Martin St. Louis

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Position Right Wing
Shoots Left
Nickname(s) Marty, Le nain de Fort Boyard
Height
Weight		 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
185 lb (84 kg/13 st 3 lb)
NHL Team
F. teams		 Tampa Bay Lightning
Calgary Flames
Nationality Flag of Canada Canada
Born June 18, 1975 (1975-06-18) (age 32),
Laval, QC, CAN
Pro career 1997 – present

Martin St-Louis (born June 18, 1975 in Laval, Quebec, Canada) is a French Canadian professional ice hockey right winger with the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League.

Contents

[edit] Playing career

A diminutive player by NHL standards at 5-foot-9, St-Louis pronounced (San Lou E) has played six seasons as of the 2006-07 NHL season for the Tampa Bay Lightning, and had previously played for the Calgary Flames. As an amateur he played for the University of Vermont Catamounts alongside former Lightning teammate Eric Perrin, where he was an NCAA all-star and three-time Hobey Baker Award finalist for college player of the year. He ranks first amongst all Vermont scorers in career points (267) and assists (176), and ranks third in career goals (91). Despite his impressive numbers with the Catamounts, he was not drafted. St-Louis was signed by Calgary in 1998. He spent the latter part of the 1997-98 season with the IHL's Cleveland Lumberjacks at the time of his signing with Calgary. He did put up impressive numbers with the Saint John Flames of the American Hockey League. When Craig Button was appointed general manager of the Flames, he released St-Louis and he signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

He was on pace to have a career year in the 2001-02 when his season ended prematurely due to a broken leg. In 2003-04 he led the NHL in scoring with 94 points. He scored an overtime goal in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals, helping the Tampa Bay Lightning defeat the Calgary Flames for the Stanley Cup. At season's end he won both the Hart Memorial Trophy as the most valuable player to his team and the Lester B. Pearson Award as league MVP voted by his peers. St-Louis became the first player since Wayne Gretzky in 1987, and only the eighth in NHL history, to win the Art Ross Trophy, the Stanley Cup, and the Hart Memorial Trophy all in one season.

In August of 2005, Martin St-Louis signed a six-year deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning worth $31.5 million. St-Louis was quoted as saying, "I'm just happy that the Lightning have found a way to keep me long-term. Tampa was always my first choice, I've had so many good things happen to me in Tampa."[citation needed]

He wears number 26 to pay tribute to his childhood hero, diminutive former Montreal Canadiens star Mats Näslund. During the 2004-05 NHL lockout he played for the Swiss team HC Lausanne.

St-Louis played for Team Canada at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, where he was part of the team which won the World Cup, and the 2006 Winter Olympics which saw them eliminated by Russia in the quarterfinals after what was considered a disappointing tournament.

In the 2006-2007 NHL season, St-Louis recorded a personal high of 102 points (43 goals, 59 assists). The Tampa Bay Lightning lost in the first round of the playoffs to the New Jersey Devils.

Before the start of the 2007-08 season, St. Louis was named an alternate captain of the Lightning because of captain Tim Taylor's expected long-term absence due to injury.[1]

At the end of the 2007-08 season, St. Louis finished the season with 25 goals 58 assists and 83 points. Finishing second in team scoring, behind teammate Vincent Lecavalier

Named finalist for the "Lady Byng" Trophy for the 2007-2008 season at the NHL Awards show in June.

[edit] Personal

He and his wife Heather have three boys, Ryan, Lucas and Mason.

Former Vermont teammates with Boston Bruins goalie Tim Thomas and Atlanta Thrashers forward Eric Perrin. Perrin joined Marty during the Stanley Cup run with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

[edit] Awards

[edit] Career statistics

    Regular Season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1993-94 University of Vermont ECAC 33 15 36 51 24 - - - - -
1994-95 University of Vermont ECAC 35 23 48 71 36 - - - - -
1995-96 University of Vermont ECAC 35 29 56 85 38 - - - - -
1996-97 University of Vermont ECAC 36 24 36 60 65 - - - - -
1997-98 Cleveland Lumberjacks IHL 56 16 34 50 24 - - - - -
1997-98 Saint John Flames AHL 25 15 11 26 20 20 5 15 20 16
1998-99 Saint John Flames AHL 53 28 34 62 30 7 4 4 8 2
1998-99 Calgary Flames NHL 13 1 1 2 10 - - - - -
1999-00 Saint John Flames AHL 17 15 11 26 14 - - - - -
1999-00 Calgary Flames NHL 56 3 15 18 22 - - - - -
2000-01 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 78 18 22 40 12 - - - - -
2001-02 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 53 16 19 35 20 - - - - -
2002-03 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 82 33 37 70 32 11 7 5 12 0
2003-04 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 82 38 56 94 24 23 9 15 24 14
2004-05 HC Lausanne Swiss-A 23 9 16 25 16 - - - - -
2005-06 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 80 31 30 61 38 5 4 0 4 2
2006-07 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 82 43 59 102 28 6 3 5 8 8
2007-08 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 82 25 58 83 26 -- -- -- -- --
NHL Totals 608 208 297 505 212 45 23 25 48 24

[edit] International play

Played for Canada in:

[edit] International statistics

Year Comp   GP G A Pts PIM
2004 WCH 6 2 2 4 0
2006 Oly 6 2 1 3 0
2008 WC
Senior Int'l Totals 12 4 3 7 0

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Cristodero. Damian (2007). St. Louis to lead as Taylor rehabs. TampaBay.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-17.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Preceded by
Peter Forsberg		 Winner of the Hart Trophy
2004		 Succeeded by
Joe Thornton
Preceded by
Peter Forsberg		 Winner of the Art Ross Trophy
2004		 Succeeded by
Joe Thornton
Preceded by
Markus Näslund		 Winner of the Lester B. Pearson Award
2004		 Succeeded by
Jaromír Jágr
Preceded by
Peter Forsberg & Milan Hejduk		 Co-winner of the NHL Plus/Minus Award
(with Marek Malik)
2004		 Succeeded by
Wade Redden and Michal Rozsival