A year after suffering a heart-wrenching defeat in the Stanley Cup final Jeff Tambellini was sipping champagne with the Zurich Lions of the Swiss A National League.
"We actually won it in Game 7," said the 28 year old. "It was nice to go back-to-back years going to the last day of each season and to come out on top this time was a much better feeling."
Tambellini was a member of the 2010-11 Vancouver Canucks team that reached the NHL final only to fall in Game 7 to the Boston Bruins. The free agent signed a three-year contract with the Lions last summer after Zurich head coach Bob Hartley - who signed on to coach the Calgary Flames last week - recruited him.
The left-winger, who lives in Vancouver during the off-season, will be in Prince George on Wednesday to give a stick-handling seminar to kids seven- to 12-years-old along with his Factory Hockey Training business partner Troy Dalton.
Tambellini led the Lions in scoring during the regular season with 45 points (23 goals, 22 assists) in 50 games after collecting 17 points (nine goals) in 62 games with the Canucks.
He said his experience with the Canucks, despite playing in only six playoff games, gave him the wisdom to educate his Lions teammates when they fell behind to SC Bern in the best-of-seven Swiss League final.
"At any time in the NHL playoffs you do whatever it is you have to do to help, whether it's playing 20 minutes a night or playing six, it doesn't really matter," said Tambellini. "Just the whole ride you learn so much from being around it and playing in those big games. It's an experience you'll take with you the rest of your life.
"Our team was down 3-1 in the finals and we kind of talked about how difficult it is to close it out and how much pressure there is [on SC Bern] when we made it 3-2 and 3-3," said Tambellini, who was on the other side in 2011 when the Canucks took a 2-0 and 3-2 series lead over the Bruins. "We talked about how much pressure there is when you don't win Game 6 and you've got to go back to your place for Game 7. I definitely used it as a great way to talk our guys through and make them feel confident that those guys had everything to lose and we were in a great spot."
The Lions entered the playoffs in a similar position as the Los Angeles Kings began their 2012 Stanley Cup pursuit, having underachieved during the regular season, finishing seventh in a league where the top eight teams qualify for the post season. Similar to the Kings knocking off the top three teams in the western conference, Zurich swept past the first and second place squads to reach the Swiss A championship.
"It was a great opportunity to go in and play a lot of minutes - sometimes almost too many," he laughed. "It was a great chance to be a major part of that team and it made winning feel that much greater to have that much more impact on the team and to become a champion."
Tambellini said he doesn't expect to follow former Lions' coach Hartley's path back to the NHL.
"You never know I guess," said Tambellini. "Maybe when those two years are up we'll take a look at that but for now I'm committed to play in Zurich - it's a great situation there. I'm loving playing there."
Before joining the Lions, Tambellini played in 242 NHL games with the Kings, New York Islanders and Canucks, collecting 63 points (27 goals). He also spent time in the AHL with the Manchester Monarchs, Bridgeport Sound Tigers and a short conditioning stint with the Manitoba Moose.
Despite his respect for Hartley as a coach, Tambellini said when he congratulated him on his new position with the Flames he joked that he'll be cheering for the Edmonton Oilers, where his dad Steve Tambellini is the general manager, in all head-to-head battles between the Alberta rivals.
"I told Bob [Thursday] when I talked to him that he's going to have his hands full every time you go down the road to see those guys," said Tambellini. "I think he knows exactly what he's getting into. It's family first with that one for sure, but I hope [Bob] has great success."
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