Calgary Flames 46 Days Until the Season Starts: #46 Martin St. Louis

By Ramina Shlah |

TAMPA, FL - JANUARY 13: Former Tampa Bay Lightning Martin St. Louis chokes up while remembering his late mother during a ceremony to retire his number 26 at the Amalie Arena on January 13, 2017 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images)

With 46 days left until the regular season starts up again, let’s take a look at a former Calgary Flames player with that number.

Since the start of August, we’re counting down the number of days left until the regular season starts up again! Everyday until the start of the season, we’ll be talking about a Calgary Flames player whose number correlates with how many days there are left.

Yesterday we talked about a player who isn’t playing with the Flames anymore, but he’s still young and in the NHL. He also wanted a trade from Calgary. Can you guess who yet? Well, guessing’s over, it was #47 Sven Baertschi. Let’s change it up a bit and talk about a player who’s now retired.

With 46 days left until the regular season starts up again, let’s look at #46 Martin St. Louis.

Related Story: 47 Days Until the Season Starts: #47 Sven Baertschi

Who is Martin St. Louis?

Name: Martin St. Louis

Birth place: Laval, QC, Canada

Position: RW

Shoots: Left

Birthdate: 1975-06-18

Height: 5’8” / 173 cm

Weight: 83 kg / 182 lbs

Drafted by: Undrafted

Stats with all NHL teams, regular season:

Going undrafted and having no NHL teams interested in him, the first few years of Martin St. Louis’ career was rough. The Ottawa Senators offered him a professional tryout, but they released him quickly after and it panned into nothing.

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Because no NHL teams were interested, he signed with the Cleveland Lumberjacks of the IHL. Liking what they saw, the Calgary Flames decided to pick him up and sign him to a contract in 1998. However, going back and forth between them and their AHL affiliate at the time, the Saint John Flames, they eventually left him exposed for the 2000 NHL Expansion Draft when the Columbus Blue Jackets joined the league.

But he didn’t get picked up.

The Flames decided there was no room for him on their roster and they did something that would hurt anyone’s ego: They bought out his contract.

The Tampa Bay Lightning were one of the teams interested in MSL and they signed him to a contract in 2000. But again, adversity got him again and he failed to register a goal in the first month of the season.

He found himself a healthy scratch quite often.

He finally scored his first goal in late November. And he had 34 points in the second half of the season. His career basically took off from there. 2003-04 was definitely a season for him to remember. First, he won the Art Ross Trophy that season (the league’s lead scorer with 94 points) and.. well… I’m sure every Calgary Flames fan knows this story.

But the Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Flames in game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final to win their first Stanley Cup in franchise history. I mean.. they only stole the cup from the Flames…. just saying. Actually fun (not so fun) fact for Flames fans: but it was actually St. Louis who scored that double overtime goal in game 6 after the Flames had that controversial call go against them that disallowed a goal in the third period. Yes, he’s a traitor. Moving on.

Related Story: Throwback Thursday - A Day Flames Fans Will Always Remember

Later that year, MSL also played for Team Canada for the World Cup of Hockey where they won a gold medal. In his career, he has played with Team Canada for the Olympics twice, one in which they won the gold medal (2014), he’s played in two World Championships and had a silver medal in both.

MSL has also won the Art Ross Trophy another time in his career, he’s won a Ted Lindsay award, one Memorial Hart trophy, and an impressive three Lady Byng Trophies. He finished his career off with the New York Rangers before retiring in 2015, and after the TBL retired his jersey number, where it was an emotional night for the veteran.

Next: Why Teams Should Trade for Troy Brouwer

Martin St. Louis has definitely had a career to remember. Even if he betrayed Flames fans (I’m still angry about it, thanks for asking).

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