Growing up, kids will often dream of the opportunity to play for their favorite sports teams. Many of those kids become athletes in their favorite sports and find they have reached the end of their playing days before they finish high school, with little opportunity to move forward in their dreams. For one former NHLer, the opportunities continued to present themselves until he found himself suiting up and wearing the jersey of his hometown team, the St. Louis Blues.
With an opportunity to catch up with former Blue, Cam Janssen, he recounted his rise to the NHL.
Janssen’s Love of Hockey
Raised just outside of Eureka, Missouri, Janssen experienced life as a hockey player as many do today. His routine would include waking up and driving to East Alton, IL with his father for 6 a.m. practices due to the lack of practice facilities in the area. Life was made even more difficult due to the lack of involvement in the sport of hockey from others in his close circle of friends, outside of his cousin Derek who shared his obsession with the game.
Janssen recounted growing up as a child spending time outside, playing baseball, and going to St. Louis Cardinals games. However, it was his trips to see the Blues that truly caught his eye. “I would see, in the early 90’s, Brett Hull was scoring 86 goals. Kelly Chase and Tony Twist were out there pounding guys and I’m like ‘What in the world is this?!'” Whether it was the toughness, physicality, tattoos, or something else that hockey had to offer, the high-flying game had him hooked.
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Though his enjoyment and desire to play continued to rise, it was not always easy to find ice time. So, he opted for the next best thing and continued to rollerblade as often as possible. With his father working as a waterproofer and his mother going back to school, eventually becoming a nurse at Clayton jail, the family navigated the unfamiliar path with their nine-year-old son one step at a time.
Dedicated to his dream, they made frequent weekend trips to Canada to see him play AAA hockey at the age of 12 and 13 years old. However, things did not always go to plan as he recalled a tournament they traveled 12 hours to play in, only for their son to be ejected from the tournament in the first period of their first game after a heavy hit behind the net, ultimately injuring his opponent. Though his parents were not the ones who could offer him advice on how to bring a puck off of the wall properly, they were the ones who could offer him consistent and unending motivation and encouragement every step along the way.
Janssen Becomes a Superstar in Canada
As his early playing days continued, Janssen began to turn heads and gain the attention of junior league scouts from the Ontario Hockey League (OHL).
“I had a family advisor at a young age because I was scoring goals. I was a really good hitter and all the scouts were like ‘Who is this kid from St. Louis?’ So I got a ton of attention. Then I had agents around me telling me ‘Cam, you’re going to get drafted into the Ontario Hockey League'”
Taking the advice, he and his family traveled to Mississauga, Ontario for the OHL Priority Draft. Taking in every moment and detail he could from the sights and sounds to the designs of the jerseys, he sat alongside several people including his agent, as well as future LA Kings captain, Dustin Brown. Janssen did not wait long as his name was called in the third round, 46th overall by the Windsor Spitfires.
The city of Windsor embraced the kid from St. Louis as he, at the age of 16 and 17 years old, became the lovable tough guy on the ice for the Spitfires. He continued to rack up penalty minutes each night and scoring the occasional goal on the ice, and embracing fans everywhere he went off the ice. Janssen spent three years with the Spitfires playing in 149 regular season games scoring 10 goals and 46 points while accumulating 623 penalty minutes. Janssen also appeared in 29 regular season games with the Guelph Storm in 2003-04 scoring seven goals and 11 points with 125 total penalty minutes. It was with the Storm that he became a Memorial Cup champion appearing in 22 games scoring three goals and six points.
Janssen’s Road to the NHL
With only one year of junior hockey under his belt, Janssen’s agent approached him once more informing him that he was going to be drafted into the NHL. After meeting with 15 teams, including a meeting at 6 a.m. with Lou Lamoriello and the New Jersey Devils, he was informed that he gained attention from clubs after notably putting up points on the scoreboard while leading the league in fights and penalty minutes. His play was suspected to warrant a draft choice anywhere between the third and fifth rounds. With plenty of excitement and anticipation, he and his family celebrated after hearing his name called 117th overall by the Devils.
Janssen and his family eventually returned home to celebrate his achievement inviting everyone he knew. Despite the visit from local law enforcement to calm things down, he and his family were encouraged to celebrate his accomplishment. With a newly signed contract, he used his paycheck wisely on workouts and other areas to help him elevate his game, while also enjoying it for personal use when he could.
After years of hard work, he was called up by the Devils during the 2005-06 season, making his NHL debut against the New York Rangers on Nov. 5, 2005.
“Walking into that locker room, it was nerve-wracking. I ran the show in juniors, and could do what I wanted. When I got into that locker room with all those studs, I’m bottom of the totem pole. You can’t believe it. Everybody’s ripped up, cut up, disciplined, doing the right thing, stretching beforehand.”
Though he may have been overwhelmed by some of those in the NHL, it was his determination and mindset instilled by his parents that helped keep him motivated to work hard and be disciplined.
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“I didn’t play in the NHL for 10 years because I’m gifted, right? Don’t get me wrong, I know I got that party kind of reputation which is 100% true, too. I double-dip when it comes to that, but I was always the first one in. I stick-handled before I stretched. I was making sure I was 100% ready every practice. Workout afterwards. Big-time discipline.”
Playing For His Home Town
Janssen’s first stint with the Devils came to an end on Feb. 26, 2008, with the team trading him to his hometown club in exchange for soon-to-be free-agent forward Bryce Salvador.
“It’s not a blockbuster trade, but in my own little bubble it’s a big deal.”
While the forward was excited to return home and play for his childhood team, there were always the difficulties of navigating the life of a professional athlete and the responsibilities that come with that, while also seeing his high school friends and family on a more consistent basis. The pressure to keep up with living both lives and balancing both groups became a lot, but ultimately something he was able to overcome and manage on a day-to-day basis.
Janssen joined the Blues at a time with a new rising core for the franchise that featured players like David Perron, TJ Oshie, Erik Johnson, Patrik Berglund, and many more. While the team was not good on paper, he likened the team’s motto to “come grow with us” as they looked to rebound and grow into a hopeful Stanley Cup contender one day.
The forward went on to play four years in his hometown dressing for 165 regular season games scoring two goals and nine points and racking up 470 penalty minutes in the process. He also played in one playoff game for the team in a series against the Vancouver Canucks on April 19, 2009.
Janssen’s Life After Hockey
After playing 336 career NHL games, he officially retired from hockey while playing in England with the Nottingham Panthers to take a media role in the United States. Today, he is one-half of the crew of the Cam & Strick podcast while helping with the St. Louis Blues Warrior hockey program. The program provides an opportunity for disabled veterans to play the sport of hockey, regardless if they’ve played their entire life, or never put a skate on the ice. Janssen, along with several other Blues alumni dedicate their time by not only helping raise money but practicing against the team as often as possible. Although he is retired, he still dreams of his ultimate bucket list fight.
“Go back in time, I’d want to fight Chase. Get the two of us in our prime? ‘Chaser’ and I would have went toe to toe for three minutes.”
With his eyes on the future, Janssen is proud of the city of St. Louis and Missouri for the dedication that it continues to show to the growth of hockey. With the number of rinks and facilities, clinics, and yearly involvement from the Blues, the sky is the limit for the area that continues to churn out NHL-ready talent each year.