The influence of lightning legend Martin St. Louis on Tampa hockey – Hockey Writer – Lightning History
Tampa Bay Lightning gave a smaller and undrafted 25-year-old a chance just four years ago. Eventually, their franchise will change forever. Martin St. Louis’s signing was called “Marty” by many in the hockey world, which would make everyone the top players of his generation and ultimately leave a legacy in the Tampa Bay area.
Let’s review how a man’s success story helped create an unlikely success story where hockey flourished in non-traditional markets.
The unlikely face of the franchise
This is the backstory of everything.
The subtitle says that he is unlikely to be the face of the NHL team is an understatement. It’s more daunting to attract the attention of any tissue than to extract a tooth. The height he was listed may vary by an inch or two, but was listed as 5 feet 8 on the hockey reference. He is small and an unsigned free agent didn’t compete in his first NHL game until he was 23. In the 1998-99 season, he made his NHL debut with Calgary Flames, the same season that Lightning drafted his ultimate crime partner, Vincent Lecavalier. Two seasons later, they moved out of him.
He chose the free agent lightning in hopes of more game time. 1999 – 00 The Chargers achieved 19-47-9-7 with a score of 19-47-9-7. Anyone can help at this point. Throw who is on the ice and see who is sticking.
In his first season with the team, he scored 18 goals and 22 assists in 78 games, with 40 points. In 53 games, he contributed 35 points with 16 goals and 19 assists. He has seen an improvement in average production per season. He averaged 0.51 points per game in 2000-01 and then scored 0.66 points per game in 2001-02.
Related: Revisiting Lightning’s Blockbuster Trade Black Coleman
If it was the St. Louis ceiling, what he could do in the NHL, it would still be successful. He has a place in the bottom of almost every NHL team, and that would be nothing to laugh at. But he didn’t finish it. A breakthrough is about to happen.
He played all 82 games in the 2002-03 season, scoring 33 goals and 37 assists and scoring 70 points. Suddenly, he was the top material and was named All-Star. He helped the Chargers make the playoffs for the second time in team history. They ranked first in the Southeast Division and reached the semifinals (the second round).
The brewing situation in Tampa Bay cannot be better. The following season, he and the team are moving forward again. St. Louis is an All-Star again, but this time, he won the Art Rose Trophy (a prize for scoring titles in the NHL). He also won Hart Trophy (NHL’s MVP) and won fourth place in the Selke Trophy vote (the highest defensive forward award).
As for Lightning, they won the first Stanley Cup. He didn’t win Conn Smythe, but St. Louis was the post-season hero of his former team, The Flames. His doubles goal in Game 6 forced the Lightning to eventually win Game 7.
The franchise in chaos ranges from top with the power of a small star to the Stanley Cup champion and has had a Hall of Fame membership in just a few years.
His recognition of his impact on Lightning (and NHL)
The St. Louis Award has been mentioned, but he has received more honors in his retirement. After retirement, Lightning hung 26th from the aftermath, becoming the first person to retire in franchise history.
Then, Captain Charger Steven Stamkos said St. Louis “…still, always, is the core and soul of the organization.”
St. Louis was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018. Although he is not the first to play Lightning, he is arguably the first real Lightning player to really enjoy. For further detail, he was the first to represent any other franchise. Even Dave Andreychuk, captain and 2004 Stanley Cup champion, has been with the Buffalo Sabers for 12 years and generations of fans have not been overlooked.
In the Hockey Hall of Fame, it is the highest honor in the sport, but his biggest honor associated with Lightning is his Hall of Fame induction. More specifically, how he was selected. He and Lecavalier are automatic attractors. Both are so obvious choices that they have just begun to be selected, getting fans to vote for other players. You have to leave a significant impact to bypass the vote.
The Effect of St. Louis on the Growth of Hockey in Tampa Bay
What St. Louis did for Lightning was in turn the key to hockey growth in the Tampa Bay area. Previously, I wrote about how much hockey has been planted in the area since the drafting of Stamkos. While this impact is very real, someone has to help the team reach this point in their history.
Forget the success of the overall team. Without him, they probably wouldn’t have won the cup. Of course, this team is likely to end up being a strong franchise they are anyway. Probably the same. Jeff Vinik’s strategy will change everything. Let’s think about it.
St. Louis gave the team a face, as well as Lecavalier, for fans to lock in over a dozen seasons. Even during some brutal seasons on the ice, the loss on the ice suffered at the meetings has kept these consistent faces floating. They have former Stanley Cup heroes to see. That must have waved some people.
A fewer stars mean that children growing up in the area have fewer idols. As the main reason I became a hockey fan, I will be one of the first people to attribute to St. Louis. Among the Tampa Bay hockey fans, I’m not alone. Without Marty doesn’t mean you’re just looking up to Vinny or anyone else on the team. That’s not the child’s idea. Sometimes they just choose other interests, whether it is another sport or another sport.
Stars like St. Louis have stopped a generation. He bridged the gap between those who watched the game on Thunderdome in the 1990s and those who fell in love with the team in the 2010s and beyond. Many teams can’t say they have that guy, so it’s a steeper climb. The Lightning and Tampa Bay area generally make them franchise and district, as well as today’s team and hockey markets.
