With word yesterday that Steven Stamkos would not be able to participate in the Sochi games, Team Canada GM Steve Yzerman and his staff had the tough choice of naming a replacement for the games. They have taken Stamkos’ teammate, and a man many felt was snubbed when the original team was named, two-time Art Ross Trophy winner Martin St. Louis.
St. Louis has been on an absolute tear going on a ten-game point streak (8 goals, 6 assists, 14 points) immediately after the January 7th announcement, including a 4-goal outing against the San Jose Sharks a couple of weeks ago. This season, he once again leads the Lightning with 25 goals and 54 points in 56 games. Despite being 38-years-old, St. Louis shows no signs of slowing down, and his veteran leadership could be a key asset to what is a very young Canadian team headed to the Olympics.
“I heard from Stammer that he wasn’t going to go, so I knew it was a possibility,” St. Louis told reporters in Tampa on Thursday. “So I guess I was prepared for it.”
St. Louis said he felt bad for Stamkos, who was ruled out of Olympic competition by the Lightning’s medical staff on Wednesday.
“I think we’ve got to understand how hard he’s tried and worked to put himself in the position he’s in and give himself a chance. Obviously he’s disappointed and I’m disappointed for him. Stammer’s a true professional and he’s done everything he can this past month to get back to the lightning first and hopefully to Team Canada.”
St. Louis previously played for Canada in the 2006 Turin Olympics and at the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, where he helped the team to a first place finish.
The move makes things a lot easier on Steve Yzerman, who is also the Tampa Bay Lightning general manager, and was put in a difficult position with St. Louis when the team captain was not on the original list of players for Team Canada. Some, including TSN’s Darren Dreger, speculated that a second snub of St. Louis would have created a soap opera around the Lightning team going forward.
For his part St. Louis said that the previous snub did not motivate him, and was not the reason for the point streak. “I don’t think it’s motivation. I’ve been motivated the past four years … the past 10 years. If you’re not motivated, you’re not even considered for these things.”
Stamkos was ruled out of Olympic competition Wednesday after team doctors reviewed his most recent CT scan and refused to clear him for game action.
“I don’t see this as Marty replacing me, I see it as Marty deserving a spot on this team and going over and hopefully bringing back a gold medal,” said Stamkos in the same news conference.
After the announcement that Stamkos would not play, the other rumored names that seemed to have the most media speculation as potential replacements included Claude Giroux, Eric Staal, and James Neal.
The NHL wraps up for its Olympic break playing its last regular games before Sochi on Saturday. Canada opens the men’s Olympic hockey tournament on Feb. 13th when they face-off against Norway.
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