Tampa Bay's Corey Perry makes unfortunate NHL history

It was hard enough for former NHL forward Marian Hossa losing in the Stanely Cup Final two years straight with two different teams, before he would eventually find that the 3rd time is the charm with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010. 

Tampa Bay Lightning forward Corey Perry was hoping for a similar happy ending, having lost in the Stanley Cup Final the past two years in a row with the Dallas Stars and Montreal Canadiens, respectively. He then signed with the Lightning last summer in his quest to raise the famed trophy for the first time since 2007 when he was a rookie with the Anaheim Ducks. However, the dream came to an end last night at Amalie Arena. 

The Colorado Avalanche are the 2022 champs, disposing of the Lightning in six games and sending Perry to his third straight championship round loss. 

And for members of the Lightning who have reached the summit, they're "heartbroken" for their teammates that they couldn't deliver for. 

“I’m just sick to my stomach for some of these guys,” captain Steven Stamkos said. “Some guys didn’t get a chance to win with us the last couple of years. When they signed with us, we told them we’re going to make a run. We came up short.”

“I honestly feel bad for (Pierre-Edouard) Bellemare, (Riley) Nash, Paully (Nick Paul), (Brandon) Hagel, (Brian) Elliott, Pears (Perry),” wing Pat Maroon said through tears Sunday after the loss. “We owe them one, and hopefully we’ll be back next year and it will be a better feeling than this.”

And while Perry will have another chance with the Lightning next year as he's still under contract for one more remaining season, there's no guarantee that the likes of Paul and Nash, who are eligible to become unrestricted free-agents next month and may not fit under Tampa's already constrained salary cap for next year.