Jay Mckee made a career in the NHL by sacrifice. He was primarily known as a defensive defensemen, who would sacrifice life and limb to block a shot. He didn't care about the bumps and bruises, he just cared about getting in front of a shot.
This is a trait that is admired in the NHL, which is why Jay McKee is well known as one of the guys everyone loved playing with. He started his career with the Buffalo Sabres, playing in parts of ten seasons in the Sabres organization.
When he became a free agent in the 2006 off-season, he opted to sign with the St. Louis Blues. He signed a four year, $16 million contract. It looked to be a perfect fit, and for the time McKee played, it seemed to be.
While many claimed that his contract was more than what McKee was worth, McKee proved to be a strong, middle pairing defender while with the Blues. He went up against the teams best, and he'd shut them down, sacrificing his body in the process. This would eventually be his demise in St. Louis.
McKee suffered many injuries with the Blues, including a broken finger, a knee injury, and other different ailments, including a few lower body injuries. After three seasons, and just 158 games in a Blues uniform, he was bought out from his contract, a year early, and became an unrestricted free agent. He eventually signed his last NHL contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2009 off-season and played just 62 more games, plus five post season games, and then ultimately retired.
Now while many remember McKee as being the last player the Blues have bought out, the other being forward Petr Cajanek, not many really remember much about his time here, except he was injured a lot. Well I chatted with McKee about his time in St. Louis and his views about leaving.
Randall Ritchey : What was your main reason behind signing with the St. Louis Blues.
Jay McKee : The main reason I signed with the Blues is because they showed the most interest in pursuing me and they expressed a strong dedication towards building a contender. I had a lot of respect for John Davidson, which was a factor as well.
Randall Ritchey : What was the biggest thing you got out of playing in St. Louis?
Jay McKee : It was a first class organization. From top to bottom, it was a very well run. The management always treated the players and the staff with the utmost respect. I was lucky to join the team after the Cardinals had just won the World Series and with St. Louis being an outstanding sports city, it was great. Fans aren't divided, they aren't just Blues fans and that's it and they aren't just Cardinal fans and that's it. They love their sports in St. Louis and aren't biased to any certain one. All in all, it was a first class all the way.
Randall Ritchey : Did you have any certain player that was your favorite to play with while in St. Louis?
Jay McKee : It would be impossible for me to label a "favorite player" in which I played with on the Blues or any team.. There was too many great guys on the team to select just one or two.
Randall Ritchey : You did get to play with Keith Tkachuk while in St. Louis, and he is widely known as a guy who loves St. Louis. He stayed here after he retired and has made this his home. What was it like playing with a guy like that?
Jay McKee : Playing with Walt was great. I played against him for a lot of years. Being a physical defensemen, playing against a power-forward like Walt, it builds up a lot of on ice dislike for one another. So I hated playing against him, but he was one of the first guys to call me once I signed in St. Louis, letting me know that if I needed a place to live for a while or anything, he was there to help out. He's a classy guy and he's one of the best guys I've met in the game as well. You meet a lot of guys after playing for as long as I have and he was one of those who I'm still friends with. He's just a great guy.
Randall Ritchey : Did you have any regrets about your time in St. Louis?
Jay McKee : I have no regrets at all with my time with the Blues, I have no regrets in life, it's not the way I live. My only disappointment with my time in St Louis was being marred with unpreventable injuries my first season there. The third, my pelvic injury no doubt shortened my career.
It's not question that McKee is one of the better guys in the game. He ways passionate about the game, and it showed when he was on the ice. A guy there just to make a paycheck wouldn't have put his body in front of as many shots as McKee did. He truly was a man who loved the game.
McKee is now in a player/coach roll with a AAA men's team, the Dundas Real McCoy's in Dundas, Ontario.
I'd like to thank Jay for taking the time to talk about his time with the Blues and being willing to share it with all of you.
Stay caught up with everything Blues related by following me a twitter @Blues_Buzz