Martin St. Louis

Lore & Background

St. Louis chose to sign with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2000 as he believed they were the most likely to give him playing time in the NHL. He struggled at first, failing to score a goal in the first six weeks of the season. Realizing he was at a career crossroads, St. Louis abandoned the changes to his game that his NHL coaches had impressed on him, trusting his own instincts. He scored his first goal of the season on November 22, 2000, and finished the season playing in 78 games with 18 goals, 22 assists and 40 points – 34 of which came after December 1. In 2003–04, he captured the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer with 94 points (38 goals, 56 assists) and his plus-minus of +38 led the league. He led the 2004 playoffs with 15 assists and finished with 24 playoff points in 23 games. He scored the overtime winning goal on Miikka Kiprusoff in game six of the Stanley Cup Final to force a deciding seventh game, which the Lightning won 2–1 to secure the franchise's first Stanley Cup.

Reader's Guide

The St. Louis era with the Lightning is defined by his arrival as an undrafted free agent in 2000 and his central role in the team's 2004 Stanley Cup championship. After being bought out by the Calgary Flames, St. Louis chose Tampa Bay because he believed they would give him playing time. He broke out in 2002–03, finishing fourth in team scoring with 70 points and tying Vincent Lecavalier for the team lead with 33 goals. He appeared in his first NHL All-Star Game that season. In the 2003 playoffs, Tampa Bay won its first playoff series in franchise history when they eliminated the Washington Capitals, with St. Louis scoring the overtime goal in the sixth game that won the series. He led the team with 12 points in all 11 playoff games. His 2003–04 season was historic: he led the league in scoring (94 points) and plus-minus (+38), won the Hart Trophy, the Lester B. Pearson Award, and the Art Ross Trophy, and led the Lightning to the Stanley Cup. On January 17, 2017, his number 26 jersey became the first to be retired in Lightning history.

Did You Know?

• St. Louis was undrafted and went unselected in the 2000 NHL Expansion Draft before signing with Tampa Bay.
• He scored his first career hat-trick on January 30, 2003, in a game against the Carolina Hurricanes.