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Lightning to retire Marty St. Louis' No. 26 this year

October 6, 2016, 3:55 PM ET [12 Comments]
Ty Anderson
Tampa Bay Lightning Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
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For the first time in their 24-year history, the Tampa Bay Lightning will honor one of their own.

On Jan. 13, 2017, prior to their regular season head-to-head with John Tortorella and the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Lightning will raise and retire the No. 26 worn by Marty St. Louis during his illustrious 13-year run with the club to the rafters of Amalie Arena.

"As Marty enters his second year in retirement from the game, we believe this season is the time to hang his number from the rafters at Amalie Arena,” Lightning owner Jeff Vinik said. "Marty had a terrific career in Tampa Bay, making six All-Star appearances while setting numerous team records, all highlighted of course by the Stanley Cup win in 2004. We look forward to a wonderful retirement ceremony, recognizing him for all that he accomplished as a member of the Lightning."

Listed at just 5-foot-8, St. Louis played with the heart of somebody twice that size, the Laval, Que., native ranks first in team history in points (953), assists (588), power-play points (300), game-winning goals (64), and shorthanded goals (28). St. Louis, who skated in 972 games in town, is also tied with Steven Stamkos for the most hat tricks in Lightning history at eight, and his 365 goals are second on the club’s all time list, just 18 behind Vincent Lecavalier’s franchise-leading 383.

St. Louis was a key cog in the Lightning’s unforgettable run to their only Stanley Cup in franchise history, a seven-game war of a series against Jarome Iginla and the Calgary Flames, with nine goals and 24 points in 23 games. Big goals became the norm for St. Louis throughout that run, too, as he scored the series-deciding goal against the New York Islanders in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, and the overtime winner in a win-or-go-home Game 6 against the Flames. His tremendous postseason came after an amazing regular season that came with an Art Ross Trophy with his league-leading 94 points and Hart Memorial Trophy as the league’s most valuable player.

And even as the Lightning went through their growing pains and several personnel changes, St. Louis remained a model of consistent excellence, and skated in nearly 500 consecutive games for the Lightning from 2005 to 2011, and took him his second Art Ross, this time at a league-record 37 years old, following the 2012-13 season in which he posted 60 points in 48 games played.

Unfortunately, the relationship between the Lightning and then-captain St. Louis soured in 2014, or right after St. Louis felt disrespected by Lightning general manager (and Team Canada GM) Steve Yzerman and his non-selection and then his usage on a Gold winning Team Canada after he was named as an injury replacement for Stamkos, and St. Louis was traded to the New York Rangers.

In a rare captain-for-captain swap that brought winger Ryan Callahan to the Bolts, St. Louis would go on to record 22 goals and 60 points in 93 regular season games for the Blueshirts, and contributed nine goals and 22 points in 44 postseason games for the Rangers.

And ironically, St. Louis’ last career game came against the Lightning, too, a Game 7, 2-0 New York loss to Ben Bishop and the Lightning in the 2015 Eastern Conference Final.

But over two years have passed since then, and the bitterness between the parties has subsided.

“To have my number retired by the Lightning is a tremendous honor and I'd like to thank Jeff Vinik and everyone in the organization for recognizing me this way,” St. Louis, who gave it all to the Bolts in his tenure, said in a release. “I have many great memories in Tampa Bay, including our great Stanley Cup win, and this night will be extremely special and emotional for my family and me.”

And finally, No. 26 is back home.

Ty Anderson has been covering the National Hockey League for HockeyBuzz.com since 2010, has been a member of the Pro Hockey Writers Association's Boston Chapter since 2013, and can also be read in the New England Hockey Journal magazine. Contact him on Twitter or send him an email at Ty.AndersonHB[at]gmail.com.
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