The year was 2002. I was in high school and went to a discount sports memorabilia shop and found a Tampa Bay Lightning St. Louis jersey on the clearance rack. Having no idea who he was, but I was a huge Lightning fan, I bought it. 4 months later, I heard he was doing autographs at a local mall, so I grabbed my jersey and brought it with me. Waited in line, which wasn’t very long, and had him sign the jersey, unknowing of what he would become. Fast forward a year or so, and he becomes one of Tampa’s best scorers, playing with a ton of grit, and helping the Lightning win the Stanley Cup in 2004. He then goes on to set all sorts of franchise records, becomes the captain, and lays the foundation for what Lightning hockey becomes. He didn’t leave on good terms, but even with the Rangers, he proved his legendary status. Now as the head coach of the Canadiens, he has the opportunity to forge another path on his legendary career. He is only one of 2 Lightning players to have their numbers retired. As for the signed jersey, I still have it. It’s something I will never forget. I have a lot of signed Lightning memorabilia from the 90’s and early 2000’s, but nothing like the experience of missing out on school that day to get a jersey signed by an unknown who is now an NHL legend.
"My mom used to always tell me to show them. Well mom, I think I did." Wow. Yeah, that got me right there. Brought tear to my eye back in 2015 when he retired and still does now. Powerful stuff.
@@itsjayv8807 They let a number of excellent players go, largely for nothing, in that era right? Giguere, MSL, Marc Savard. Even Cory Stillman was a solid player for years vs the sea of garbage they held on to forever.
@@cedrikmueller5653 Exactly. In the end Tampa got two first round picks, Callahan and he basically convinced Brian Boyle and Anton Stralman to sign in Tampa the next year. Marty was 39 years old and played for one more season. Set up Tampa pretty well.
Yeah it setup tampa well I obviously understand that but st.louis deserved the respect he earned for stevey and shouldn't have been made to feel the way he felt
Marty is one of my favorite players all time. His 2014 playoff run was awesome and the fact that he was basically undrafted from Vermont due to size to become a HOFer is legendary. I guess you could say he helped paved the way for shorter guys like Stankoven and Caufield, but the game has definitely changed to allow short players to thrive.
As a not very tall guy that grew up playing hockey in the southeast in the 90s/00s, Marty St. Louis always was and still is my favorite player of all time. What an absolute legend.
So glad this was on my feed. Thanks for the awesome video! As a Senators fan I had no idea they had the first crack at St. Louis and let him get away, just another way they let me down.
26# Martin St. Louis # 16 NHL seasons - representing 3 NHL teams: Calgary Flames (1999-2000), TB Lightning (2000-2014) & NY Rangers (2014-2015). # 3 AHL seasons - representing: Saint John Flames (1998 & 1998-2000). # 1 IHL season - representing: Cleveland Lumberjacks (1997-1998). # 1 NLA season - representing: HC Lausanne (2004-2005 lock-out season). # Stanley Cup Champion 2004 (Lightning) + Finals 2014 (NY Rangers). # Olympic gold medalist 2014 (Canada). # World Cup gold medalist 2004. # 2x IIHF World Championship silver medals 2008 & 2009. # Hart Memorial Trophy (MVP) - 2004. # 2x Art Ross Trophy (league scoring champion) - 2004 & 2013. # Lester B. Pearson Award (Players MVP) - 2004. # Plus-Minus Award - 2004 # 3x Lady Byng Memorial Trophy (Most gentlemanly player) - 2010, 2011 & 2013, # NHL First team All-Star - 2004. # 4x NHL Second Team All-Star - 2007, 2010, 2011 & 2013. # 6x NHL All-Star Game player - 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009 & 2011. # 26# forever retired by TB Lightning (2017) # Hockey Hall of Fame - 2018.
i didn't get to see too much of his career but I was very fortunate to have been able to see him excel his final 5-6 years throughout elementary and middle school even when he was in his mid 30s or late 30s. Between 2008-2014 him and stamkos were one of the sickest duos and from 2008-2013 those 2 and lecavalier were one of the sickest trios ever. His brief tenure with the rangers was a treat to see as well. And good for him being able to be the head coach of his hometown team!
Very cool video, you got yourself a new sub. Looking at the thumbnail, I couldn't tell if the unexpected legend was going to be Marty or Big Z. You could argue Chara because how many giant freaks could excel in the NHL, let alone be as dominant for as long as he was? Now I am a B's fan so I'm biased, however, I'm also biased towards Marty because my dad had season tickets to UVM games and I had the amazing fortune of seeing Marty play all four of his college years...along with another unexpected legend named Tim Thomas. Wow, looking back, never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I'd see both Marty and Timmy hoist the cup. Believe me though, at least for Catamount fans, we never had a doubt how special a player Marty was, even when they lost you came to expect that he'd put on a show and at least make it interesting. Note: There was actually a dynamic duo at UVM formed by St. Louis and his line mate Eric Perrin, who was another diminutively sized player, well north of a PPG player, and Catamount legend, and they were unstoppable together...basically imagine having two Marty St. Louis's on the ice, and you get the drift. While Eric didn't go on to have the success Marty did, I just remembered from seeing this video (@20:46) that he also somehow made it on the Lightning and was on the ice to hoist the cup along with Marty...quite fitting indeed, that's some hockey Gods stuff as well. Good times, game on!!! At least for the foreseeable future, Marty will make it an easier pill to swallow when the Bruins lose to the friggin Habs, lol.
As a Lightning fan...regardless of how he forced himself out of town...he will ALWAYS be a legend here. HoF'er. Stanley Cup winner. Gotta loves the Marty!
As Sens fan it hurts knowing Ottawa gave him a tryout and never signed him. Imagine St.Louis playing alongside Alfredsson and Hossa would've been awesome but it wasn't meant to be. My dad got to watch Marty play with the Saint John Flames and told me he was the best player they had on their team in his time there. One of my all time favourites and an absolute legend!
So let’s get it out of the way, Gretzky never entered the draft so I don’t accept the technicality. Ok. Martin St Louis is the greatest undrafted player in NHL history. There’s no debate.
Not unexpected just a surprise that fell in our lap (I was a Bolts fan in those days) the way Marchessault fell into Florida's and then they foolishly left him unprotected for Vegas to snap up. Theo Fleury? Pat Verbeek? Plenty of "small" guys have excelled in the NHL. The biggest issue is durability due to being targeted once opponents see how talented they are. Marty's most difficult year was his 2nd full one in Tampa. He rarely missed time afterward.
Gutterson was wild during those games. I got kicked out for throwing the Puss back in 94...but they let me sneak right back in because secretly they all loved the Puss.
I referee him in is minor hockey as well as Junior AAA in Joliette what he did and what he when true all does years is magic congrats and bring the 25 Stanley cup to Montreal ❤
33:23 "6th undrafted player with 1000 points" did you mean 16th? I looked up this on Quainthockey snd it says 18 undrafted players with over 1000 points.
Great player but how was St Louis a HoF inductee when Patrick Elias is still fighting to get in? Elias won the head to head battle, lost at minimum 2 years of his prime to Hep C, and their point totals are still almost identical. And Elias played on a team with no other true Elite forwards until later in his career once Parise was drafted. Elias is Czech hockey royalty a well, a player coming out of a civil war in his own country to enter to NHL Never understood how St. Louis is looked to on a pedestal but guys like Mogilny and Elias are still not in the Hall
Expansion drafts were funny back then but to be fair, MSL had no reputation at all and was very young. Expansion teams, really until Vegas, typically tried to select a veteran core that would, presumably, be more competitive than unproven youngsters. And then rely on high draft picks to build the future. It never really worked that well and even teams that eventually got good like Tampa and Ottawa had to spend almost 10 years building.
@@Furens Yeah, it was slim pickings in the 90s entry drafts. Teams could protect their #1 goalie, top 9 forwards, and top 5 defensemen. What's left was often split between multiple expansion franchises (TB/OTT, ANA/FLA, MIN/CBJ).
Who else misses Marty & Gary f*cking Thorne? Also at 33:23 I meant to say 16th not 6th undrafted player to reach 1000 points 🙏
The year was 2002. I was in high school and went to a discount sports memorabilia shop and found a Tampa Bay Lightning St. Louis jersey on the clearance rack. Having no idea who he was, but I was a huge Lightning fan, I bought it. 4 months later, I heard he was doing autographs at a local mall, so I grabbed my jersey and brought it with me. Waited in line, which wasn’t very long, and had him sign the jersey, unknowing of what he would become. Fast forward a year or so, and he becomes one of Tampa’s best scorers, playing with a ton of grit, and helping the Lightning win the Stanley Cup in 2004. He then goes on to set all sorts of franchise records, becomes the captain, and lays the foundation for what Lightning hockey becomes. He didn’t leave on good terms, but even with the Rangers, he proved his legendary status. Now as the head coach of the Canadiens, he has the opportunity to forge another path on his legendary career. He is only one of 2 Lightning players to have their numbers retired. As for the signed jersey, I still have it. It’s something I will never forget. I have a lot of signed Lightning memorabilia from the 90’s and early 2000’s, but nothing like the experience of missing out on school that day to get a jersey signed by an unknown who is now an NHL legend.
"My mom used to always tell me to show them. Well mom, I think I did."
Wow. Yeah, that got me right there. Brought tear to my eye back in 2015 when he retired and still does now. Powerful stuff.
As a Calgary flames fan I hate this. I knew we shouldn’t have let him go
Twice dude. Brett Hull is another. The flames suck at seeing potential. Thank God they won a great asset in Iginla.
you can blame Craig Button on that one lol
@@itsjayv8807and Brian sutter. Played him 5 minutes a game
@@itsjayv8807 They let a number of excellent players go, largely for nothing, in that era right? Giguere, MSL, Marc Savard. Even Cory Stillman was a solid player for years vs the sea of garbage they held on to forever.
Lol your team has let got a lot of good players 😆😆
Phenomenal story telling through your editing and narration. That 36 minutes just FLEW by
As a big tampa bay fan, I absolutely hate what we did to him, he should have retired a bolt😢
Keep up the good work man loving the video!
The golden age, Canadians carrying Americans. Now, active ads on the boards. Ads on jerseys, bush league.
But that trade got you some key players to help you win a championship.
Was it that bad? I think the trade ended up well for both teams. He retired anyways two seasons later. He will be always be a Bolts legend.
@@cedrikmueller5653 Exactly. In the end Tampa got two first round picks, Callahan and he basically convinced Brian Boyle and Anton Stralman to sign in Tampa the next year. Marty was 39 years old and played for one more season. Set up Tampa pretty well.
Yeah it setup tampa well I obviously understand that but st.louis deserved the respect he earned for stevey and shouldn't have been made to feel the way he felt
Marty is one of my favorite players all time. His 2014 playoff run was awesome and the fact that he was basically undrafted from Vermont due to size to become a HOFer is legendary. I guess you could say he helped paved the way for shorter guys like Stankoven and Caufield, but the game has definitely changed to allow short players to thrive.
Teams still underestimate smaller players to this day. See Zach Benson fall all the way down to 13th last summer.
i hated back then if you were 6,4 225 pounds and had zero talent you were being drafted first round lol...
As a not very tall guy that grew up playing hockey in the southeast in the 90s/00s, Marty St. Louis always was and still is my favorite player of all time. What an absolute legend.
LOVE THIS!!!! thank you for putting this together. He truly is a legend
As a kid born in Tampa at the turn of the millennium, Marty was my hero.
there is no other option but to cry when hearing about his mother and the heart they all had and his dedication
So glad this was on my feed. Thanks for the awesome video! As a Senators fan I had no idea they had the first crack at St. Louis and let him get away, just another way they let me down.
Yooooo just found your channel and i had to subscribe, this is quality hockey content right here. Your videos rock, keep it up man!
26# Martin St. Louis
# 16 NHL seasons - representing 3 NHL teams: Calgary Flames (1999-2000), TB Lightning (2000-2014) & NY Rangers (2014-2015).
# 3 AHL seasons - representing: Saint John Flames (1998 & 1998-2000).
# 1 IHL season - representing: Cleveland Lumberjacks (1997-1998).
# 1 NLA season - representing: HC Lausanne (2004-2005 lock-out season).
# Stanley Cup Champion 2004 (Lightning) + Finals 2014 (NY Rangers).
# Olympic gold medalist 2014 (Canada).
# World Cup gold medalist 2004.
# 2x IIHF World Championship silver medals 2008 & 2009.
# Hart Memorial Trophy (MVP) - 2004.
# 2x Art Ross Trophy (league scoring champion) - 2004 & 2013.
# Lester B. Pearson Award (Players MVP) - 2004.
# Plus-Minus Award - 2004
# 3x Lady Byng Memorial Trophy (Most gentlemanly player) - 2010, 2011 & 2013,
# NHL First team All-Star - 2004.
# 4x NHL Second Team All-Star - 2007, 2010, 2011 & 2013.
# 6x NHL All-Star Game player - 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009 & 2011.
# 26# forever retired by TB Lightning (2017)
# Hockey Hall of Fame - 2018.
The fact that the flames had him gave up on him and then lost on his game winner makes me want to unalive myself
He was given a chance by Ottawa for a time before being let go and picked up by Calgary.
And he's an amazing creative coach for the Habs. This obsession with "let's get bigger" makes you make the mistake of ignoringg HOF talent like MSL.
i didn't get to see too much of his career but I was very fortunate to have been able to see him excel his final 5-6 years throughout elementary and middle school even when he was in his mid 30s or late 30s. Between 2008-2014 him and stamkos were one of the sickest duos and from 2008-2013 those 2 and lecavalier were one of the sickest trios ever. His brief tenure with the rangers was a treat to see as well. And good for him being able to be the head coach of his hometown team!
I just love French names , lol they just sound great coming off the tongue
Anyone else notice the Cooperalls at 2:48? What a style
Very cool video, you got yourself a new sub. Looking at the thumbnail, I couldn't tell if the unexpected legend was going to be Marty or Big Z. You could argue Chara because how many giant freaks could excel in the NHL, let alone be as dominant for as long as he was? Now I am a B's fan so I'm biased, however, I'm also biased towards Marty because my dad had season tickets to UVM games and I had the amazing fortune of seeing Marty play all four of his college years...along with another unexpected legend named Tim Thomas. Wow, looking back, never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I'd see both Marty and Timmy hoist the cup. Believe me though, at least for Catamount fans, we never had a doubt how special a player Marty was, even when they lost you came to expect that he'd put on a show and at least make it interesting. Note: There was actually a dynamic duo at UVM formed by St. Louis and his line mate Eric Perrin, who was another diminutively sized player, well north of a PPG player, and Catamount legend, and they were unstoppable together...basically imagine having two Marty St. Louis's on the ice, and you get the drift. While Eric didn't go on to have the success Marty did, I just remembered from seeing this video (@20:46) that he also somehow made it on the Lightning and was on the ice to hoist the cup along with Marty...quite fitting indeed, that's some hockey Gods stuff as well. Good times, game on!!! At least for the foreseeable future, Marty will make it an easier pill to swallow when the Bruins lose to the friggin Habs, lol.
Watched at UVM!!!!!!! What a great player!!!!!
amazing, ill never forget that mothers day goal❤
i saw him in the ahl and i knew he was going to be a winner
I love how he is also teaching his own protégé in Caufield
His time with the Rangers was so good Marty was their heart and soul
As a Lightning fan...regardless of how he forced himself out of town...he will ALWAYS be a legend here. HoF'er. Stanley Cup winner. Gotta loves the Marty!
Yazerman did
I didn't realize how good he was until I saw him with the NYR.
As Sens fan it hurts knowing Ottawa gave him a tryout and never signed him. Imagine St.Louis playing alongside Alfredsson and Hossa would've been awesome but it wasn't meant to be. My dad got to watch Marty play with the Saint John Flames and told me he was the best player they had on their team in his time there. One of my all time favourites and an absolute legend!
So let’s get it out of the way, Gretzky never entered the draft so I don’t accept the technicality. Ok.
Martin St Louis is the greatest undrafted player in NHL history. There’s no debate.
And doc emerick. Real quality play by play. Come back Doc! Save the post season announcing by replacing the dumbbells ABC employs now.
Criminal that you don't have 100k subs.
The thumbnail...
That goal at 14:15 was filthy…
One if the best to ever play the game! Crazy how yzerman ruined it for tampa
One of my favorite players ever
love marty helped my rangers alot that playoff run
Not unexpected just a surprise that fell in our lap (I was a Bolts fan in those days) the way Marchessault fell into Florida's and then they foolishly left him unprotected for Vegas to snap up.
Theo Fleury? Pat Verbeek? Plenty of "small" guys have excelled in the NHL. The biggest issue is durability due to being targeted once opponents see how talented they are. Marty's most difficult year was his 2nd full one in Tampa. He rarely missed time afterward.
I feel the same way about Verhaeghe too 😢
Could you imagine having a mother so in your corner...?
Sorry I did not have this kind of family growing up.
Makes me wish sometimes...
It all started at the University of Vermont. He and Eric Perrin were electric. Go Catamounts!
Gutterson was wild during those games. I got kicked out for throwing the Puss back in 94...but they let me sneak right back in because secretly they all loved the Puss.
you should do a video on steven stamkos man
funny that the draft he was passed up in happened to be in St Louis haha
I referee him in is minor hockey as well as Junior AAA in Joliette what he did and what he when true all does years is magic congrats and bring the 25 Stanley cup to Montreal ❤
33:23 "6th undrafted player with 1000 points" did you mean 16th? I looked up this on Quainthockey snd it says 18 undrafted players with over 1000 points.
Yeah buddy my mistake!
Small but with legs of steel. He can't be toppled.
Mats Naslund 5’7”
St. Louis founded in 1967
Love you Marty
Make more plz
Great player but how was St Louis a HoF inductee when Patrick Elias is still fighting to get in? Elias won the head to head battle, lost at minimum 2 years of his prime to Hep C, and their point totals are still almost identical. And Elias played on a team with no other true Elite forwards until later in his career once Parise was drafted. Elias is Czech hockey royalty a well, a player coming out of a civil war in his own country to enter to NHL
Never understood how St. Louis is looked to on a pedestal but guys like Mogilny and Elias are still not in the Hall
it's actually criminal that Patrick Elias isn't in the HOF
Wait...minesota and columbus could have picked him up???what a fail😂
Expansion drafts were funny back then but to be fair, MSL had no reputation at all and was very young. Expansion teams, really until Vegas, typically tried to select a veteran core that would, presumably, be more competitive than unproven youngsters. And then rely on high draft picks to build the future. It never really worked that well and even teams that eventually got good like Tampa and Ottawa had to spend almost 10 years building.
@@Furens Yeah, it was slim pickings in the 90s entry drafts. Teams could protect their #1 goalie, top 9 forwards, and top 5 defensemen. What's left was often split between multiple expansion franchises (TB/OTT, ANA/FLA, MIN/CBJ).
St. Louis goat
Hi
💗💗💗
And he is a quebecer, imagine my shock.