The forwards have become close friends as they navigate the ups and downs of the NHL ... and NBA 2K.
Lightning forwards Conor Geekie, left, and Gage Goncalves, center, share a laugh with teammate Mitchell Chaffee during Friday's practice at Benchmark International Arena. [ EDUARDO A. ENCINA | Times ]
TAMPA — The competition between Lightning forwards Gage Goncalves and Conor Geekie doesn’t end on the ice.
The pair shared an Airbnb in Tampa over the summer for four weeks while preparing for this season. After their skates at the TGH IcePlex, they were often on the sticks playing NBA 2K, teaming together in 2-on-2 mode.
“It was every night,” Geekie said of the Xbox battles. “And it still is now.”
Added Goncalves: “When I got down here, I started showing him some videos. And he was like, ‘Should I get this?’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, we can run twos against it.’ So now he’s a 7-foot stretch center that just shoots the 3-ball. So I just get it to him and let him spray.”
The bond between Goncalves, 24, and Geekie, 21, goes far beyond virtual pickup basketball. Even though they’ve played just one season together — they saw some time on the Lightning’s third line last season — they’ve become the best of friends. In a room full of straight-arrow veterans, they stand out as two young players full of focus and personality.
“We kind of are the same person, I would say, in some senses,” Geekie said, “kind of loudmouths at times, both pretty outgoing.”
• • •
They took very different paths to the NHL.
Geekie is a 6-foot-4 heralded former first-round pick who came to the Lightning in the Mikhail Sergachev trade and made last year’s opening night roster out of training camp.
Goncalves fought for everything in his career dating back to juniors. He spent three seasons in the AHL before getting his first extended NHL opportunity in 2024-25.
Conor Geekie moves in to score a goal on Panthers goaltender Daniil Tarasov during an Oct. 2 preseason game.
They both suffered setbacks last season, sent back to Syracuse to refine their games. Instead of flaming out, they made the best out of their demotions and returned to the Lightning as better players.
Goncalves was one of the best players in the Lightning’s first-round playoff series against Florida, earning a two-year contract. He’s started this season in a top-six role, playing the wing on the Lightning’s matchup line with Anthony Cirelli and Brandon Hagel.
After sputtering at the NHL level, Geekie found his scoring mentality and confidence in a two-month AHL stint and spent a lot of his summer in Toronto refining his skating with Lightning skating coach Barb Underhill and skill development director Randi Milani.
“You look at the paths, and they’re definitely a little different,” Geekie said. “I think everyone kind of gets here in a different way. You look at (Goncalves), and sometimes you laugh and you think, how? But he’s a heck of a player. In the playoffs, he really took off and took a stride, and obviously got rewarded this summer. ...
“You’re competing, but at the end of the day, we’re both happy for each other. It’s one of those things that you kind of lean on him, just to kind of be your sense of reality and be able to talk around through stuff. And hopefully I can do the same for him.”
• • •
It’s not easy for young players to come into a Lightning room full of future Hall of Famers. Coaches can tell them to stick to what’s gotten them there, but it can be tough to try to fit in and find your spot.
Those young players, like Geekie and Goncalves, form bonds as they navigate the ups and downs of the NHL.
“I think it’s really good for us,” Goncalves said. “I think we’re both super competitive in just about everything we do, and obviously kind of like fighting for ice time and stuff. But I honestly think that us doing that, like pushing each other to the limit, is just gonna make each other better.
Gage Goncalves is all smiles after scoring against the Panthers in Game 5 of the teams' first-round playoff series in April.
“And I love the way that we can both kind of be that way on the ice and then away from the rink, we barely talk about hockey. It’s always about other sports that are on TV, playing video games or people back home, or golf or something like that. He’s one of my better friends on the team. And, yeah, he’s a special kid.”
The Lightning are banking on both to take that next step in their careers. Geekie opened the season on the fourth line, but certainly will be used in different roles. Both have seen time on the second-team power-play unit.
Goncalves has held his own playing with two of the league’s top two-way players in Cirelli and Hagel. And on the power play, he’s gained confidence with the puck on his stick manning the right halfwall on the second unit.
Geekie’s goal after an open-ice spin move of Florida defenseman Seth Jones in Game 6 of the preseason might have been the best play by a Lightning player all camp. It’s one that Geekie admits he probably didn’t have the confidence to try last season.
Sometimes they sound like siblings. Geekie chirps Goncalves for his loud voice that carries through the dressing room. Goncalves just shakes his head watching Geekie jumping out of his stall. And who is shouldering the load in their 2-on-2 games in NBA 2K, that’s a whole other argument.
But as there will certainly be bumps in the road in their second NHL seasons, they’ll have each other along the way.
“Last year, we kind of went through the same kind of deal,” Geekie said. “We were the two younger guys on a team for veterans, yeah. ... As much as I hate saying it, we’re pretty similar in the way we go about ourselves.”
“He’s always got something to say, which I love egging him on about,” Goncalves said. “Staying in the Airbnb together, kind of going to skates here and stuff like that, going home, playing Xbox, going for dinners, watching football, just kind of hanging out. I think it’s really good for us.”
Up next
at Bruins, 1 Monday TV/streaming: The Spot-Ch. 66, NHL; tblightning.tv Radio: 102.5-FM
• • •
Sign up for the Sports Today newsletter to get daily updates on the Bucs, Rays, Lightning and college football across Florida.
Every weekday, tune into our Sports Day Tampa Bay podcast to hear reporter Rick Stroud break down the biggest stories in Tampa Bay sports.
Never miss out on the latest with your favorite Tampa Bay sports teams. Follow our coverage on X and Facebook.
Join the Conversation
Anyone can view a sampling of recent comments, but you must be a Times subscriber to contribute. Log in above or subscribe here.
Conversations are opinions of our readers and are subject to the Community Guidelines.