Martin St. Louis Is Proving That Age Is Just A Number

Martin St. Louis has always been a proud man, never one to give less than every ounce of effort on the ice each game. The Tampa Bay Lighting are heading for a lottery pick instead of a playoff spot this year, but you wouldn't have known it watching St. Louis last night. In a meaningless game for the Bolts, St. Louis notched his 7th career hattrick (his first in over a year) and moved passed the injured Sidney Crosby to take first place in the race for the Art Ross trophy with only two games left in the season.

For St. Louis, it would be his second scoring title, his last coming way back in 2003-04, the same year the Lighting won the Stanley Cup. The fact that it would set the record for most seasons between Art Ross victories is a testament to St. Louis' longevity, work ethic and will to win.

It's been a tough road for St. Louis to be able to accomplish what he has in the NHL. Standing at just
5 feet 8 inches tall,  he was never drafted into the NHL as teams were afraid his size would be a detriment. Despite being named a finalist for the Hobey Baker award twice, a trophy given to the best college hockey player in America, NHL teams were still hesitant to give St. Louis a shot. However after he finished his college career, he earned a tryout with Ottawa and played in the minors until Calgary finally signed him to a contract. His years with the Flames were largely forgettable, and he finally found his way to Tampa Bay as a free agent.

Since then it seems that, like a fine wine, St. Louis just gets better with age. During the lockout that followed Tampa's 2004 Stanley Cup victory came his 30th birthday. Generally for most players north of thirty they start to see a decline in their play, but St. Louis has such an intense passion and drive to go along with freakish physical fitness that he's continued to produce. Not only that, but he's producing at a much better pace than when he was in his 20's. Since 2005 St. Louis has averaged 30 goals and 85 points per season and was among the top total scorers during the inter-lockout years.

So now, in his 37th year, St. Louis looks poised to add another Art Ross trophy to his incredible list of accolades which include a Hart, a Pearson, two Lady Byngs, and a Stanley Cup ring. With all that he's accomplished another scoring title would no doubt cement a place for him in the Hockey Hall of Fame after his retirement. Most importantly though, he's proved all those who doubted him for being too small wrong. That a small player can excel at the NHL level if he puts in enough work and has a true love of the game. Of course having incredible skills helps as well.


Snap Shots:

• The Senators are going to get a huge boost tonight, as last year's top defenseman Erik Karlsson returns from injury. The guy must have some special healing powers, because everyone thought he was done for the year. He'll be a boon to Ottawa's post-season chances.
• It also appears that Sidney Crosby, who has been out of the lineup with a broken jaw, will be back soon. He's looking to get medical clearance, possibly as early as today, to rejoin his teammates in practice and maybe get into a game before the playoffs start.
• And in more injury news, it seems Vancouver goalie Cory Schneider is having some problems and Roberto Luongo will get the start versus Anaheim tonight, possibly his last home start ever for the Canucks. As for what's bothering Schneider, nobody really knows, as it was said to be a "body injury" by coach Alain Vigneault. Whatever it may be, it doesn't seem too serious as the coach also said he expects him ready for the playoffs. 
• That's all for now, but I'll be back soon with a look at tonight's key games around the NHL. Please don't forget to comment and share if you like the content here at WAAP. Here's your gif of the day, Corey Crawford flashing the leather and making a huge glove stop against the Oilers: