With an annual salary of $8 million, Steven Stamkos is a Canadian ice hockey player who currently plays in National Hockey League for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Steven Christopher Stamkos was born on February 7, 1990 in Markham, Ontario, Canada. In 2006, he was selected as the first overall pick in the Ontario Hockey League Entry Draft. After sustaining a two-year successful career in the OHL, he was selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning as a first round (first overall) pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

In July 2008, he was signed by the Lightning to a three-year contract where he could earn a performance bonus of $8.55 million, on the maximum. In the same year, he was a part of the Canada team which won a gold medal at the World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.  Eighteen days after becoming a restricted free agent, Stamkos agreed and signed to a five-year, $37.5 million  contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2011.