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COPYRIGHT 2004 Century Publishing
MARTIN ST. LOUIS HAS BEEN told he was too small for much of his hockey life. He was undrafted by the NHL coming out of college despite a stellar career at the University of Vermont and had his contract bought out by the Calgary Flames after spending part of the summer of 2000 working to help the team sell tickets enough tickets to stay alive.
No one is telling him he's too small now.
St. Louis' big-time achievements this season belie his 5-foot-9 size. As the NHL scoring leader entering the final weeks of the season and a key to the Tampa Bay Lightning's growth into a Stanley Cup contender, St. Louis skated away with HOCKEY DIGEST'S Player of the Year Award, beating out offensive stars such as Colorado's Joe Sakic and Atlanta's Ilya Kovalchuk as well as Florida goaltender Roberto Luongo and Detroit defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom.
A 28-year-old Laval, Quebec, native, St. Louis took the long road to his status among the NHL's elite players.
No one was interested in St. Louis on draft day--probably because he's listed at 5-9 and 185 pounds, but is more likely closer to 5-7 and 175. He finally signed as a free agent with the Calgary Flames in 1998 after a prolific career at the University of Vermont, where he piled up 91 goals and 176 assists for 267 points in 138 games--just under two points per contest--and was a three-time finalist for the Hobey Baker Award. But the Flames kept him mostly in a checking role when they weren't keeping him in the minor...
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