Time to let go of the animosity and the bitterness. Forget the messy ending. Now is the time for appreciation and admiration.
Now is the time to remember and bid farewell to the sensational career of perhaps the greatest athlete in the history of Tampa Bay sports.
Marty St. Louis — our Little Engine Who Could, the former Lightning star who led the franchise to its only Stanley Cup and the author of one of the most iconic moments in Tampa Bay sports history — announced his retirement Thursday at age 40, thus ending 16 spectacular seasons that were as unlikely as they were brilliant.
Never drafted, this runt of hockey's litter will go down as one of the best to play the game because the size of his heart and the enormity of his game were far bigger than his 5-foot-8 frame.
Constantly told he wasn't good enough or big enough or tough enough, St. Louis spent his career playing with a chip on his shoulder, passion in his eyes and a fire in his belly. That burning desire to prove everybody wrong is the reason his retired No. 26 Lightning jersey will hang in the rafters at Amalie Arena someday and his plaque will hang on a wall in Toronto's Hockey Hall of Fame.
The best part of all: He was ours.
The bulk and best of this special career were spent right here in Tampa Bay, placing him alongside Derrick Brooks and Warren Sapp as the most celebrated, decorated and accomplished athletes to wear a Tampa Bay uniform.
This little guy from just outside Montreal put Tampa Bay on the hockey map, forging a path with Vinny Lecavalier and Brad Richards to turn the Lightning from National Hockey League laughingstock to the best team in the world.
"He was a warrior," former teammate Dave Andreychuk said. "We looked to him to lead us. And everything this organization has become is because of Marty St. Louis. He was the man."
During his 13 seasons with the Lightning, St. Louis won two scoring titles. He won the Hart Trophy, given to the NHL's most valuable player, during the Lightning's 2003-04 Stanley Cup season.
And who can forget that the only reason Tampa Bay won that Cup is because St. Louis literally saved the season with the most famous goal in franchise history: his double-overtime tally in Game 6 of the Cup final against the Calgary Flames that forced Game 7, which the Lightning won two nights later.
As one season bled into another and the Lightning's roster turned over, St. Louis remained the constant shining star. With Louie Louie — the song that played every time he scored — serving as the franchise's soundtrack, St. Louis helped bridge the gap from the team that won the Cup to the team that competed for one this season.
His play on the ice and his leadership off it served as the example for the current Lightning roster, including pupil and close friend Steven Stamkos, who replaced him as Lightning captain.
Off the ice, St. Louis was as dedicated and prideful as he was on it. A tireless worker who constantly had sweat on his brow and his heart on his sleeve, St. Louis was the epitome of a hockey player — tough, determined, humble and tenacious. He played hard, rarely missing a game. He also played cleanly, winning the league's award for sportsmanship three times.
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Explore all your options"The thing you respected most," Lecavalier said, "is he always wanted to be the best Marty St. Louis he could be."
This fairy-tale career, however, didn't end with happily ever after, at least not in Tampa Bay. Originally left off the 2014 Canadian Olympic team by Canadian executive director and Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman, that set in motion a series of events that led to a messy divorce with the Lightning. Citing a desire to spend more time with his family — which includes wife Heather and three boys — St. Louis demanded a trade, a request that resulted in a controversial deal with the New York Rangers in March of last year.
Seen as a traitor by the Lightning faithful, St. Louis was vilified and booed upon his initial return to Tampa Bay in November.
During the 2014 playoffs, St. Louis lost his mother, France, suddenly and shockingly to a heart attack. His perseverance and grace through personal tragedy was the inspiration the Rangers used to reach the Stanley Cup final.
The Rangers made the playoffs again this season, and St. Louis' career came to end with a series-ending loss to the Lightning. Though his career ended on a disappointing note, St. Louis likely will make the Hall of Fame. He scored only 391 goals but lost the equivalent of a season and a half to NHL labor stoppages. He finished with 1,033 points in 1,134 games.
Is he a Hall of Famer? Yes. Should his number be retired by the Lightning? Absolutely, as soon as possible. A statue outside the rink would be nice, too.
"I have been blessed to play for 16 years in the NHL," St. Louis said in a statement. "It has been an amazing ride."
It has been an amazing ride. But it is we in Tampa Bay who have been blessed to have witnessed that journey.
Forget that Marty St. Louis was born in Montreal and finished his career in New York and now makes his home in Connecticut. Forget that ugly parting of the ways last year.
Remember this: His best years were here in Tampa Bay. He is ours.
Then. Now. Forever.