex Killorn shutting down teams in the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs and then going scorched Earth in the playoffs scoring 17 points in 19 games of the 2021 Cup Run, 17 always played a role.

That leads us to Dominic James, making his NHL debut tonight against the Blackhawks, sporting number 17. What do we know about this kid? The 23 year old sixth round pick from 2022 turned heads this past training camp. His point per game pace in the early portion of the AHL season in Syracuse has him up playing with the big boys against the team that drafted him.

Now I'm not saying we are going to have a Chris Kontos situation on our hands with a four goal performance from James in his debut against the Blackhawks. Mostly because Chris wore 16, but I digress. However, his speed and tenacity have the ability to become infectious and breathe life into this team (which is needed). Much like the 17s of Cup runs past.

Tampa has never won a Cup (heck the've never been to a Cup Final) without a 17 on the bench. Dominic James has the opportunity to carry on a tradition of wearing that number, with the Bolt on his chest, being a middle six forward, hoisting Lord Stanley's Cup. You can call me crazy, and that's okay, but remember, numbers don't lie.