Martin St. Louis Makes Right Decision To Retire From NHL

Today, Martin St. Louis decided to retire from the NHL after 16 seasons. He is coming off the worst season since 2002. This lack of production and the lure of being with his family has prompted him to walk away from the game.

St. Louis grew to fame as part of a great core with the Tampa Bay Lightning. With Brad Richards and Vincent Lecavalier by his side, they were able to lift the Stanley Cup together in 2004. Some thought it could be the makings of a dynasty, but the lockout that immediately followed threw most franchises off their game. St. Louis continued to be a great player throughout his career.

His consistency was unbridled. He scored 30-plus goals in seven different seasons and broke 1,000 career points just this past season. During the seasons from 2002 to 2013, St. Louis missed a total of seven games. He was the Iron Man of the NHL. He was a constant when it came to the Lightning and the New York Rangers.

That is why it was time for St. Louis to hang up the skates. His play on the ice was becoming erratic. It seemed the long NHL season was starting to take a toll on him, as he scored just one goal for the Rangers in 19 playoff games. He wasn’t the same player, and at times it was hard to watch.

The interest this offseason was weak at best. Teams like the New Jersey Devils were interested in St. Louis, but that won’t progress his career when looking at it as a legacy. There is no Stanley Cup coming to teams that were interested in the veteran, so it makes sense that he would rather retire than just to play for any team.

St. Louis has done everything in his career. He won the Hart Trophy back in 2004, broke 100 points and 40 goals in 2007, received a gold medal in the 2014 Olympics representing Team Canada and is a three-time Lady Byng Memorial Trophy winner.

When there is nothing left to do and you can’t play at the same level you once did, it is time to call it quits. St. Louis will go down as one of the best players of this era. and he is a no-doubt Hall of Famer. Playing one more year would not do anything for him, which is why he is making the right decision.