KALAMAZOO, Mich. — 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 the Stanley Cup Final late Wednesday.
Former K-Wings forward Yanni Gourde lifted the 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, according to a news release Thursday.
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 and 107 assists – in 310 NHL games since debuting with the Lightning in 2015-16.
He signed a six-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.
