Martin St. Louis, The Little Big Man – Hockey Writers – History of the Lightning

The Little Big Men have always been a staple in the NHL. You know the type: fast as the wind, legs on their feet, fast with their hands and hard to play against. Henri Richard, Marcel Dionne, Brian Gionta.

In today's hockey era, it is impossible to discuss the Little Big Men without mentioning Martin St. As one of the Tampa Bay Lightning's first breakout stars, the franchise built itself behind his diminutive 5-foot-9,175-pound frame. With his induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame, it seems appropriate to give an overview of the career of one of the youngest men in hockey history.

The Beginning of the Work of St. Louis

Looking back at the beginning of his professional career at St. His college career with the University of Vermont Catamounts was great. As an NCAA champion, he ended up being the school's leading scorer, with 267 points and was nominated for the Hobey Baker Award for the best college hockey player three years in a row.

Despite his numbers, he went undrafted and found himself playing for the Cleveland Lumberjacks in the IHL during the 1997-98 season. In 1998, he signed as a free agent with the Calgary Flames. After a good fight with St. John Flames in the AHL and half a season with the Calgary club, he was released at the end of the season, with his diminishing size constantly being questioned.

Martin St. Louis Finally Signed

On July 31, 2000, St. Louis signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning and quickly became part of the team's longest Stanley Cup run in 2003-04. With 94 points, he led the league in scoring and became the first player since Wayne Gretzky to win the Art Ross Trophy as leading scorer, the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP and the granddaddy of them all, the Stanley Cup, all in the same year.

After the 2004-05 lockout, St. Louis would go on to be one of the Lightning's best players, posting at least 80 points five more times in his career. Then, in the shortened 2012-13 season, he turned back the clock again by leading the NHL in assists and points en route to the Art Ross Trophy. After the departure of Vincent Lecavalier in the offseason of 2013, he took the mantle as the captain of the franchise that helped him to be noticed.

St. Louis Didn't Last Forever with Tampa Bay

However, St. Louis would not finish that year as captain. After a good start to the season, he wanted to be traded to the New York Rangers for a number of personal reasons. After difficult negotiations, Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman agreed to his request, sending the All-Star Winger to New York for Ryan Callahan, along with first-round picks in the 2014 and 2015 drafts.

As a member of the Rangers, St. Louis became the emotional lynchpin of their run to the 2014 Stanley Cup Final after the sudden death of his mother during the Second Round of the playoffs. Battling emotions, he helped lead New York back from a 3-1 series deficit to the Pittsburgh Penguins, then a 4-2 series win against the Montreal Canadiens in the Eastern Conference Finals. Even though they fell short against the LA Kings, this run still holds the magic of the franchise.

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After this amazing run, St. He scored just 21 goals and 52 points, both his lowest totals since 2001-02. Although these scoring numbers weren't bad, you could tell that at 39, he was starting to feel old. After falling to his former team in the Conference Final, St. Louis decided to hang up his skates for good, announcing his retirement on July 2, 2015.

Louis' Successful Career

St. Louis is proof of the old hockey bromide “Work hard, good things will happen.” Despite his diminutive stature, he earned almost every accolade one could imagine for a player of his stature. He was selected to the All-Star Game five times, won the Lady Byng Trophy three times, received the Art Ross Trophy twice, won the Hart Memorial Trophy and the Ted Lindsay Award once, and helped Team Canada win the gold medal in the tournament. 2014 Winter Olympics.

Needless to say, St. Louis did it all in his nearly 18-year career. Most importantly, he always carried a grace and professionalism that few players will ever achieve. Active in his communities even in retirement, he never forgot the hard work that led him to the NHL.

As he told Cutler Klein of NHL.com in a 2016 interview:

I realized that it was my strength that made me enter the League and allowed me to play at the level I played and kept me at that level for a long time. Whether it was on the ice, off the ice, I always felt I was working hard, and I think the fans saw that and appreciated that.

One Last Tribute to St

Even in retirement, St. Louis was not finished with the awards. On Jan. 13, 2017, the Lightning retired his number 26, becoming the first player in franchise history to have his jersey retired. So, even after leaving bad blood within the fan base due to his 2014 mid-season trade request, Tampa Bay never forgot the impact left by their Little Big Man.

Finally, there was one last honor to be given to St. On June 26, 2018, it was announced that he would be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. This final honor was the final culmination of a true underdog's career.

This article was written in August 2010 by Kevin Hunter