Lightning to retire Martin St. Louis' No. 26 before Jan. 13 game
TAMPA BAY, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Lightning announced Thursday that the No. 26 jersey retirement ceremony for Martin St. Louis will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, January 13, before the team faces off against the Columbus Blue Jackets, presented by Chase. Doors to AMALIE Arena will open to ticket holders at 5:30 p.m. and the team is recommending all fans plan on being in their seats by 6:15 p.m. Doors for those with premium seating and the arena's Firestick Grill will open at 5 p.m. The game is expected to face-off at 8:10 p.m. After the conclusion of the ceremony, the regular 15-minute warm-up skate and game preparation will occur.
John Tortorella, the current head coach of the Blue Jackets and coach of the Lightning's 2004 Stanley Cup Championship team, is one of several expected speakers for the ceremony. Tortorella coached St. Louis for seven seasons in Tampa Bay, including the 2003-04 season, when St. Louis won several of the NHL's top individual awards while leading the Lightning to the Stanley Cup.
St. Louis will be the first player in the history of the Lightning organization to have his jersey retired. He was signed by the Lightning as a free agent on July 31, 2000 and played 13 seasons with the club. He currently ranks first in team history for points (953), assists (588), shorthanded goals (28), game-winning goals (64), hat tricks (8 -- tied with Steven Stamkos) and power-play points (300). He ranks second for goals scored with 365, only behind Vincent Lecavalier's 383 goals.
Known for his durability, St. Louis played every possible NHL game in eight of his seasons with the Lightning, setting a team record for consecutive games played with 499 from 2005-06 to 2011-12. During that span he played in every regular season and playoff game for more than five consecutive seasons.
His greatest single year with the Lightning came in 2003-04 when he helped lead the Lightning to the franchise's only Stanley Cup. St. Louis won several individual honors that season, including the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL's point leader with 94. He was awarded Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL's Most Valuable Player and the Lester B. Pearson Award as the National Hockey League Players Association's most outstanding player. He was also named a first team NHL All-Star.
Additionally, St. Louis played in six (2003, '04, '07, '08, '09, '11) NHL All-Star Games, was a four-time All-NHL second team selection (2006-07, '09-10, '10-11, '12-13) and he won the Art Ross Trophy for the second time in 2012-13, becoming, at age 37, the oldest player in league history to be the NHL's top single-season scorer. St. Louis also won the NHL's Lady Byng Memorial Trophy three times (2009-10, '10-11, '12-13) for his "sportsmanship and gentlemanly play combined with a high standard of playing ability."
