Patience is everything for Lightning defenseman Max Crozier

It would be easy to define Lightning defenseman Max Crozier as a late bloomer - and Crozier would be the first to tell you that some aspects of his game took time to develop. But the way he's navigated his career to the NHL should probably be described more as patient.

Crozier always has had confidence in his ability to make an impact at this level, but he's often pushed away the quick fix to play the long game, knowing that opportunities to show that you have what it takes to play at the highest level come only so often.

"I never was the best player growing up, but I had the work ethic, and I felt like I had the hockey IQ that was able to get me to that next level continuously," Crozier said.

Before Crozier made a Game 4 hit on Montreal forward Juraj Slafkovsky that flipped the momentum of Sunday's game - the Lightning rallied from a two-goal deficit to beat the Canadiens 3-2 and send the first-round playoff series back to Tampa tied - Crozier had to make a tough decision that ended up fortuitous for himself and certainly the Lightning.

During February's Olympic break, Crozier had core-muscle surgery to fix an ongoing injury. He had already been on injured reserve twice and was trying to play through it. The Lightning blue line was consistently beset by injuries. At many points in the season, the team had just two healthy right-shot defensemen, so there was definitely a need for Crozier in the lineup.

When Crozier's procedure was announced Feb. 18, the timetable for his return was 10 weeks. He came back in time for the Lightning's regular-season finale April 15, just eight weeks later.

"I wanted to get healthy for the playoffs, for the sole purpose of being able to make an impact and be physical," he said. "That was my whole mindset coming in, that whole rehab for two months straight, it was just, ‘playoffs, playoffs, playoffs.' So I'm really happy with the outcome of the surgery and how I'm feeling now, it's night and day."

He had to wait four games before he drew into the lineup in the Lightning's tightly-contested playoff series against the Canadiens, but when he did, his hit on Slafkovsky went viral.

The play will barely get noticed on the event summary sheet, but for the Lightning, it was the biggest of the night.

"It was huge," said Lightning defenseman Darren Raddysh. "It brought energy right back into the bench. It definitely changed things."

As for that physicality Crozier was able to show under the bright spotlight of the playoffs, he's been waiting to display that since he was a kid.

"I grew up with an older brother, so I'm used to having to stick up for myself when it comes to road hockey or mini sticks and all that," said Crozier, referring to his brother Tristan, who is two years older. "That snarl has been in me forever."

A game that took time

This certainly isn't the first time that Crozier has been an instant hit.

When Crozier was 17, he made the Nanaimo Clippers of the British Columbia Hockey League, a junior league that's considered one of the best for emerging American college hockey talent. Crozier had zero interest from college programs. But after returning from an injury, he played in a league showcase tournament. After one game, Crozier suddenly had 25 schools wanting to talk to him.

"I had a really good game, a couple assists, I think, and a couple big hits," Crozier said. "Right after the game, all the recruiting coaches are trying to give you their cards and get a face to name right away. I remember, in that moment, being like, ‘Holy s-t, what's going on?'"

Crozier decided on Providence College and immediately set himself on a four-year path because he wanted to get his degree. The Lightning had just drafted Crozier in the fourth round following a 10-goal, 43-point season with the Sioux Falls Stampede of the USHL and supported his college plans.

"I think we had a really good understanding of where my game was at and where it needed to be and not rushing it," he said.

Crozier said it wasn't until his freshman year at Providence that he was able to put muscle on his body. And the biggest knock on him coming up was his skating, so he worked with Lightning skating coach Barb Underhill every summer. By the time he turned pro, that weakness became one of his biggest strengths.

"I think that's been the biggest thing that's really propelled me in my career, is really focusing on my skating and strength overall," Crozier said. "Those have been my two main focuses. And Tampa really worked with me to get me there where I need to be."

And staying true to his goal, Crozier graduated in four years with a business administration degree from Providence.

Never thinking too far ahead

Crozier was a quick study, and through his first pro season in AHL Syracuse he played 13 NHL games with the Lightning, as well as three games in the first-round playoff series against Florida. The adjustment from the AHL to the NHL was made easier by the fact that the structure in Syracuse is the same as the Lightning, so he quickly put his name atop the short list of defensemen who would get called up when there was a need.

Last season, Crozier played mostly in Syracuse, seeing just five NHL regular-season games, and he was on the postseason roster but didn't play.Even though he made the team out of training camp this season, injuries limited him to 35 regular-season games, and he was a healthy scratch in the first three games of the Montreal series before drawing in for Game 4.

When Crozier talks about his path, he frequently goes back to trying to get better every day, not looking too far ahead and really trying to embrace every moment. So while he's been able to enjoy the attention following his hit on Slafkovsky, he's already put it behind him.

"It was a pretty cool day (Monday), but it's in the past now," Crozier said. "I'm looking forward to Game 5, and all of us are here. I think the game is what it was, but it's an even series now, and it's a best-to-three series. So this next game is huge."

Lightning 2, Canadiens 2

EASTERN CONFERENCE: FIRST ROUND

Game 1: Canadiens 4, Lightning 3 (OT)

Game 2: Lightning 3, Canadiens 2 (OT)

Game 3: Canadiens 3, Lightning 2 (OT)

Game 4: Lightning 3, Canadiens 2

Wednesday: at Tampa, 7

Friday: at Montreal, 7

May 3: at Tampa, TBD*

TV/radio: All games also on The Spot-Ch. 66; 102.5-FM

* If necessary

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This story was originally published April 28, 2026 at 6:37 PM.