Stamkos More Than Pulling His Weight

by Susan SlusserFiled under: LightningLast year, the one knock on No. 1 pick Steven Stamkos, fresh into the league at the age of 18, was that he lacked the strength to compete nightly in the league, even getting scratched on occasion to work on building up his muscle.So over the summer, the Tampa Bay Lightning center trained with recently retired forward Gary Roberts, known for his dedication to fitness. Stamkos called Roberts "fanatical" about his off-ice training, and he got to see it up close near his home in Ontario. "We did some unusual things," Stamkos told FanHouse by phone from Ottawa, where the Lightning are playing Thursday night. "The toughest part was on dry land, pulling a 100-pound sled, sprinting the whole way and then turning around and going back. I was face up on the ground, gasping for air."Stamkos More Than Pulling His Weight originally appeared on Fanhouse NHL Blog on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of ...