Stamkos sends heartfelt farewell to the City of Tampa.

This tells you everything you need to know about just how much the City of Tampa Bay meant to one Steve Stamkos, and it also provides a great glimpse into just how much Steven Stamkos himself has meant, and still means, to the city as well.

On Monday morning, Stamkos took to social media to announced that he had published a long goodbye to the fans, city and organization that supported him throughout his entire career in the National Hockey League so far, touching on moments both good and bad that would come to define his time as a player in the city and eventually as the organization's captain.

Stamkos made it clear in his message that, even at his lowest moments, he always felt as though both the team and the organization stood firmly behind him.

"When I was hurt, when I was vulnerable, Tampa had my back," wrote Stamkos for the Players Tribune.

Stamkos took the time to mention several key members of the Lightning organization that played important roles during his time there, but of course also took the time to thank the fans for supporting him with so much passion.

"I’m going to miss you a lot, Bolts fans," admitted Stamkos.

Stamkos thanked both ownership and head coach John Cooper and it may be worth noting that there was no mention of either former general manager Steve Yzerman or current general manager Julien Brisebois in Stamkos' lengthy letter.

"And from Jeff Vinik to Jon Cooper, to our world-class staff and everyone at Amalie, to my incredible teammates over the years, to everyone with the Lightning organization — from the bottom of my heart: Thank you," wrote Stamkos. "It has been the honor of my life to represent this team, and to be your captain."

Stamkos ended off his message by saying he is looking forward to the future, but only did so after telling his fans in Tampa Bay that he had done everything in his power to remain with the team.

"These past few weeks have been bittersweet," admits Stamkos. "I never thought this day would come. I did everything I felt I could do to make it work, but sometimes things just happen. It didn’t work. And I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t heartbreaking."

Stamkos covers all of this and much much more in what comes off as a truly heartfelt message to the City of Tampa and his fans, and I highly recommend you check it out on the Players Tribune.