Tampa Bay Lightning: Top Martin St. Louis moments
The Tampa Bay Lightning’s own number 26, Martin St.Louis, is going to the Hockey Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2018.
The Tampa Bay Lightning has gained another Hall of Famer. One year after former Lightning captain Dave Andreychuk was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, another Lightning captain will be joining Andreychuk.
Former Lightning captain Martin St.Louis has been named to the Hall of Fame Class of 2018. This the first year of eligibility for the Stanley Cup Champion.
St.Louis has a story unlike no other for his road to the Hall of Fame. Undrafted, St.Louis signed a contract in 1998 with the Calgary Flames. After a few seasons with the Flames, St.Louis decided to take a chance with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Slowly but surely, St.Louis worked his way up the Bolts roster and began to shine. In 13 seasons with the Bolts, St. Louis notched 953 points, a franchise record. St.Louis also has franchise records in assists, shorthanded goals, overtime scoring, power-play points and game-winning goals.
Despite not ending his career in Tampa, St.Louis had plenty to celebrate in his 13 years with the Bolts. A six-time All-Star, the winger has a good bit of hardware under his sleeves. St.Louis has been awarded the Art Ross Trophy twice, the Ted Lindsay Award, the Hart Memorial Trophy, and the Lady Byng Trophy three times. Oh, and you can not forget that he is a Stanley Cup Champion.
With all of his awards, St.Louis was also elected as captain of the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2013, the ninth captain in franchise history. That same season, St.Louis played his 1,000th game, an honor not many players get to experience. Only 16 undrafted players at the time of his 1,000th game had reached that milestone.
St.Louis’ highlights go on and on to mark an incredible career for an underdog in the league. He will always be remembered in Bolts Nation, and now will be honored across the National Hockey League. These are just a few of St.Louis’ best moments as a Bolt.
An unforgettable playoff series in Lightning history
As Martin St.Louis gained moment, so did the Lightning. In the 2002-03 season, the Bolts had success season and even made the playoffs. Coming up short, the team was ready for a Stanley Cup the next season.
The 2004 playoffs were like no other for the Tampa Bay Lightning. In the first series against the New York Islanders, St.Louis notched five points, including two game-winning goals.
After recording six points both against the Montreal Canadiens and seven against the Philadelphia Flyers, the Tampa Bay Lightning were Eastern Conference Champions. The Stanley Cup was in reach.
One more team and four more wins were in between the Bolts and the Stanley Cup. After going back and forth with the Calgary Flames, the Tampa Bay Lightning were down 3-2 in the series, with a must need Game 6 win.
Going into the third period, the game was tied up 2-2, thanks to Brad Richards two power-play goals. After a scoreless third, the game went to overtime. Then, another twenty minutes would not do it.
It is now double overtime. A goal could mean the Stanley Cup for the Flames, or a Game 7 back in Tampa Bay. 33 seconds in, Marty St.Louis shoots a rebound and scores the game-winner. This moment was crucial in Lightning history, and one of the many reasons Tampa Bay took home the Cup that year.
The Lightning went on to win Game 7, 2-1 and for the first time winning the Stanley Cup. While every single player made a contribution to that team, St.Louis was one of the top dogs that season. Without his determination and scoring, that 2004 team would not have been the same.
Martin St.Louis is honored at Amalie Arena by Jeff Vinik and the Lightning
In 2014, a captain for captain trade occurred between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the New York Rangers. The Bolts received Ryan Callahan, and our captain was now a Ranger. Tension arose during the trade, and some fans seemed pretty upset that St.Louis was requesting a trade from Tampa Bay.
However, once St.Louis retired a season after the trade, Bolts Nation knew that Marty would always be a Bolt at heart. In 2016, the Lightning announced that number 26 will be the first jersey in franchise history to be retired.
Even though the ending may not be all that Tampa Bay and St.Louis expected, Tampa is always going to be special.
“I hope they remember me for what I brought to the team,” St. Louis said in 2016. “It would probably be a better story if I finished my career there but … things happen sometimes and you have to make tough decisions. I loved Tampa. I loved playing there. It was just time to move on.”
The ceremony was held on January 13, 2017, against the Columbus Blue Jackets, allowing former Lightning coach John Tortorella to attend the ceremony, before his current team took on the Bolts.
This honor further proved St.Louis’ outstanding achievements as a player and may have even helped push him towards the Hall of Fame.
To be the first player in Lightning history to have their number retired demonstrates how important St.Louis was and is to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Jeff Vinik and the Lightning organization could have chosen Vincent Lecavalier‘s number to be retired first. While Lecavalier did have his number four retired a year later, it was Marty’s time to shine first.
Size Doesn’t Matter: St.Louis a Role Model for Many Behind Him
Throughout his career, Martin St.Louis has inspired many to follow their dreams. From fans to players, the 5′ 8″ winger is the definition of never giving up.
Current Lightning center Tyler Johnson, who is also 5’8″, is one of those players who looked up to St.Louis.
“Come to a Bolts game and look around Amalie Arena — whose jersey do you see the most? Stammer? Kuch? Vasy? Nope. It’s number 26, Martin St. Louis. Stanley Cup winner. Art Ross winner. Hart winner. Six-time All-Star. Five feet, eight inches,” Johnson wrote in an article titled “Another Chance” for The Players’ Tribune.
Once Johnson was drafted, he had the chance to play a few shifts with his hero.
“Right away, I could see why everybody in Tampa Bay loved him,” Johnson said. “He left it all out on the ice and never stopped skating. He would do anything to win. This city — these fans — they want a winner. That’s it. That’s all they want.”
St.Louis never gave up on his dreams. He worked hard on and off the ice and deserves every single award he has been honored with.
An iconic figure in Lightning history, St.Louis will always be remembered for all he did for the Bolts and the Tampa Bay community. Now, the rest of the NHL community agrees, that St.Louis deserves this honor among the great ones.
Next: Martin St. Louis Named to Hockey Hall of Fame
Five others join Martin St.Louis in the 2018 Hall of Fame class. Gary Bettman, Willie O’Ree, Martin Brodeur, Jayna Hefford and Alexander Yakushev will join St.Louis in the Hall of Fame.