Martin St. Louis proved he wasn't much of an underdog after all

When the Calgary Flames signed fire hydrant-sized forward Martin St. Louis as a college free agent in 1998 no one would have guessed that his trophy case would be full and his résumé would be complete when he walked away from the game.

St. Louis, 40, surprised people throughout his NHL career, and he did it one last time Thursday when he announced his retirement.

Unquestionably, St. Louis could have signed for another season had he been willing to wait through the first few days of free agency. A few teams were looking at him as a Plan B option. But St. Louis decided it was time to leave the game to spend more time with his wife, Heather, and his three sons, Ryan, Lucas and Mason.

“I have been blessed to play for 16 years in the NHL; it has been an amazing ride,” said St. Louis, who played for the New York Rangers last season.

St. Louis, 5-8, 175 pounds, was undrafted, considered too small for the NHL. Even after scoring 91 goals in four seasons at the University of Vermont, St. Louis had to be a dominant player in the International Hockey League for part of a season before the Flames signed him.

The Flames clearly didn’t know what they had because St Louis was allowed to leave and sign with the Tampa Bay Lightning two years later.

He had 18 goals and 40 points in his first season in Tampa Bay in 2000-01, but by his third season in Tampa Bay he was a 30-goal scorer. In 2003-04, he won the NHL scoring title and the Hart Trophy, given to the player judged to be the most valuable player. He also played a key role in helping the Lightning win their first Stanley Cup in franchise history in 2004.

St. Louis averaged 30 goals per season over an 11-season span from 2002-14 when he was traded to the New York Rangers. He was named to seven All-Star teams and won three Lady Byng trophies.

America loves underdogs, especially athletes who beat the odds to be successful. St. Louis was one of those players. His size was never an issue. He rarely was injured, playing a full regular season seven times with the Lightning, and not missing a game from 2006-11.

St. Louis was easy to like, and not because he achieved athlete success when scouts didn’t believe he would. As his teammates would say, St. Louis played the game and lived his life the right way. He was an exceptional teammate and a strong ambassador. During this year’s Stanley Cup Final, Tampa Bay captain Steven Stamkos said much of what he knows about leadership he learned from St. Louis.

Although St. Louis scored 21 goals this season, you could see that Father Time had finally located St. Louis. He didn’t seem quite as dynamic. St. Louis probably knew it as well. He could have perhaps made another couple of million dollars and limped to the finish line.

But that isn’t the St. Louis way. He decided it was time to say goodbye, and he thanked everyone on his way out the door. That’s the St. Louis way.