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NHLPAcom News Headlines St Louis Gets His Kicks On The Ice Player Quick Search Media ReleasesHeadlinesPlayer Of The DayTOROANAH1200 PMPITT3PHIL021052NYRADETR400 PMSTLONYIS400 PMTAMP1FLOR2OT122VANCCOLO400 PMTOROANAH400 PMPITT3PHIL021052NYRADETR400 PMSTLONYIS400 PMTAMP1FLOR2OT122VANCCOLO400 PM Previous Next ST LOUIS GETS HIS KICKS ON THE ICE As a kid Martin St Louis found sporting success on grass and ice But the Bolts bigtime talent eventually gave up scissorkicks for slapshots a move he definitely does not regretThroughout his organized soccer career St Louis earned a reputation as a consistent contributor and team player a midfielder that depended on speed and savvy to outwit the opposition time and againOver 15 years later the fleetskating forward is doing pretty much the same thing for the Tampa Bay Lightning an Eastern Conference club eager to reassert themselves as a Stanley Cup contenderSpeed plays an important role in almost every sport said St Louis who has played nearly 720 regular season NHL games Ive always worked hard at using speed to my advantage I think its been a big help in the sports Ive playedAnd though his days of booting a ball into the back of the net are over St Louis who won the 2004 Lester B Pearson Award (league MVP as voted by the Players) has been able to transfer much of what he learned from soccer into his thriving hockey careerThe biggest lesson he learned from life on the pitch and at the rinkNever take anything for granted says the 34yearold now in his 11th bigleague seasonAny time you get to this level you have to work hard and try to get better said St Louis who began his NHL career as a member of the Calgary Flames A lot of good players dont make it I guess thats the advice I can give I can just say you have to work hard because everyone is working to get betterSt Louis has done just that during his thriving NHL career the University of Vermont graduate striving to be at his best each and every night After seasons of 18 goals and 16 goals respectively in his first two seasons with the Lightning the 59 180pounder broke out bigtime in 200203 tallying 33 times in 82 gamesThough hes smaller than most players in the league St Louis stands out on the ice for a different reason namely his fluid skating style and uncanny knack for creating numerous scoring opportunities with each shift he takesChalk up his strong play to commitment and confidence both of which have played a major role in his rise to the elite ranks of NHL forwardsThough opportunities to prove his abilities as a true talent seemed elusive early on in his bigleague career St Louis who was never drafted made his ownI never wanted to quit and even though there were some disappointing things that happened along the way Im very happy that I stuck with it said St Louis who led al...