Yzerman inks St. Louis; questionable?

By Jon Gabrielle,   THW

Marty St. Louis has been the face of the Tampa Bay Lightning for many years. 

Ever since his triple overtime goal against the Washington Capitals in game 6 of the opening round series in 2003, gave the Lightning their first taste of winning, and a come from behind 4-2 series win, the diminutive forward has had the guts and grit emblematic of the heart he wears on his sleeve.

From that series winner to the following year’s double overtime thriller versus the Flames in game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals, no player has epitomized what it is to be a professional, a term often overused, and what it means to overacheive while representing the Lightning.

In the midst of three tumultuous and disturbing seasons, while Tampa was missing the playoffs, St. Louis has been the one constant Lightning fans could cheer for.

Marty St. Louis remains a Bolt! (photo by kaatiya/flickr)

Two summers ago at Vinny Lecavalier’s annual fundraiser in Tampa at the Hard Rock, I did a TV spot interviewing the former Vermont Catamount. St. Louis looked fatigued that night so I asked him about the previous year and how hard it was not to make the playoffs? He said he was thrilled to be starting over; with a new ownership group and a new coach(Barry Melrose). I remember him telling me how happy he was that that was over. Little did he know that “that” would last two more years…and get worse!

Earlier this summer St. Louis hinted at asking the organization to trade him. That’s how bad it had gotten. Marty St. Louis is a fiercly loyal man but the losing had taken it’s toll.

But that was pre-SY, otherwise known as the pre-Stevie Yzerman days. With the new General Manager/icon in place, today all is forgiven,  forgotten and it’s full speed ahead. The Lady Byng winner signed a 4 year 22.5 million dollar contract extension, all but assuring that St. Louis will retire a Bolt.

Naturally, the fans are thrilled.

There might be one glitch however. Marty St. Louis is 35 years old. In a state with the highest percentage of senior citizens over the age of 65, that might not seem old. But in hockey years…in Marty St. Louis type years, age is more than a number!

 St. Louis plays hockey the way Rafael Nadal plays tennis; meaning he never takes a game off, a shift off, or a play off. All hustle, all the time! That style no doubt has endeared him to teammates and fans alike. But will he hit the proverbial wall one day…and sooner than later?

Stevie Y fielding questions! (photo by Dave Hogg/flickr)

It may not happen next year, nor the year after. But what if when St. Louis is 37, 38 or 39 he can no longer  dig and forecheck with the relentless abandon we have all grown accustomed to? What if Marty St, Louis slows down in the years to come? What if his small frame breaks down?

Then Steve Yzerman will have just made his first huge mistake in only his first signing. For according to NHL and CBA rules, a players contract continues to count against the teams’ cap for it’s duration if the player is 35 at the time of the signing.  That means that if Marty retires even at age 38, deciding his body can no longer take the ravaging of NHL hockey, or if his numbers decline rapidly; the Lightning are still on the hook in terms of his “cap hit”until 2015!

As unthinkable as it may seem now; in a few years the Tampa Bay Lightning may be paying a guy to score 40 points or less, over 5 million dollars a year. Or worse, he may be retired like the rest of the residents in Florida and the Lightning will be  ”eating” his 5 million dollar cap hit?

And lest Stevie Y forget the market he has joined…this is “Hockey Bay,” not “Hockey Town!”

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