The small and big guys have always been the staple food of the NHL. You know the type: fast wind, quick feet, fast with your hands, hard to fight. Henri Richard, Marcel Dionne, Brian Gionta.
In the modern era of hockey, it is impossible to discuss without mentioning the small figures of Martin St. Louis. One of the first breakthrough stars of Tampa Bay Lightning, the franchise built its body on the back of his 5-foot-9,175-pound meager frame. With his introduction to the Hockey Hall of Fame, it seems appropriate to provide a career review for one of the greatest little men in hockey history.
The beginning of a career in St. Louis
Looking back at the beginning of his career in St. Louis, one can see the success he will achieve. His college career at the University of Vermont is excellent. He was an NCAA All-Star, ending up with a 267-point record-breaker in the school and was a Hobey Baker Award nominee for Best College Hockey, becoming the best college hockey player for three consecutive years.
Despite his numbers, he still had no players and found himself playing for the IHL’s Cleveland Lumberjacks in the 1997-98 season. In 1998, he signed a free agent for the Calgary Flames. He was released at the end of the season with a short stature after some of the season’s impressive matches against the St. John’s Flames and Calgary Club.
Martin St. Louis finally signed
On July 31, 2000, St. Louis signed with the Tampa Bay Chargers and he soon became part of the core team, which entered the Stanley Cup for a long time in 2003-04. He scored 94 points in total, and he led the league to become the first player since Wayne Gretzky won Art Ross Trophy with the highest scorer, Hart Trophy as the NHL MVP and their grandfather, all the Stanley Cup, the Stanley Cup.
After the 2004-05 lockdown, St. Louis will continue to be one of the Chargers’ best players, scoring 80 points at least five times in his career. Then, in the 2012-13 lockdown reduction season, he will lead the NHL assist and get Art Ross Trophy, and go back again. After Vincent Lecavalier left in the offseason in 2013, he served as the team captain’s mantle, which helped drive him to attract attention.
St. Louis doesn’t last forever with Tampa Bay
However, St. Louis did not serve as captain back then. After a steady start to the season, he requested a deal with the New York Rangers for various personal reasons. After some harsh negotiations, then Lightning General Manager Steve Yzerman approved his request to send the All-Stars to Ryan Callahan, New York, and secured a first-round pick in the 2014 and 2015 drafts.
As a member of the Rangers, St. Louis became the emotional Lynch Pin in the 2014 Stanley Cup final after his mother died suddenly in the second round of the playoffs. He fought emotionally to help New York bring back the Pittsburgh Penguins from a 3-1 series deficit before defeating the Montreal Canadiens 4-2 in the Oriental Conference final. Even if they weren’t able to play against La Kings, this run is still for the franchise.
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After this amazing game, St. Louis showed a medium-sized 2014-15 season by his standards. He posted only 21 goals and 52 points, the lowest total since 2001-02. While these scoring numbers are pretty good, you can say that at 39 he began to feel his age. St. Louis decided to hang on skates permanently after falling into his former team in the Eastern Conference finals and announced his retirement on July 2, 2015.
Successful Careers in St. Louis
St. Louis’s career proves that the ancient hockey bromide “work hard and good things will happen.” Despite his short stature, he almost won a player of ability, almost imaginable. He was nominated for the All-Star Game for five times, won the BYNG trophy three times, won the Art Ross Trophy twice, won the Hart Memorial Trophy and Ted Lindsay awards once, and helped the Canadian team win gold medals at the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Needless to say, St. Louis has done it all over his nearly 18-year career. Most importantly, he always has the elegance and professionalism that few players have achieved. He continues to be involved in the local community, even retires, and never forgets the hard work that prompted him to the NHL.
As he said to NHL.com’s Cutler Klein, in a 2016 interview:
I feel like it’s my resilience that gets me into the league, that I can reach the level I do and that I’ve been at that level for a long time. Whether it’s on ice, on ice, I always feel like I work hard and I think fans can see this and appreciate it.
The ultimate honor of St. Louis
Even after retirement, St. Louis won no honor. On January 13, 2017, the Chargers retired on the 26th as he became the first player to retire in franchise history. So even due to his mid-2014 trade requirement, Tampa Bay never forgot the impact their little man left behind, even with some bad blood left in the fan base.
Finally, the last honor was awarded to St. Louis. On June 26, 2018, it was announced that he would be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. The ultimate honor is the ultimate climax of the true loser’s career.
This article was originally written by Kevin Hunter
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