The Steven Stamkos sweepstakes didnt even reach the official start of NHL free agency.The Tampa Bay Lightning?signed their star captain to an eight-year deal Wednesday, keeping him off the market two days before free agency begins.?I am excited to move forward with the Lightning today for the next eight years, Stamkos said in a statement. Its not often that a player gets the chance to spend his career in one organization and I am hopeful that this agreement sets me on that path with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Most importantly, I look forward to working with my teammates, coaches and our management in our pursuit of winning a Stanley Cup.An NHL source said the contract is worth an average of $8.5 million annually. Only $1 million per year of that, however, is in pure salary; the rest is payable in signing bonuses. The deal also includes a full no-movement clause for all eight seasons, a source said.?We were just in a little group chat with the boys, and were all just so excited, so happy that hes coming back, Lightning veteran Brian Boyle said. Obviously, its been probably a process for him, but it just shows you the character he has and the kind of guy he is and what he really wanted. We couldnt be more thrilled to have him back. Hes our captain, our leader.Stamkos has spent his entire eight-year career with the Lightning, who drafted him No. 1 overall in 2008. He has scored 312 goals in 569 games since beginning his career in 2008-09, second only to Alex Ovechkin (362) over that span. He has averaged 0.55 goals per game in his career.The Markham, Ontario, native is a four-time All-Star and has led the Lightning in goals in six of the past seven seasons, including two seasons of 50 or more goals: 51 in 2009-10 and 60 in 2011-12.?Stamkos was the rare franchise player set to hit free agency after contract talks with the Lightning extended into this weeks interview window, and the interest in him was intense. The Toronto Maple Leafs, Detroit Red Wings, Buffalo Sabres, Boston Bruins, Vancouver Canucks and Montreal Canadiens were all expected to be in on Stamkos when he hit free agency Friday, but his desire to win a Stanley Cup with the team that drafted him won out.We are very appreciative of the effort and commitment that Steven and his representatives have exhibited in getting a deal done, GM Steve Yzerman said. We are excited to have him as a cornerstone part of the team for the next eight years as we continue in the franchises ultimate goal of winning another Stanley Cup.The Lightning advanced to the Stanley Cup finals in 2015. This spring, with Stamkos out recovering from a blood clot, they reached the Eastern Conference finals, falling to the?Pittsburgh Penguins?in seven games. Of all his?suitors, Tampa Bay was probably the closest to being a legitimate Stanley Cup contender in the short term.He has an opportunity, a rare opportunity, to go into free agency at such a young age, and obviously, he had a lot of suitors, a lot of dollar signs pointing at him, but what he wants to do is he wants to win, Boyle said. He takes being a captain very seriously, and he wants to win. He showed it in Game 7 against the Penguins, coming back and playing. He showed what a captain, a leader, a guy of high character should do. If hes leading the way, you better fall in line because thats the way things are going to go. Its a great strength of our team, and it goes to show you how strong of a character guy he is, and he makes everybody else better for it.?Stamkos was the focus for Yzerman,?but Yzermans work is just starting. The Lightning still need to sign restricted free agent Nikita Kucherov, who had a breakout postseason during Stamkos absence.There is also speculation that the Lightning might need to trade a goalie, with Bishop the most likely candidate.On Friday, the Lightning also can sign franchise defenseman Victor Hedman to a contract extension.It makes for a busy offseason for Yzerman, but the most challenging deal is done.Information from ESPNs Joe McDonald and Pierre LeBrun was used in this report. David Freese Jersey .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Jackie Robinson Jersey . 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He was fined $30,000 for a hit on the New York Jets Jeff Cumberland in Week 1. TWIN FALLS, Idaho -- Professional stuntman Eddie Braun successfully jumped over the Snake River Canyon Friday afternoon in an ode to his boyhood idol, Evel Knievel.Braun soared over the southern Idaho canyon in a custom-built rocket dubbed Evel Spirit.It launched off a steep ramp on the edge of the canyon rim just before 4 p.m. as hundreds of onlookers watched.The rocket reached an estimated 400 mph (644 kph) before its parachute deployed, allowing Braun and the ship to land safely in fields on the other side of the 1,400 foot-wide (427 meters-wide) canyon.I feel like the no name third string quarterback of a junior varsity team that just won the Super Bowl. My team got me there. I ran it into the end zone. We scored and won, Braun said in a statement after the jump.Scott Truax, the designer of the rocket, told the Idaho Statesman that after Braun got the OK to launch he didnt hesitate.He was gone in a cloud of steam and I couldnt see anything until just before he pulled his chutes, Traux said.Braun has said the rocket was identical to the model Knievel used for his failed canyon attempt on Sept. 8, 1974. Knievel landed at the bottom of the canyon when his parachute prematurely deployed partway across the canyon, but walked away with only minor injuries. The spot where Knievel jumped was 1,600 feet (488 meters) wide.Braun hoped his effort would prove that Knievel could have made it across the canyon if his parachute had deployed at the correct time.Before the jump, the 54-year-old Braun said he was optimistic he would make it across the canyon.I wouldnt be doing this if I thought it couldnt be done, he said.Still, he had prepared for the worst in the days beefore the stunt, asking his young son to one day walk his sisters down the aisle at their wedding if Braun died in his attempt.ddddddddddddonths of testing was performed on the rocket designed by Scott Truax, whose father constructed the original X2 Skycycle for Knievel.Truax followed his fathers blueprints down to the last bolt and deviated only by updating the parachute system.Braun had trouble finding corporate sponsors for the stunt, and said he spent about $1.5 million of his own money on the jump.He looked at the stunt as a way to pay homage to Knievel, who inspired him to become a stuntman.I like to say Im not doing something that Evel Knievel couldnt do, he told the Statesman before making the jump. Im simply finishing out his dream. How many people get to finish the dream of their hero?Not all in the southern Idaho town of Twin Falls have such fond memories of Knievel. Many residents remember Knievels promise of a weeklong festival complete with celebrities and a golf tournament.Knievels attempt drew plenty of spectators, and the resultant partying, fighting and mischief upset locals. The daredevil was later accused of leaving town without paying debts to area businesses.But the mystique of Knievels failed stunt has lived on, with would-be daredevils showing up every decade or so to propose similar jumps. Knievels son Robbie visited Twin Falls in the 1990s and in 2010 to float the idea of a possible jump, though it never came to fruition.Braun appears to have been the first to actually try the stunt since Knievels attempt. ' ' '