K-Wings Represented on Third Consecutive Stanley Cup Champion
July 8, 2021 - ECHL (ECHL) - Kalamazoo Wings News Release
KALAMAZOO, MI - A Kalamazoo Wings alum will have his name engraved on the Stanley Cup for the third consecutive season, following the Tampa Bay Lightning victory in a decisive Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final late Wednesday.
Former K-Wings forward Yanni Gourde lifted the fabled trophy for the second time in the last 10 months as the Lightning completed back-to-back titles in 2020 and 2021. Last September, Gourde became the second alumnus in as many seasons to play on a Stanley Cup winning team.
Goaltender Jordan Binnington became the first former K-Wing to lift the Cup when he backstopped the St. Louis Blues to the championship in 2019.
Gourde scored six goals and had seven points during Tampa Bay's 2021 title run and has 187 points (80 goals, 107 assists) in 310 NHL games since debuting with the Lightning in 2015-16. He signed a 6-year, $31 million extension with the Lightning in November 2018.
The Saint-Narcisse, Quebec native scored 15 goals and had 34 points in 30 games during the 2013-14 season for the K-Wings, his last stint in the ECHL.
In addition to his time in Kalamazoo, Gourde played eight ECHL games with the now-defunct San Francisco Bulls. He also played 298 American Hockey League games with the Worcester Sharks and Syracuse Crunch.
• Discuss this story on the ECHL message board...
ECHL Stories from July 8, 2021
- K-Wings Represented on Third Consecutive Stanley Cup Champion - Kalamazoo Wings
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
