71 Days to Opening Day: The History of #71

Over the years, there have been a number of players to wear the number 71 for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The first player to take the number was the Lightning's 16th overall pick from the 1996 NHL Draft, defenseman Mario Larocque. Larocque only played five games for the Bolts during the 1998-99 season but carved out a solid career for himself in the lower levels of the minor leagues, namely the ECHL. Larocque retired after his sole season with the now defunct Stockton Thunder of the ECHL during the 2014-15 campaign.