There is no need to wait until Martin St. Louis is inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in order to see his legacy. It resides in every undersized athlete in the NHL, following his example of determination in overcoming any physical disadvantages that might exist.
“I’d like to say that I was part of that, of being able to see players not so much for their size, but for the athlete and the hockey player that they are,” St. Louis said Monday at the Rangers practice facility in Westchester, the first time he has taken questions since announcing his retirement July 2.
“For me, I had smaller players I looked up to when I was young,” said the 5-foot-8 St. Louis. “And when I was looking at little guys, it was, ‘They’re there, why can’t I be?’”
St. Louis, 40, played parts of the final two seasons of his 16-year career with the Rangers, coming over in a trade with the Lightning in March 2014. He joined a team with Mats Zuccarello, the diminutive Norwegian winger who finally had someone to look in the eye. During the past Eastern Conference final, the Rangers took on the Lightning, with terrific 5-foot-9 forward Tyler Johnson.
“I know a lot of shorter guys around the league, I get a chance to meet them — yeah, I was probably their idol at one point, and they’re going to be somebody else’s idol at some point,” St. Louis said. “That’s the beauty of the game. The wheel keeps turning. Guys are leaving, guys are coming in, and you try to affect the game and leave your mark as you go through. I think I’ve done that.”
The career of this all-time great began inconspicuously, an undrafted free agent out of the University of Vermont, signing with the Flames. He got to the Lightning in 2000, and with John Tortorella behind the bench, they won the 2004 Stanley Cup after St. Louis spent the regular season winning the Art Ross Trophy as leading scorer and the Hart Trophy as league MVP.
“I tried to make it to the NHL; I was just a kid living his dream,” St. Louis said. “I never anticipated all that success. So for me, it would sound pretty greedy if I say I would want this or that more. I think I’ve experienced a lot in this league and I’m really blessed and fortunate to have played that long.”
Having scored 21 goals last season for the Rangers, and 30 the year before combined with the Blueshirts and Lightning — along with some struggles in the postseason — St. Louis said he and his agent fielded a couple contract offers this summer to play next season. But once the Rangers had lost Game 7 to Tampa Bay and fell one game short of a return trip to Stanley Cup final, St. Louis said he was “80-20” in terms of thinking retirement was the way to go.
“Do I still think I can play? Yeah,” he said. “But it’s time to move on and do something else.”
The man from Laval, Quebec, also started to think about his three boys, and how much time of their childhoods he has already missed. And that made the decision all that much easier.
“My whole family has been so supportive of me, and it’s been all about me,” St. Louis said. “It’s time to be about somebody else than me, and that’s my kids.”
His time in New York always will be defined by the playoff run of 2014, when his Rangers were down 3-1 in their best-of-seven second-round series against the Penguins — and then St. Louis’ mother, France, unexpectedly died of a heart attack. The team rallied around their new compatriot, and made it all the way to Game 5 of the Cup final, where they lost to the Kings. With his family residing in Connecticut — where they will keep their permanent home — the support was abundant.
“For me, I always felt like I wanted to finish my career in New York,” St. Louis said. “So to be able to do that, I think it’s exactly how I wanted it. And I’m happy for it.”
As for now, St. Louis doesn’t have too many goals besides “get better at golf.” He is finally free of a rigid schedule, and wants to coach his kids and see where that takes him. If a career behind the bench awaits, he doesn’t know. But his legacy in the NHL remains nonetheless.
“People are going to analyze my career any which way they want,” he said. “For me, I’m proud of how I played this game.”