![]() “Seeing them drink from the Cup, it all felt so real,” Colton said. He poured champagne into the Cup and had his brother and father, both named Rob, drink from it. They talked on FaceTime, with mom crying. One of Colton’s sticks was sent to the Hockey Hall of Fame after that.Ĭolton’s first call from the celebration on the Amalie Arena ice was to his mother, who was sick and couldn’t make it to Tampa. ![]() Colton crashed the crease, put his stick down, and re-directed a pass from defenseman David Savard into the net. He did what Barcless has told him since he was 10: drive the net. He’ll never forget the biggest goal of his life, of course, which came in the second period of Game 5 against the Canadiens. The night the Lightning won the Cup is a blur to Colton. “But I didn’t feel like I was riding that high for too long. That was great, and it’ll be tough to top. I woke up and drove all over creation to get better. ![]() “Other than that, I wouldn’t say my life has changed too much. “I get to call myself a Stanley Cup champion,” Colton said. But Colton still has just 53 NHL games under his belt, including the playoffs. He shared an apartment with his older brother Rob.Īnd Colton spent approximately three hours per day commuting in that “old” Lexus to the rink, then the gym and back, knowing he still had a lot of work to do and plenty to prove.Ĭolton started Thursday’s first day of Lightning training camp in Yanni Gourde’s old spot, centering a rebuilt third line with Mathieu Joseph and veteran Corey Perry. Colton did what he usually does in the summer, hang out at the Jersey Shore with his buddies, going fishing and relaxing on the boat. “He’s a name now,” said Scott Bertoli, Colton’s high school coach.īut those friends and family who know Colton best say that he’s still the same “humble Ross.” He’s the same former fourth-round pick who, this time last year, not many people in the league knew much about. Now he just happens to be a Stanley Cup champion, and a millionaire, thanks to a two-year, $2.3 million contract he signed over the summer. He was those kids just over a decade ago. Part of it is that Colton hasn’t forgotten where he came from. The 6-foot-center wasn’t trying to sneak out the back door. He’d even pop on the ice with the campers. But it’s awesome.”īarcless said Colton embraced it, sticking around to sign autographs or pose for selfies with the kids. If I miss the net, they’re hooting, hollering. Now we get a crowd, where I’m missing passes and they’re banging the glass. It’s really cool to see the love and support I get. “I look at them and I see my name on their jerseys and they want me to sign it. You’d get off the ice and get swarmed,” Colton said. ![]() So when Colton did his on-ice workouts with Barcless and several other pro players, he had an audience: young campers who were ready to take the ice after he was done at 9 a.m. “Ross the Boss” shirts were printed, and worn, on his Cup Day. He then brought hockey’s holy grail to his hometown of Robbinsville, N.J., where he’s become a local hero. The 25-year-old Colton lost any anonymity after scoring the Stanley Cup-winning goal for the Lightning after an impressive rookie season. ![]()
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